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

A clause that may be inserted in a listing agreement stating no commission will be paid to the broker until the property title has actually been transferred. Normally, willing and able ...

Time period in which one may carry out a lien on property. ...

Money set aside to buy new assets when the older ones are no longer appropriate for the intended use. An example is when the landlord must replace a deteriorating and malfunctioning air ...

Wondering what a Judgment Lien is?Well, a Lien can be consensual or non-consensual, right? Meaning it can be forced or agreed upon by way of a bilateral contract. When we say ...

Arches, either roofed or open, mounted on a series of pillars to form a passageway or walkway. ...

To approximate the worth or valuation of property To give an appraisal value estimate of property. Property value appraisals are never exact, and are at best approximations of actual ...

Legal proceeding whereby a person's property is attached and used to pay an obligation. The employer may withhold part of the employee's salary to the court until the debt has been paid. ...

The term abutting comes from the verb “to abut” and the definition of abutting denotes more proximity than “adjacent”. Abutting is often used in real estate to ...

Named after Sir Robert Torrens, a British administrator in Australia. The torrens system is a state-sponsored system of land title registration, not applicable in states, such as California. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions