Real Estate Glossary
Our glossary is the largest dictionary of real estate and construction terms on the Internet with almost 10,000 definitions.
- SP Wire
- This type of lamp cord consists of small diameter stranded wires, which are covered with rubber insulation.
- Space Heater
- Individual heating unit used to heat a small area, usually electrically heated.
- Space Standards
- Minimum dimensions required for various activities in a building, which are established by law for safety and comfort.
- Spacer
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- Cross shaped, small plastic pieces, which are used to space tiles during the installation of ceramic tile, so that they are evenly placed.
- Small concrete blocks that support and maintain rebar at a specified height off of the bottom of a concrete pour.
- Spackling Compound
- Compound, which can be smoothed and painted, which is used to fill in small crack and holes and to cover other defects.
- Spade Bit
- Wood boring bit which is used with a power drill to shave wood in a circular section equal in diameter to the width of the head of the bit. The flat head, whose edges are ground to a beveled edge, has a point used to center the bit in the wood. The turning shank forces the point into the wood.
- Spading Tool
- Tool that uses a long, flat bade with a handle, used to compact newly placed concrete in the forms.
- Spall
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- Flaking off of a concrete surface.
- Fragment broken from a masonry structure.
- Span
- Spread between girders or heavy walls, from eave to eave or between structural supports.
- Span, Allowable
- Maximum distance allowed that a structural member may span between supports.
- Spandrel
- The area between an arch and a ceiling or between and above two connected arches.
- Spandrel Wall
- Wall section spanning the area from the top of a window to the sill of the window directly above it, on the next floor of the building.
- Spanish Mission Style
- Style familiar to the Southwest and patterned after Spanish missions.
- Spanish Swirl
- Heavy texture style, also called a sponge twist, which uses plaster, stucco or drywall to produce circular swirls.
- Spanish Villa
- Home of one to three stories with stucco outside and a roof of red tiles.
- Spanner
- Wrench with projecting teeth that fit into a groove on a particular nut.
- Spark Arrestor
- Screen or metal cover installed at the outlet of a chimney or exhaust system to allow smoke to pass through but to protect from sparks.
- Spark Lighter
- Lighter which moves a flint across a piece of rough steel, to produce sparks to light a gas torch.
- Spar Varnish
- Exterior lacquer or liquid plastic-based varnish.
- Spatula
- Flat, flexible bladed tool which is used as a putty knife or taping knife.
- Specs
- The products and the plans for construction of a building.
- Spec House
- Dwelling constructed prior to being sold. The builder "speculates" that a buyer will be found, thus the term "spec" house.
- Special Agent
- Person who is retained to act for another, with limited authority.
- Special Assessment
- Charged levied against property owners to finance an improvement made by the local government benefiting the homeowners and commercial businesses.
- Special Deposit Account
- If a loan is a rehabilitation mortgage, funds for restoration and remodeling are placed in this type of account and disbursed to the appropriate contractors once their work is completed.
- Special Purpose Property
- Building with limited uses and marketability, such as a church, theater, school or public utility.
- Special Use Permit
- Right granted by a local zoning authority to conduct certain activities within a zoning district. Such activities are considered conditional uses, which are permitted with the zone only upon special approval of the zoning authority. Also called a conditional use permit.
- Special Warranty Deed
- Property deed in which the grantor limits the title warranty to the grantee. A grantor does not warrant a title defect to the property occurring from a happening before the time of his ownership.
- Specialist in Real Estate Securities (SRS)
- Individual who by his expertise, education and experience prepares syndication reports.
- Specific Gravity
- The ratio of a weight or mass of a given volume of a substance to that of an equal volume of another substance, water for liquids and solids, air or hydrogen for gases.
- Specific Heat
- Calories needed to raise one gram of a substance by one degree centigrade. The number of BTU needed to raise one pound of a substance by one degree Fahrenheit.
- Specific Lien
- Lien on a given property, such as a person's house as collateral for a loan.
- Specific Performance
- A legal action in which the court requires a party to a contract to perform the terms of the contract when he has refused to fulfill his obligations.
- Specifications
- Often called "specs", these are the written requirements for construction, such as for materials, equipment, etc.
- Specular Gloss
- Smooth, high-gloss finish.
- Speculation
- High risk, often high return, business transaction undertaken with no guarantee of success.
- Speculation Home
- A "Spec" house is one that is built without a buyer. Dwelling is constructed prior to being sold. The builder "speculates" that a buyer will be found.
- Speculative Value
- Value that a speculator believes an investment will reach at some point in the future.
- Speculator
- One who invests with the anticipation that an event or series of evens will occur to increase the value of the investment.
- Speed Square
- Three-sided, triangular shaped measuring tool, which is used to draw perpendicular lines on boards to be cut or to lay out angles.
- Spendable Income
- Cash flow (from income producing property) which is reduced by income taxes resulting from the property's income.
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