Definitions and Terms



Here are a few Real Estate terms defined to help you throughout your journey.

Adjustment Date: The day you become responsible for the fees or cost associated with the property. These adjustments will be pro-rated to include
any pre-paid taxes, monthly maintenance fees if applicable and any other costs that may have been paid in advance or owing.

Agreement of Sale:  Known  also as Purchase Agreement, Agreement of Purchase and Sale, Land Agreement etc. A written contract signed by the
buyer and seller stating the terms and conditions under which a property will be sold.

Amortization: The period of time required to reduce a debt to zero when payments are made regularly.

Appraisal: For mortgage lending purposes, it is a process for estimating the market value of a particular property.

Assignee: The person to whom an interest or right in real property is transferred.

Assignment: The transfer of any right, claim or interest to another person or corporation.

Assignor: The person transferring an interest or right in real property.

Blended Payment: A mortgage payment that includes principal and interest. It is paid regularly during the term of the mortgage. The payment
total remains the same, although the principal portion increases over time and the interest portion decreases.

Closed Mortgage: A mortgage that cannot be prepaid or renegotiated before the term’s end unless the lender agrees and the borrower is willing
to pay an interest penalty. Many closed mortgages limit prepayment options such as increasing your mortgage payment or lump sum prepayment
(usually up to 20% of your original principal amount).

Completion Date: The day the seller received your funds in exchange for you receiving title to the property. The title is registered under your name at
the Provincial Land Titles Office on that day. The date must fall on a normal business day, Monday to Friday.

Conditional Offer: An Offer to Purchase that is subject to specified conditions, for example, the arrangement of a mortgage. There is usually a
stipulated time limit within which the specified conditions must be met.

Conventional Mortgage Loan: A mortgage loan up to a maximum of 80% of the lending value of the property for which a lender does not require
mortgage loan insurance.

Counter Offer: When one party to an Offer to Purchase (buyer or seller) does not accept some or all of the terms and conditions offered by the
other party and in turn “counter” offers alternate terms and conditions. During the course of negotiation through offering and counter offering the
buyer and seller work towards achieving terms and conditions acceptable to both parties.

Default: Failure to abide by the terms of a mortgage loan agreement. A failure to make mortgage payments (defaulting the loan) may give cause to
the mortgage holder to take legal action to possess (foreclose) the mortgaged property.

Deposit: The amount of money a buyer initially puts down at the time a Contract of Purchase and Sale is entered into to show sincerity of intent
and to provide for potential liquidated damages in favour of the seller if the buyer does not perform according to the terms agreed to in the Contract.
The funds are usually placed in the buyer’s realtors trust account and forms part of the purchase monies. A deposit in the amount of 5% of the purchase
price is common real estate practice in Greater Vancouver.

Depreciation Report:The depreciation report tells strata lot owners how much repair and replacement work is required, what anticipated approximate costs are, and when the costs will likely occur.

Down Payment: The portion of the home price that is not financed by the mortgage loan. The buyer must pay the down payment from his/her own
funds or other eligible sources before securing a mortgage. It generally ranges from 5% to 20% of the purchase price but can be more.

Easement: This is where someone else has the right for access to or over another person’s land for a specific purpose, such as a driveway or public
utilities.

Encumbrance: A registered claim for debt against a property, such as a mortgage.

Equity (owner): The difference between the price for which a home could be sold and the total debts registered against it. Owner equity usually
increases as the outstanding principal of the mortgage is reduced through regular payments. Market values and improvements to the property also
affect equity.

Foreclosure: The legal process where the lender takes possession of your property and sells it to cover the debts you have failed to pay off. When you
default on a loan and the lender feels that you are unable to make payments, you may lose your home to foreclosure.

Form B:The Form B contains information about the strata lot including the monthly strata fees, whether the owner has entered into an agreement with the strata corporation regarding alterations, and what the owner owes to the strata corporation. The Form B also provides information about the strata corporation such as the amount in the contingency reserve fund, whether the strata corporation is involved in litigation or arbitration and information about the use of parking spaces and storage lockers.

Gross Debt Service (GDS): The percentage of the borrower’s gross income that will be used for monthly payments of principal, interest and
taxes, heating costs and half of condominium fees.

High-Ratio Mortgage: A mortgage loan higher than 80% of the lending value of the property. This type of mortgage may have to be insured by
CMHC or a private insurance company against payment default.

Lien: A claim against a property for money owing. A lien may be filed by a supplier or a subcontractor who has provided labour or materials but has
not been paid.

Loan-to-Value Ratio: The ratio of the loan amount to the lending value of a property expressed as a percentage. For example, the loan-to-value ratio
of a loan for $80,000 on a home which costs $100,000 is 80%.

Maintenance Fee: Charge to a unit holder in a condominium or cooperative complex for that person’s share of costs for keeping the common
areas of the complex in a good state of repair.

Maturity Date: The last day of the term of the mortgage. On this day, the mortgage loan must either be paid in full or the agreement renewed.

MLS — Multiple Listing Service: A multiple listing service is a real estate agents’ cooperative service that contains descriptions of most of the homes
that are for sale. Real estate agents use this computer-based service to keep up with properties they are listing for sale in their area.

Mortgage: The balance of the purchase price (purchase price – down payment = mortgage amount) borrowed from a lender which is secured by
the lender by a charge against the property title and your personal guarantee to repay the loan.

Mortgagee: The lender who provides the mortgage loan.

Open Mortgage: A mortgage that can be prepaid or paid off or renegotiated at any time and in any amount without interest penalty. The
interest rate on an open mortgage is usually higher than a closed mortgage with an equivalent term.

Possession Date: Usually the same date as the adjustment date. The day you are entitled to the legal possession of the property you have purchased
(you get the keys!). In BC, possession usually occurs a day or two after completion.

Subject Clause: A condition(s) that must be satisfied before a contract becomes firm (unconditional). Examples are subject to financing, inspection
or receipt and approval of condominium bylaws and financial statements. The conditions must be removed from the contract in writing by a certain
date in order for the contract to become “firm”.

Principal:    The amount of money still owing, which still has to be paid back to the lender 

Property Taxes: Taxes charged by the municipality where the home is located based on the value of home. In some cases the lender will collect a
monthly amount to cover your property taxes, which is then paid by the lender to the municipality on your behalf.

Survey or Certificate of Location: A document that shows property boundaries and measurements, specifies the location of buildings on the
property and states easements or encroachments.

Term: The length of time during which you pay a specific interest rate on your mortgage loan. You may not have paid off your entire mortgage
principal at the end of a term because your amortization period will likely be longer than the term.

Title (Freehold or Leasehold): A freehold title gives the holder full and exclusive ownership of the land and building for an indefinite period. A
leasehold title gives the holder the right to use and occupy the land and building for a defined period.

Total Debt Service Ratio (TDS): The percentage of gross monthly income required to cover the monthly housing payments and other debts, such as
car payments.

Vendor Take Back Mortgage: This is where the vendor rather than a financial institution finances the mortgage. The title of the property is
transferred to the buyer who makes mortgage payments directly to the seller. These types of mortgages, sometimes referred to as take-back
mortgages, can be helpful if you need a second mortgage to by a home.


Get In Touch

Bryan Schwartz

Mobile: 604-537-7968

bryan@bryanschwartz.ca

Office Info

Macdonald Realty

206 Lonsdale Ave  North Vancouver,  BC  V7M 2G1 

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