Real Estate Glossary
Our glossary is the largest dictionary of real estate and construction terms on the Internet with almost 10,000 definitions.
- Calamander
- Hard wood, which is used for cabinets and found in Ceylon and India.
- Calcimine
- White or colored wash which is used on interior wall surfaces.
- Calcination
- The use of heat to break down chemical compounds.
- Calcine
- Heating materials to a point where they are changed to powder or calx and releasing water from the crystallized material.
- Calcium
- White metallic element, which forms part of limestone, chalk and gypsum; atomic number 20; atomic weight 40.08; atomic symbol Ca.
- Calcium Chloride
- Used to decrease the set-up time of concrete or mortar, calcium chloride is added.
- Calendared Paper
- Hard, smooth finished paper. Calibrate To fix, check or correct the graduations of a measuring instrument.
- California
- Gable roof end, which closes off the end of an overshooting roof ridge.
- California Bungalow
- Early twentieth century type of a small one-story home.
- California Ranch
- Long, one-story house with sloping roof with skylights and contemporary windows.
- Caliper
- An instrument consisting of a pair of curved, moveable legs, fastened together at one end, which is used to measure the thickness or diameter of something. There are both inside calipers and outside calipers.
- Caliper, Inside
- The ends of this caliper are curved outward to measure inside dimensions.
- Caliper, Outside
- The ends of this caliper are curved inward to measure outside dimensions.
- Caliper, Vernier
- A caliper that can be used to take both inside and outside measurements, it has a slider and a fixed projection mounted on a precision ruler. The slider, which is marked with precision gradations, locks into place with a screw adjustments. It is named after mathematician Pierre Vernier 1580-1637.
- Call Option
- Loan agreement clause allowing the lender to ask for the balance due at any time.
- Calorie
- Measurement of the amount of heat that is required to raise one gram of water, one degree Centigrade, to 15.5 degrees at atmospheric pressure.
- Cam
- A moving piece of machinery; a shaft or disk with a shape other than round which gives an eccentric rotation or a reciprocating motion to another wheel, a roller, shaft, etc. or it receives such motion from it.
- Camber
- Slightly convex arch, which is built into a load bearing beam, truss or girder to counteract any load bearing stress place on it. Also, a slight slope such as a driveway or roadway for runoff.
- Cambium
- The soft wood layer of formative cells between the wood and the bark in woody plants.
- Came
- Used when making leaded or stained glass windows, this thin lead bar has grooves to hold pieces of the decorative glass.
- Campanile
- Bell tower, that often stands alone, which has openings around the top to allow the sound of the bells to be heard more clearly.
- Camshaft
- A shaft to which cams are fastened. When an object comes in contact with a cam on a camshaft as the shaft is rotated, motion is imparted to that object.
- Cancellation
- To revoke, rescind or set aside something, such as an agreement. To make null and void.
- Cancellation Clause
- The details under which each party may terminate an agreement.
- Candlepower
- Measurement of the intensity of light coming from a source in a particular direction; the measurement of light based on a burning wax candle as compared to that given off of a light bulb.
- Canopy
- An awning, which is usually made of fabric, which extends from the wall of a building and protects an entrance or window.
- Cant
- A sloping or slanting surface. To place something at an angle.
- Cant Brick
- Brick that is gradually become thinner on one side.
- Cant Hook
- A rod with a hook on the end, which is used to turn, logs.
- Cant Strip
- Triangular strip of wood that is used at the connecting point of a flat deck and a wall so that cracking of the roofing applied over it is prevented. Wood strip under shingles or board that hold them at an angle.
- Cantilever
- Structure that projects outward and is supported on one end by its strength and rigidity. For example, a balcony. Also, a bracket used to support an extended eave or cornice on the exterior of a house.
- Cantilever Beam
- Beam, which is supported on one end only.
- Cantilever Construction
- Method of construction where part of the structure is supported by a cantilever beam or truss.
- Cap
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- The limit on the increase of interest allowable in an adjustable rate mortgage.
