Where cozy means tiny and charming means needs work.
A listing claim meaning the house won't literally collapse when you walk through the door. The bar is on the floor, and the house has technically cleared it. Bring your own standards, because the seller already lowered theirs.
The seller's way of telling you that your offer has competition, which may or may not be real but will definitely make you panic and overbid. It's the real estate equivalent of "other people are looking at this item right now."
A lease that gives the tenant the right to sublease the property to others, essentially making them a middleman landlord. It's landlording with training wheels, or a profit opportunity, depending on your perspective and local laws.
A legal claim against a property by contractors or suppliers who weren't paid for work or materials. It's revenge served cold by your deadbeat seller's unpaid roofer.
The lender in a mortgage agreement—basically, the bank that owns your house until you finish paying them back over the next few decades. This party holds the security interest in your property and has the legal right to foreclose if you stop making payments, making them simultaneously your benefactor and potential nemesis. They're the reason you can buy a house now but also the reason you'll be sending checks until retirement.
A property description system using distances (metes) and directions (bounds) to define boundaries, starting from a point of beginning and returning there. The most complicated way possible to say 'here's where your fence goes.'
A special loan where you borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a house, pledging that very house as collateral in case you can't pay it back—what could go wrong? This secured loan lets you own property now while spending the next 15-30 years paying for it, with the bank holding seizure rights until you make that final payment. It's the American Dream™, assuming your dream includes amortization schedules and interest calculations.
Property tax rate expressed in mills, where one mill equals one-tenth of one cent ($0.001). Because saying 'point zero zero one dollars' is apparently too straightforward for local governments.
A property combining residential, commercial, and sometimes industrial uses in a single project or neighborhood, embodying new urbanist principles. It's the 'you can live, work, and play here' development model that promises walkability while often delivering overpriced studios above chain restaurants.
A middleman who shops your loan application to multiple lenders, theoretically saving you time and getting better rates. Sometimes actually does this.