Real Estate Glossary

Bankruptcy the legal process in which a person or firm declares inability to pay debts. Any available assets are liquidated and the proceeds are distributed to creditors. A person or firm may be declared bankrupt under one of several chapters of the federal bankruptcy code: Chapter 7, which covers liquidation of the doubter’s assets; Chapter 11, which covers reorganization of bankrupt businesses; or Chapter 13, which covers work-outs of debts by individuals. Upon a court declaration of bankruptcy, a person or firm surrenders assets to a court-appointed trustee, and is relieved from the payment of previous debts.

Bankruptcy Reorganization The restatement of assets to current market value along with a restructuring of liabilities and equity to reflect the reduction in asset values and negotiations with creditors. Reorganization is used as an attempt to keep a financially troubled or bankrupt firm viable.

Boutique Hotel located in an urban or resort location, has full service amenities and typically includes less than 200 rooms.

Bulk Sale Value The most probable price, in a sale of all parcels within a tract or development project, to a single purchaser or sales to multiple buyers, over a reasonable absorption period discounted to present value, as of a specified date, in cash, or in terms equivalent to cash, for which the property rights should sell after reasonable exposure, in a competitive market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, with buyer and seller each acting prudently, knowledgeably, and for self-interest, and assuming that neither is under undue stress.
It can also be defined at the Present Value

Casino typically full-service however a few limited service casinos exist. A hotel should have a casino subtype if it has a gaming component (video poker, slots, table games, sports betting).

Cost Approach In the Cost Approach, accrued depreciation is deducted from the new cost of the improvements and this figure is added to the land value to indicate the value of the whole property.

Exposure Time Exposure Time is categorized in two ways –
1. The time a property remains on the market.
2. The estimated length of time the property interest being appraised would have been offered on the market prior to the hypothetical consummation of a sale at market value on the effective date of the appraisal; a retrospective estimate based on an analysis of past events assuming a competitive and open market. Exposure time is always presumed to occur prior to the effective date of the appraisal. The overall concept of reasonable exposure encompasses not only adequate, sufficient and reasonable time but also adequate, sufficient and reasonable effort. Exposure time is different for various types of real estate and value ranges and under various market conditions. (Appraisal Standards Board of The Appraisal Foundation, Statement on Appraisal Standards No. 6,”Reasonable Exposure Time in Real Property and Personal Property Market Value Opinions”).

Market value estimates imply that an adequate marketing effort and reasonable time for exposure occurred prior to the effective date of the appraisal. In the case of disposition value, the time frame allowed for marketing the property rights is somewhat limited, but the marketing effort is orderly and adequate. With liquidation value, the time frame for marketing the property rights is so severely limited that an adequate marketing program cannot be implemented. (The Report of the Appraisal Institute Special Task Force on Value Definitions qualifies exposure time in terms of the three above-mentioned values.) See also marketing time.

Extended Stay Hotel always limited service and typically include a fully equipped kitchen and a larger room for longer stays.

Extraordinary Assumption An assumption, directly related to a specific assignment, which, if found tube false, could alter the appraiser’s opinions or conclusions. Extraordinary assumptions presume as fact otherwise uncertain information about physical, legal, or economic characteristics of the subject property; or about conditions external to the property such as market conditions or trends; or about the integrity of data used in an analysis. An extraordinary assumption may be used in an assignment only if:
1. It is required to properly develop credible opinions and conclusions;
2. The appraiser has a reasonable basis for the extraordinary assumption;
3. Use of the extraordinary assumption results in a credible analysis;
4. And the appraiser complies with the disclosure requirements set forth in USPAP for extraordinary assumptions. (USPAP, 2010-2011 ed.)

Fee Simple Interest or Estate Absolute ownership unencumbered by any other interest or estate, subject only to the limitations imposed by the governmental powers of taxation, eminent domain, police power, and escheat.

Foreclosure Foreclosure is a process that transfers the right of home ownership from the homeowner to the bank or lender. A home goes into foreclosure when the owner defaults on his mortgage loan payments. Once a homeowner receives a notice of default, they’ll usually have 2 – 3 months to make payments before the bank officially forecloses on the home. Foreclosure is a costly process and can have negative impacts on the homeowner’s credit score.

Full Service Hotel more than 150 rooms, room service, an onsite restaurant and a concierge service.

Goodwill
1. An intangible asset category usually composed of elements such as name or franchise reputation, customer patronage, location, products, and similar factors. (USPAP, 2010-2011 ed.)
2. The intangible asset that arises as a result of a name, reputation, customer patronage, location, products, and similar factors that have not been separately identified and/or valued but that generate economic benefits.

Gross retail value/aggregate of retail values The sum of the appraised values of the individual units in a subdivision, as if all of the units were completed and available for retail sale, as of the date of the appraisal. The sum of the retail sales includes an allowance for lot premiums, if applicable, but excludes all allowances for carrying costs.

Hotel is an establishment that provides lodging and sometimes meals, entertainment and various personal services for the public.

Hypothetical Condition That which is contrary to what exists but is supposed for the purpose of analysis. Hypothetical conditions assume conditions contrary to known facts about physical, legal, or economic characteristics of the subject property; or about conditions external to the property, such as market conditions or trends; or about the integrity of data used in an analysis. A hypothetical condition may be used in an assignment only if:
1.Use of the hypothetical condition is clearly required for legal purposes, for purposes of reasonable analysis, or for purposes of comparison;
2.Use of the hypothetical condition results in a credible analysis;
3.And the appraiser complies with the disclosure requirements set forth in USPAP for hypothetical conditions. (USPAP, 2010-2011 ed.)

Improvements Buildings or other relatively permanent structures or developments located on, or attached to, land.

Income Capitalization Approach The Income Capitalization Approach is predicated on the assumption that a definite relationship exists between the amount of income a property can earn and its value. In other words, value is created by the expectation of benefits to be derived in the future. In this approach, the anticipated annual net income of the subject property is processed to produce an indication of value. Net income is the income generated before payment of any debt service. Income is converted into value through capitalization, in which net income is divided by a capitalization rate. Factors such as risk, time, interest on capital invested, and recapture of the depreciating assets are considered in selecting the capitalization rate.

Intangible Personal Property Property that has no physical existence beyond neither merely representational, nor any extrinsic value; includes rights over tangible real and personal property, but not rights of use and possession. Its value lies chiefly in what it represents. Examples include corporate stock, bonds, money on deposit, goodwill, restrictions on activities (for example, patents and trademarks), and franchises. Note: Thus, in taxation, the rights evidenced by outstanding corporation stocks and bonds constitute intangible property of the security holders because they are claims against the assets owned and income received by the corporation rather than by the stockholders and bondholders; interests in partnerships, deeds, and the like are not ordinarily considered intangible property for tax purposes because they are owned by the same persons who own the assets and receive the income to which they attach.

Leased Fee Interest or Estate An ownership interest held by a landlord with the rights of use and occupancy conveyed by lease to others. The rights of the lessor (the leased fee owner) and the lessee are specified by contract terms contained within the lease

Limited Service Hotel less than 150 rooms, no room service and no onsite restaurant or concierge service.

Marketing Time
1. The time it takes an interest in real property to sell on the market sub-sequent to the date of an appraisal.

2. Reasonable marketing time is an estimate of the amount of time it might take to sell an interest in real property at its estimated market value during the period immediately after the effective date of the appraisal; the anticipated time required to expose the property to a pool of prospective purchasers and to allow appropriate time for negotiation, the exercise of due diligence, and the consummation of a sale at a price supportable by concurrent market conditions. Marketing time differs from exposure time, which is always presumed to precede the effective date of the appraisal. (Advisory Opinion 7 of the Appraisal Standards Board of The Appraisal Foundation and Statement on Appraisal Standards No. 6,”Reasonable Exposure Time in Real Property and Personal Property Market Value Opinions” address the determination of reasonable exposure and marketing time.) See also exposure time.

Market Value/Fair Market Value Market Value According to The Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, 4th ed. (Chicago: Chicago Appraisal Institute, 2002), Market value can be defined in the following ways:

Market Value is the major focus of most real property appraisal assignments. Both economic and legal definitions of market value have been developed and refined. Continual refinement is essential to the growth of the appraisal profession.

1. The most widely accepted components of market value are incorporated in the following definition: The most probable price, as of a specified date, in cash, or in terms equivalent to cash, or in other precisely revealed terms, for which the specified property rights should sell after reasonable exposure in a competitive market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, with the buyer and seller each acting prudently, knowledgeably, and for self-interest, and assuming that neither is under undue duress.

2. Market value is defined in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) as follows: A type of value, stated as an opinion, that presumes the transfer of a property (i.e., a right of ownership or a bundle of such rights), as of a certain date, under specific conditions set forth in the definition of the term identified by the appraiser as applicable in an appraisal. (USPAP, 2010-2011 ed.)

USPAP also requires that certain items be included in every appraisal report. Among these items, the following are directly related to the definition of market value:

• Identification of the specific property rights to be appraised.
• Statement of the effective date of the value opinion.
• Specification as to whether cash, terms equivalent to cash, or other precisely described financing terms are assumed as the basis of the appraisal.
• If the appraisal is conditioned upon financing or other terms, specification as to whether the financing or terms are at, below or above market interest rates and/or contain unusual conditions or incentives. The terms of above- or below-market interest rates and/or other special incentives must be clearly set forth; their contribution to, or negative influence on, value must be described and estimated; and the market data supporting the opinion of value must be described and explained.

