Dictionary

Search for real estate and mortgage terms

Real Estate Dictionary contains a comprehensive list of real estate and mortgage terms and definitions for home buyers, home sellers, and real estate consumers with expanded definitions of the most important real estate and mortgage home loan terms. This dictionary is made available by Houston area REALTORS®. Please use the real estate dictionary term index section containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them.
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Periodic Cap
The maximum rate increase for a specific period for a specific loan (ARM) only.  
 
Piti
Principal, interest, taxes and insurance--the components of a monthly mortgage payment.
 
Planned Unit Developments (pud)
A subdivision of five or more individually owned lots with one or more other parcels owned in common or with reciprocal rights in one or more other parcels.
 
Points
Charges levied by the mortgage lender and usually payable at closing. One point represents 1% of the face value of the mortgage loan.
 
Prepaids
Those expenses of property which are paid in advance of their due date and will usually be prorated upon sale, such as taxes, insurance, rent, etc.
 
Prepayment Penalty
A charge imposed by a mortgage lender on a borrower who wants to pay off part or all of a mortgage loan in advance of schedule.  
 
Principal
Amount of debt, not including interest. The face value of a note or mortgage.
 
Private Mortgage Insurance (pmi)
Insurance provided by nongovernment insurers that protects lenders against loss if a borrower defaults. Fannie Mae generally requires private mortgage insurance for loans with loan-to-value (LTV) percentages greater than 80%.