Definition of "Marginal utility"

Additional utility an individual receives when purchasing an additional unit of a commodity or service. Represents a trade off between units of cost and unit of utility. For example, an individual builds a luxury home with a swimming pool. To build a tennis court would cost $50,000 and require yearly maintenance. To add two tennis courts is extremely low, the marginal utility of building the additional tennis court at $25,000 is not enough to offset the additional cost involved. However, if it cost only $5,000 to build the additional tennis court, then there may be sufficient marginal utility to justify its construction.

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

An upper limit on the interest rate that can be charged in a variable rate mortgage over its life. For example, a variable rate loan is initially offered at 7% loan rate, and its interest ...

Mortgage in which the interest rate charged by the lender can vary according to some reference index not controlled by the lender, such as the interest rate on 1-year U.S. T-bills or the ...

Net amount of cash than an investor requires from an income-producing property, after taxes, for a period of time, usually a year. It is computed by accumulating all rental receipts for the ...

Statutes stipulating that the property of deceased individuals is distributed in a way that assumes that property during marriage is jointly owned and equally shared by the spouses ...

The definition of adjoining properties describes two or more real estate properties, lots, or parcels that shared a boundary. A property that shares a common border with another is ...

Property boundary demarcated by the curb. ...

A broad definition of termite clause is a provision in a contract for the sale of real property that gives the purchaser the right, at his or her expense, to have the property inspected for ...

A step's edge. ...

Expenditure to make a specific security or real estate transaction. Real estate transaction costs include survey costs, mortgage points and origination fees, recording fees, state transfer ...

Popular Real Estate Questions