Real Estate Glossary
Our glossary is the largest dictionary of real estate and construction terms on the Internet with almost 10,000 definitions.
- Contact Cement
- Commonly used to adhere laminated plastic to surfaces of counters, it is applied to both objects, allowed to dry to a certain state and then the objects are touched together, bonding on contact.
- Contain
- To hold, enclose or include.
- Container
- A box, can, crate, jar, etc. which will hold items inside.
- Contaminate
- To make something impure, corrupt, infected, etc. by contact with or addition of something harmful or unsuitable.
- Contemporary Style
- Design featuring streamlined shapes and large unadorned windows and open spaces.
- Contents Replacement Cost Protection
- Feature of some homeowner's insurance policies that pays the replacement cost of personal property lost to a claim.
- Contiguous Lots
- Pieces of property which abut and share a common adjoining border.
- Contingency
- Something whose occurrence depends on chance or uncertain conditions.
- Contingency Clause
- A condition, which must be fulfilled, in a purchase contract.
- Contingency Fund
- Money set aside for a possible loss.
- Contingency Listing
- A property listing with a special condition that must be met.
- Contingent Fee
- Fee that must be paid upon the occurrence of certain events.
- Contingent Sale
- Sale that is finalized only in the case of a particular occurrence.
- Continuation Statement
- Document submitted to a government agency to extend the time period for a previously approved document.
- Continuity
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- A continuous flow, a state of connection, continuous duration.
- A complete electrical circuit with no open circuits.
- Continuity Tester
- An indicator, which determines if any connections in an electrical circuit are open or broken.
- Continuous
- Unbroken, uninterrupted, connected. Extending without interruption or break.
- Continuous Load
- Three or more hour electrical load.
- Continuous Power System
- Used in circumstances where power must not be interrupted, this electrical system which operates separate from any alternate power source to supply power without interruption of more than one cycle.
- Continuous Ridge Vent
- Attic vent, which is place along the roof ridge.
- Continuous Vent
- Vertical pipe, which connects to the drain, extending upward to vent.
- Continuous Waste
- Drain connecting a multiple compartmentalized fixture or multiple fixtures to a common trap.
- Continuous Weld
- Weld that covers the complete length of a joint.
- Control Joint
- Joint that penetrates partially through a concrete slab so that pressure, such as from frost, is applied to the concrete, the control joint will crack instead.
- Contour
- A line on a map or drawing showing equal ground elevation points.
- Contour Gauge
- Hand tool constructed of a stiff metal wires in a holder which permits them to slide back and forth. These wires can conform to the shape of an object, allowing the transfer of the shape to another member or location, so that it can be cut out perfectly.
- Contour Interval
- The value between contour lines on a map that shows the difference in elevation.
- Contour Line
- A line on a map or chart to connect all points of the same elevation or depth in a certain area. Different contour lines show changes in the elevation of the land.
- Contour Map
- A map that displays the topography of a site. A map with contour lines that indicate various elevations.
- Contour Plan
- The finish grade contours as shown on a plan view of a site, shown by contour lines.
- Contract
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- An agreement between two or more parties, to do something specific.
- To reduce in size or draw together.
- Contract for Deed
- Contract where the seller agrees to defer all or part of the purchase price for a specified period of time.
- Contract for Novation
- In law, substituting a suitable person or entity for an original party of a contract, which terminates the old contract and begins a new one.
- Contract of Sale
- Written agreement between a seller and a buyer to buy/sell a property upon mutually suitable terms.
- Contract to Purchase
- Contract initiated by the buyer, which details the purchase price and conditions of the transaction, and is accepted by the seller. It is also known as an agreement of sale.
- Contractor
- A person or firm supplying materials or work, for a stipulated sum, in the building trade. Prime contractors are responsible for the entire job as a whole while subcontractors are those who are responsible for a certain trade and contract with the prime contractor.
- Contract Specifications
- Details of a contract of sale including a legal description, type of deed, closing information, etc.
- Contractual Lien
- Voluntary obligation or encumbrance, such as a mortgage.
- Control Fittings
- The device that controls the rate of flow and pressure in a fluid system.
- Control Joint
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- When installing a large span of wallboard, a space is filled with a preformed metal piece, which permits expansion and contraction.
- Masonry wall groove constructed as a control for expansion cracking.
- Any joint which is made between structural sections to allow for differential movement.
- Control Variable
- Environmental element that remains unchanged and strongly influences real estate valuations.
- Controlled Growth
- The imposition of restrictions on the amount or type of new development in an area.
- Controller
- Device to control power that goes to an electrical motor.
- Convection
- Mass movement of parts of a fluid within a fluid due to differences in the density and temperature of heat by such movement, to transfer heat.
- Convector
- Heating device, which is open at the top and bottom so that air may pass through the openings and over interior tubes, to be heated by hot water, which passes through those tubes. The heated air then flows out into a room.
- Convector Cover
- Concealment for a convector so that it is more attractive.
- Convenience Outlet
- Also called an electrical outlet, appliances and other electric devices are plugged into this 120-volt receptacle.
- Conventional Loan
- Long-term loan made for the purchase of a home, which is not insured or guaranteed by a governmental agency and which generally conforms to the standards required for sale of the loan into the secondary mortgage market. Typically requires a substantial down payment and is usually only available to those having good credit. It has fixed monthly payments for the life of the loan and usually has a 30-year period of fixed interest rates.
- Conventional Mortgage
- see conventional loan.
- Conversion
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- The exchange of property from real property to personal or the reverse.
- A change from one form or standard to another.
- Conversion Chart
- An information table, which shows the equivalent measurement of certain items to another, such as feet to meters.
- Converter
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- Device used to change a thing from one form to another, such as electrical current, radio frequency, analog to digital, etc.
- Furnace that converts pig iron into steel by using the Bessemer process.
- Convertible Adjustable-rate Mortgage
- A mortgage that begins as an adjustable rate loan but can be converted to a fixed-rate mortgage, during a specified period of time.
- Convex
- Outwardly curved surface.
- Convey
- To sell property from one to another and transfer all title and interests.
- Conveyance
- Transfer of title of property from one person or entity to another.
- Conveyance Tax
- Tax imposed on the transfer of real estate.
- Conveyor
- Mechanical contrivance with either a belt or chain, which moves continuously to take a commodity from one place to another. Commonly referred to as a conveyor belt.
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