Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan consistently earns the distinction of being the world's most expensive city in which to live. According to the most recent economic survey, a luxury two-bedroom unfurnished apartment in Tokyo rents for about $4,595 a month. A cup of coffee in a Tokyo café costs a little over $4.
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Islamic mortgages

Sharia law prohibits the payment or receipt of interest. This means that practicing Muslims are not able to borrow money for a home purchase through conventional mortgages. To work within these parameters, banks have developed the "Islamic" mortgage where the bank buys the property and the buyer rents it at a slightly higher price under a lease-to-own assumption.
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Cul de sac

Cul de sac is a French phrase that literally translates into "bottom of the bag." A cul de sac is a street or alley that is closed at one end, usually with a circle or turnaround area at its end. The phrase has replaced the less subtle "no outlet" or "dead end" street designations.
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Caveat emptor

Caveat emptor is the legal principle derived from Latin that means "let the buyer beware." The opposite of caveat emptor is caveat venditor or caveat vendor, meaning "let the seller beware."
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Andrew Carnegie

"Ninety percent of all millionaires become so through owning real estate. More money has been made in real estate than in all industrial investments combined. The wise young man or wage earner of today invests his money in real estate." - Andrew Carnegie
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Electricity

According to data collected by NUS Consulting, the average price of electricity in the U.S. spiked by 5.2% from April 2004 to April 2005, one of highest increases ever recorded in the United States. Customers in California, New York and New Jersey pay the highest electric prices, while those in Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina pay the lowest prices.
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First impressions

Homebuyers and real estate agents are heavily influenced by first impressions. To this end, real estate experts recommend doing the necessary work to improve the home's curb appeal before putting the home on the market. Clean up the property, paint the siding and upgrade the landscaping.
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Real Estate Buyers Agent Council

The Real Estate Buyers Agent Council (REBAC) is a professional organization that promotes buyer representation skills and services in the real estate industry. REBAC offers the "Accredited Buyers Representative" designation and the "Accredited Buyers Representative Manager" designation. REBAC was established in 1988 and has 40,000 members.
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Mortgage101.com

Mortgage101.com is a leading online mortgage data and education service. The website offers a vast array of data and article information regarding mortgage interest rates, lenders, and loans. It also offers several useful loan calculators, resource directories, real estate news, and commentary. Mortgage101 was established in 1996 and registers about 750,000 monthly visitors.
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New home sales

According to several studies, in a given year, roughly 20% of homebuyers will purchase newly constructed homes while the remainder will purchase existing homes. New home sales vary by region. Newer, faster growing areas usually experience higher proportions of new home sales than larger, established areas.
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American brick building

The Dutch West India Company built the first brick building in the United States in New Amsterdam (Manhattan) in 1633. The brick residence for the fifth Dutch governor Wouter Van Twiller was erected with Holland brick, made in nearby kilns.
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Mail order homes

The Aladdin company sold pre-cut, mail order homes out of a catalog from 1906 until 1982. Brothers William and Otto Sovereign started Aladdin with a small, one-time ad in the Saturday Evening Post. In addition to catalog homes, Aladdin also sold whole towns complete with schools, churches, firehouses, sidewalks and roads. Hopewell, Virginia was created by Aladdin in 1914.
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Monopoly

The real estate board game Monopoly was invented in 1934 by Charles B. Darrow. His first version of the game was rejected by Parker Brothers due to design flaws. After Darrow sold 5,000 handmade sets of the game to a Philadelphia department store, Parker Brothers agreed to sell the game. Since then, over 200 million Monopoly games have been sold worldwide.
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Bridge loan

A bridge loan is a short-term loan that is used until a borrower secures permanent financing or removes an existing obligation. A bridge loan is usually used to finance a buyer's new residence if the buyer is unable to sell his current residence. The interest rate is higher than conventional mortgage rates and the loan is backed by some form of collateral such as real estate.
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Dollar Homes

HUD's Dollar Homes initiative allows local governments to purchase qualified FHA-owned homes for one dollar. These are foreclosed, single-family homes that FHA has been unable to sell for six months. Local governments can partner with non-profit homeownership organizations to create housing for families in need and to benefit neighborhoods.
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Condominium cruise ships

The first condominium cruise ship was launched in Oslo in March 2002 by Norwegian Cruise Lines. Passengers paid outright for their condo cabins aboard the 644-foot vessel named "The World." The cruise ship was launched to sail the world for the fifty-year term of the leaseholds, visiting more than one hundred ports a year in dozens of countries.
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The Homestead Act

