Definition of "I.D.E.A.L."

Colleen   MacCallum real estate agent

Written by

Colleen MacCallumelite badge icon

EXIT Right Realty

An acronym stating the real estate is the I.D.E.A.L. investment. Each if the five letters in IDEAL stands for an advantage to real estate as an investment. "I" stands for interest deduction. The mortgage interest paid on the first and second residential homes are tax deductible. On the average, real estate is a good hedge against inflation because property value and the income from properties rise to keep pace with inflation. "D" stands for depreciation. The building on your land depreciates in book value each year and you can deduct this depreciation from your investment property and not residential. "E" is for equity buildup. This buildup of a capital asset is like money in the bank. As you amortize a mortgage, the value of your equity investment will steadily rise. In the case of income-producing property, this amortization could mean that your tenants help you build your estate. "A" is for appreciation. Your property value goes up every year, hopefully. Be careful because this is not guaranteed. "L" is for leverage. When you buy a house you make a down payment, say, 10% and you borrow the balance, say, 90%. You get the benefit of 100% even though you put up only 10% of your own money. You can maximize return with other people's money (OPM). The use of a mortgage and OPM means that you can use small amounts of cash to gain control of large investments and earn large returns on the cash invested.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Right to property depends on some occurrence. ...

Placed by the federal government on a individual's real property for federal estate tax or income tax law violations. In the case of a federal estate tax lien, upon the owner's death, the ...

Increase in the value of property caused by inflation. For example, John buys a home for $150,000. Because of inflation, the home is worth $200,000 five years later. The inflation equity in ...

Articles of personal property installed by a tenant under the terms of a lease for purposes of use in his or her trade or business, Trade fixtures are removable by the tenant before the ...

Individual making the payments in a mortgage or pledging a mortgage or property. ...

A corporation that owns housing units and whose tenants purchase shares in the corporation equivalent to the value of their housing unit. Also called co-ops. ...

Principal highway designed to divert traffic around a major urban area in order to limit congestion and expedite traffic flow. A belt highway is connected to the urban area by main highways ...

The transfer of a property deed from one person to another without publicly recording it. The recording of a deed in a public office gives constructive notice of the act of the sale and ...

Rights granted to owners of property restricted to conservation use, historic preservation, or some other low density function to sell to other landowners allowing them to develop their ...

Popular Real Estate Questions