Real Estate Glossary
Commercial and Residential Real Estate
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Sale-leaseback: An arrangement by which the owner-occupant of a property agrees to sell all or part of the property to an investor, then lease it back and continue to occupy space as a tenant
Sales comparison value: A value indication derived by comparing the property being appraised to similar properties that have been sold recently
Second-generation or secondary space: Previously occupied space that becomes available for lease, either directly from the landlord or as sublease space
Secondary financing: A loan on real property secured by a lien junior to an existing first mortgage loan
Secondary market: A market where existing mortgage loans are securitized and then bought and sold to other investors
Secondary, or follow-on, offering: A stock offering made by an existing public company
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): The federal agency that supervises and oversees the issuance and exchange of public securities
Securitization: The process of converting an illiquid asset, such as a mortgage loan, into a tradable form, such as mortgage-backed securities
Security deposit: A deposit of money by a tenant to a landlord to secure performance of a lease. It also can take the form of a letter of credit or other financial instrument.
Seisen (seizen): Possession of real property under claim of freehold estate
Self-administered REIT: When members of the management are employees of the REIT or an entity having essentially the same economic ownership as the REIT
Self-managed REIT: A REIT whose employees are responsible for performing property management functions
Senior classes: With regard to securities, describes the classes with the highest priority to receive the payments from the underlying mortgage loans
Separate account: A relationship where an investment manager or adviser is retained by a single pension plan sponsor to source real estate product under a stated investment policy exclusively for that sponsor
Servicer: An organization that acts on behalf of a trustee for the benefit of security holders
Setback: The distance from a curb, property line or other reference point, within which building is prohibited
Shares outstanding: The number of shares of common stock currently outstanding, less the shares held in treasury
Site analysis: Determines the suitability of a specific parcel of land for a specific use
Site development: The installation of all necessary improvements made to a site before a building or project can be constructed on the site
Site plan: A detailed plan that depicts the location of improvements on a parcel
Slab: The exposed wearing surface laid over the structural support beams of a building to form the floor(s) of the building
Social investing: Investments driven in whole or in part by social or political (non-real estate) objectives. Under ERISA, social investing is economically justified only if proper real estate fundamentals are considered first.
Soft cost: The portion of an equity investment other than the actual cost of the improvements themselves that may be tax-deductible in the first year
Space plan: A graphic representation of a tenant's space requirements, showing wall and door locations, room sizes and sometimes furniture layouts
Special assessment: Special charges levied against real property for public improvements that benefit the assessed property
Special servicer: A firm that is employed to work out mortgages that are either delinquent or in default
Specified investing: Investment in individually specified properties or portfolios, or investment in commingled funds whose real estate assets are fully or partially specified prior to the commitment of investor capital
Speculative space: Any tenant space that has not been leased before the start of construction on a new building
Stabilized net operating income: Projected income less expenses that are subject to change but have been adjusted to reflect equivalent, stable property operations
Stabilized occupancy: The optimum range of long-term occupancy that an income-producing real estate project is expected to achieve after exposure for leasing in the open market for a reasonable period of time at terms and conditions comparable to competitive offerings
Step-up lease (graded lease): A lease specifying set increases in rent at set intervals during the term of the lease
Straight lease (flat lease): A lease specifying a fixed amount of rent that is to be paid periodically, typically monthly, during the entire term of the lease
Strip center: Any shopping area comprised of a row of stores but smaller than a neighborhood center anchored by a grocery store
Subcontractor: A contractor working under and being paid by the general contractor, often a specialist in nature, such as an electrical contractor, cement contractor, etc.
Sublessee: A person or identity to whom the rights of use and occupancy under a lease have been conveyed, while the original lessee retains primary responsibility for the obligations of the lease
Subordinated classes: With regard to CMBS, describes those classes with the lowest priority to receive payments from the underlying mortgage loans
Subordination: The process of sharing the risk of credit losses disproportionately among two or more classes of securities
Surety: One who voluntarily binds himself to be obligated for the debt or obligation of another
Surface rights: A right or easement granted with mineral rights, enabling the possessor of the mineral rights to drill or mine through the surface
Survey: The process by which a parcel is measured and its boundaries and contents ascertained
Synthetic lease: A transaction that appears as a lease from an accounting standpoint but as a loan from a tax standpoint.
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