The Homestead Act became a law on January 1, 1863. The act allowed anyone to file for a quarter section (160 acres) of free land. The land was yours at the end of five years if you had built a house on it, dug a well, plowed ten acres, fenced a specified amount, and actually lived there. Additionally, one could claim a quarter section of land by successfully cultivating ten acres of timber.
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Real estate job turnover

The turnover rate in the real estate sales business is reported to be one of the highest in all job categories. Some estimates put the turnover rate at 50% in the first two years, and up to 98% within five years. Reasons cited for the high rate include the irregular work hours, uncertain commission-based pay structure, and unmet or unrealistic job expectations.
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Natural disasters

Every region of the U.S. is exposed to one type of natural disaster or another. Forbes Magazine and Sperling's Best Places compiled weather, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, and brushfire data to find the safest locations in the U.S. According to the study, Honolulu, Hawaii and Boise, Idaho are the safest places. The least safest places are Monroe, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi.
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Professional paint

Professional painters may take up to four days to prepare, prime and paint an average-size room. Here are some professional painter tips: take everything out of the room; do not skimp on the primer; use two coats of quality paint; use paint with built-in mildew fighters in kitchens and baths; use a painters-rod instead of a ladder to reach high areas; use high-quality brushes; and paint top-down.
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Professional paint

Professional painters may take up to four days to prepare, prime and paint an average-size room. Here are some professional painter tips: take everything out of the room; do not skimp on the primer; use two coats of quality paint; use paint with built-in mildew fighters in kitchens and baths; use a painters-rod instead of a ladder to reach high areas; use high-quality brushes; and paint top-down.
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The Federal Superfund

The residential community of Love Canal, near Niagara Falls, was built during the 1950s and 1960s on top of a chemical deposit sealed in clay. After years of odors and skin irritation among residents, New York State investigated and found toxic hazardous waste. This event led to the subsequent development of the Federal Superfund for cleaning and containing hazardous waste sites across the U.S.
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Constant Maturity Treasury

Almost half of all adjustable rate mortgages are based on the one-year Constant Maturity Treasury (CMT) index. The CMT index is based on weekly or monthly average yields of U.S. Treasury securities adjusted to constant maturities, as set by the U.S. Treasury. The CMT reflects the state of the economy and responds quickly to economic changes.
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Home landscaping

Home landscaping design and cost will vary by home and lot size as well as a homeowner's tastes and needs. As a general rule of thumb, the average cost of landscaping a new home is about 10% to 15% of the value of the home. This includes trees and driveways, which may be provided by the builder.
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Commission

A commission is a fee paid to a real estate agent or broker by the seller as compensation for finding a buyer and completing the real estate sale. Usually it is a percentage of the sale price. Generally, the commission on a home sale is six percent while the commission on land sales is ten percent.
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A good buy

As a general rule of thumb, a real estate investment is considered a good buy if it can be purchased at one hundred times the property's monthly rental value. For instance, if a property fetches a $900 monthly rent, a purchase price of $90,000 or below is considered a favorable purchase.
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The deed

A deed is a legal document that transfers ownership of a piece of property. A deed of trust is a document that gives a lender the right to foreclose on a piece of property if the borrower defaults on the loan.
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Fireplaces

About 400,000 gas fireplaces are sold annually in the U.S. The use of gas fireplaces has surpassed wood burning units. Fireplace industry experts reason that aging baby boomers are less likely to want to deal with firewood cutting, hauling and care. In addition, they have less time to devote to cleanup and maintenance.
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Charitable real estate donations

Charitable real estate donations are becoming increasingly popular. Donations of real estate by higher tax bracket owners can cut thousands, or millions, off their heirs' eventual tax bill. The size of the tax deduction is determined by the current market value of the property. In addition, real property donors and recipients are able to avoid paying brokers' transaction fees.
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Rate improvement mortgage

A rate improvement mortgage is a fixed-rate mortgage that includes a provision that gives the borrower a one-time option to reduce the interest rate (without refinancing) during the early years of the mortgage term.
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Georgia land scam

One of the most infamous land scams in the U.S. took place in Georgia in 1795. The state legislature authorized the sale of a large tract of land near the Yazoo River to four land companies in which most of the legislators held shares. Public outcry cancelled the sale after much of the land had already been resold. The U.S. Congress authorized payment of $4.3 million to settle this case in 1814.
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