The Peculiar Language of Real Estate

Last month, I wrote a blog post that riffed on the word “permit” as an example of language that has a particular or peculiar meaning where real estate is concerned, but which ordinarily has a different meaning. Perhaps that different meaning is analogous. Perhaps it’s contradictory. Since then, I’ve been making a list of other real estate words and terms that have double meanings. Here are some of them, along with notes about their application to real estate and to life in general:

Appreciation

• Real estate: An increase in the value of a property.

• Life: Gratitude, recognition, thankfulness.

• Question: "Wouldn't it be nice if our homes and our relationships both appreciated at the same rate?"

Equity

• Real estate: The portion of a property you truly own.

• Life: Fairness, justice—or emotional investment.

• Idea: "Some people spend years building home equity while quietly depleting their emotional equity."

Foundation

• Real estate: The structural base of a house.

• Life: The beliefs, relationships, or values that support us.

• Sunday school song: “The wise man builds his house upon the rock.”

Title

• Real estate: Legal ownership.

• Life: A name, role, or identity.

• Contemplation: “Do you sometimes feel like an imposter? What are the exceptions on your title report?”

Closing

• Real estate: The completion of a sale.

• Life: Emotional resolution.

• Words of wisdom: "Every ending is a beginning.”

As-Is

• Real estate: Sold without repairs.

• Life: Accepting ourselves without trying to fix everything first.

• Thich Nhat Hanh: “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

Exposure

• Real estate: How much visibility a property receives.

• Life: Vulnerability.

• My advice for living: “If you want to connect with others, reveal yourself to them.”

Curb Appeal

• Real estate: First impressions from the street.

• Life: The face we present to the world.

• Neuroscientist perspective: “Lovers of surface are destined to fall.” ~ Abhijit Naskar

Staging

• Real estate: Preparing a home to be shown in its best light.

• Life: Performing a version of ourselves.

• Requisite quote from Shakespeare: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." (As You Like It)

Highest and Best Use

• Real estate: The legally permissible, physically possible, financially feasible, and maximally productive use of a property.

• Life: Making the most of one's gifts.

• My wish for you: “May your life be filled with everything highest and best.”