3. The following definition of market value is used by agencies that regulate federally insured financial institutions in the United States: The most probable price which a property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, the buyer and seller each acting prudently and knowledgeably, and assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus. Implicit in this definition is the consummation of a sale as of a specified date and the passing of title from seller to buyer under conditions whereby:

• Buyer and seller are typically motivated;
• Both parties are well informed or well advised, and acting in what they consider their best interests;
• A reasonable time is allowed for exposure in the open market;
• Payment is made in terms of cash in U.S. dollars or in terms of financial arrangements comparable thereto; and
• The price represents the normal consideration for the property sold unaffected by special or creative financing or sales concessions granted by anyone associated with the sale.

(12 C.F.R. Part 34.42(g); 55 Federal Register 34696, August 24, 1990, as amended at 57 Federal Register 12202, April 9, 1992; 59 Federal Register 29499, June 14, 1994)

Personal Property
1. Identifiable tangible objects that are considered by the general public as being “personal,” for example, furnishings, artwork, antiques, gems and jewelry, collectibles, machinery and equipment; all tangible property that is not classified as real estate. (USPAP, 2010-2011 ed.)

2. Consists of every kind of property that is not real property; movable without damage to itself or the real estate; subdivided into tangible and intangible. (IAAO)

Present Value The value of a future payment or series of future payments discounted to the current date or to time period zero.

Prospective Value A forecast of the value expected at a specified future date. A prospective value opinion is most frequently sought in connection with real estate projects that are proposed, under construction or renovation, or under conversion to a new use, or those that have not achieved sellout or a stabilized level of long term occupancy at the time the appraisal report is written. This appraisal does not provide an opinion of a prospective value for the subject property as defined above.

Real Estate Physical land and appurtenances attached to the land, e.g., structures. An identified parcel or tract of land, including improvements, if any. See also real property

Real Estate Appraisal Real Estate Valuation, property valuation or land valuation is the practice of developing an opinion of the value of real property, usually its market value. The need for appraisals arises from the heterogenous nature of property as an investment class: no two properties are identical, and all properties differ from each other in their location – which is one of the most important determinants of their value.

Real Property All interests, benefits, and rights inherent in the ownership of physical real estate; the bundle of rights with which the ownership of real estate is endowed. In some states, real property is defined by statute and is synonymous with real estate. See also personal property; real estate.

Reconciliation/Correlation of Value Indications The final step in the valuation process is the reconciliation or correlation of the value indications. In the reconciliation, the Appraiser considers the relative applicability of each approach used, examines the range of the value indications, and gives most weight to the approach that appears to produce the most reliable solution to the appraisal problem. The purpose of the appraisal, the type property, and the adequacy and reliability of each approach to value are all taken into consideration. To apply the three approaches to value, information pertaining to the fair market value of the subject property must be derived from the market because the Appraiser seeks to anticipate the actions of buyers and sellers in the market.

Retail Value In subdivision valuation methodology, the “retail” value is the market value of one lot or unit.

Resort Hotel a full service hotel on more than 100 acres of land and typically has an attached golf course, water park or amusement facility.

Sales Comparison Approach The Sales Comparison Approach is used to estimate the value of the land as though vacant and/or the property as improved. The Appraiser gathers data on sales of comparable properties and analyzes the nature and conditions of each sale, making logical adjustments for dissimilar characteristics. Typically, a common denominator is found. For land value, the unit of comparison is usually price per square foot or per acre.

Short Sale A short sale is a sale of real estate in which the sale proceeds fall short of the balance owed on the property’s loan.It often occurs when a borrower cannot pay the mortgage loan on their property, but the lender decides that selling the property at a moderate loss is better than pressing the borrower. Both parties consent to the short sale process, because it allows them to avoid foreclosure, which involves hefty fees for the bank and poorer credit report outcomes for the borrowers. This agreement, however, does not necessarily release the borrower from the obligation to pay the remaining balance of the loan, known as the deficiency.

Suites offering more space and furniture than a basic hotel room; in addition to the standard bed and bedroom fixtures, a suite will typically add a living room, usually with a couch that folds into a bed

Valuation Process The valuation process is the orderly program in which data used to estimate the value of a subject property are acquired, classified, analyzed, and presented. The first step in the process is to define the appraisal problem, i.e., identify the real estate, the effective date of value estimate, the property rights being appraised, and the type of value sought. Once this has been accomplished, the Appraiser collects and analyzes the factors that affect the market value of the subject property. These factors are addressed in the area and neighborhood analysis, the site and improvement analysis, and the highest and best use analysis, and in the application of the three approaches to value: The Sales Comparison Approach, the Cost Approach, and the Income Capitalization Approach.

Definitions obtained from The Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, 4th ed. (Chicago: Chicago Appraisal Institute, 2002)