- The upper part of a column, pilaster, door cornice, wall or molding.3. Closure
- Cap, Acorn
- Decorative cap often used on metal fence posts whose rounded top resembles an acorn.
- Cap, Block
- Often called a paving block, this thin, flat piece of masonry is used to cap off a wall.
- Cap Course
- Top course of roofing which covers the ridge.
- Cap Flashing
- Flashing which is set in mortar and then bent to overlap another piece of flashing.
- Cap Sheet
- Top layer on a built-up roof, which is often covered in a protective mineral coating.
- Cap Stone
- Stone which is used on the top of a structure.
- Capacitance
- Amount of electrical charge able to be stored by a capacitor.
- Capacitive Reactance
- Opposition of a capacitor, measured in ohms, to changes in voltage.
- Capacitor
- Device, used for storing an electrical charge, which consists of two or more conducting plates, which are separated from each other by an insulating material.
- Capacity
- The amount of development dollars an area can profitably support. Amount of traffic a highway design can support. Structural load carrying capability.
- Capacity of Parties
- Legal competence of parties to be held responsible for the terms of a contract or agreement. Underage or mentally incompetent people do not have legal capacity.
- Cape Chisel
- Metal chisel which is used to cut slots and whose cutting edge is narrower than the body.
- Cape Cod
- A style of wood-frame house with a steep roof and windows projecting outward from the second floor. Bedrooms are often on the first floor with a finished attic.
- Capillarity
- Liquid being drawn into a porous material by capillary action.
- Capital
- Money that generates income, for example, money invested in rental property. Net worth.
- Capital
- Decorative tops of pilasters or columns.
- Capital Appreciation
- Increase in the value of property.
- Capital Assets
- Assets purchased for use over long periods of time, such as land and buildings, rather than for resale and can be fixed assets consisting of tangible assets such as plants and equipment and intangible assets, such as patents.
- Capital Expenditure
- Money spent on improvements on a property, which becomes part of the cost of an existing fixed asset.
- Capital Gain
- Investment profit made from the sale of investments or real estate.
- Capital Gains Tax
- Taxes placed on profits from the sale of investments or real estate.
- Capital Improvement
- An improvement that increases the value of a piece of property.
- Capital Loss
- Loss from an investment resulting from the sale of that real estate.
- Capitalization
- Mathematical formula used by investors to compute the value of a property based on net income.
- Capitalization Rate
- The percentage rate of return estimated from the net income of a piece of property.
- Capitalize
- Recording of an expenditure having a benefit of more than one year to the cost of a property such as a new kitchen or new roof. Upon sale of the property, the gain or loss, for tax purposes, is the difference between the selling price and the adjusted cost basis. If used for business, depreciation on the capital improvements may be deductible for tax purposes.
- Capital Lease
- Rental where the lessee obtains major property rights from the lessor although not legally a purchase of the property.
- Capital Recapture
- Return of invested principal, excluding earned income or collection of a previously written-off bad debt.
- Capital Recovery
- Amount of an investment, made in real estate, which is recovered.
- Capital Turnover
- Number of times a given amount of capital assets turn over to generate sales over a given period of time.
- Cap Rates (CAPS)
- Maximum interest rates a borrower might pay for an adjustable rate mortgage.
- Capricious Value
- Value assigned to real estate without any technical or scientific reason and is usually based on a personal feeling.
- Capstan
- A hoist made of a cable which is wound around a drum which has either a crank or motor attached to turn it to raise the load which is attached. It has a vertical axis of rotation used to wind or unwind the cable once it has a load attached.
- Caption
- Heading of a document.
- Capture Rate
- Proportionate share of an item to total items in the population.
- Capture Velocity
- Amount of air velocity necessary to draw contaminants into a ventilation filter.
- Capturing Hood
- Capturing hoods, which are usually used in laboratories or industry, have enough air suction to pull fumes from outside of the hood area. They control fumes for safety and health reasons by capturing them in the ventilation system where they are processed and neutralized, removing harmful vapors and then are released into the air.
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