Real Estate & Property Web Development

Real Estate & Property Industry Website Services

Real estate is a tangible asset and a type of real property. Real property examples include land, buildings and other improvements, plus the rights of use and enjoyment of that land and all its improvements. Renters and leaseholders may have rights to inhabit land or buildings that are considered a part of their estate, but these rights themselves are not, strictly speaking, considered real estate.

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Real property is not the same thing and should not to be confused with personal property. Personal property includes intangible assets like investments, along with tangible assets such as furniture and fixtures like a dishwasher. Also, even renters may claim parts of a home as personal property, provided you bought and installed the property with the lessor's permission. Homeownership, also known as owner-occupancy, is the most common type of real estate investment in the United States. According to the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), roughly two-thirds of residents own their home. Often, these owners have financed the purchase by taking out a mortgage loan, in which the property acts as collateral for the debt.

Individuals shopping for home mortgages to help them realize the dream of property ownership are faced with a variety of options. Mortgages can charge either fixed-rate or variable-rate interest. Fixed-rate mortgages generally have higher interest rates than variable-rate mortgages, which can make them more expensive in the short run. Fixed-rate loans cost more in the short term because they are protected from future interest rate increases. Banks publish amortization schedules that show how much of a borrower's monthly payments go to paying off interest versus how much goes to paying off the principal of the loan. Balloon loans are mortgages that don't fully amortize—reduce to zero—over time. Instead, the borrower pays interest for a set period, five years for example, and then must pay the remainder of the loan in a balloon payment at the end of the term.