The Real Estate
Encyclopedia: A-E

In legal and real estate contexts, conversion can have two distinct meanings depending on usage. First, it refers to the unlawful appropriation or misuse of another person’s property, such as the improper use or taking of trust funds by a broker or fiduciary, which...

In real estate financing, a conventional loan is a mortgage or deed of trust that is not insured or guaranteed by a government agency such as the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These loans are typically offered by...

In real estate appraisal, the principle of contribution states that the value of a specific component or improvement to a property is measured by how much it adds to the overall value of the property, rather than by its cost. An improvement contributes value only to...

In real estate, a contract for deed is an installment agreement for the sale of property in which the seller retains legal title until the buyer has paid the purchase price in full. During the term of the contract, the buyer takes possession of the property and holds...

In legal and real estate contexts, a contract is a binding agreement between two or more parties to do, or refrain from doing, a specific act. For a contract to be valid, it must contain four essential elements: parties who are legally capable of contracting, mutual...

In real estate contracts, a contingency is a provision that makes the binding nature of the agreement dependent upon the occurrence of a specified event. Until the contingency is satisfied, the parties’ obligations under the contract are conditional and may allow one...

In real estate law, constructive notice is the legal concept that a person is presumed to have knowledge of certain facts or conditions affecting real property because they are recorded in the official public records, even if the person has no actual awareness of...

In real estate and legal contexts, constructive fraud refers to a breach of legal or fiduciary duty that the law treats as fraudulent, even though there may be no intent to deceive. It commonly arises when a person in a position of trust, such as a real estate broker...

In landlord-tenant law, constructive eviction occurs when a landlord’s actions or failure to act substantially interfere with a tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment of the leased premises, effectively forcing the tenant to vacate even though no formal eviction has taken...

In real estate financing, a construction loan is a short-term loan used to fund the building or major renovation of real property. Rather than being disbursed in a lump sum, the loan proceeds are typically released in stages, or “draws,” as construction progresses and...