Terms Beginning with A

  1. Abandonment

    The voluntary and permanent withdrawal of use or enjoyment,...

  2. Abstract of title

    A simplified version of the history of a title to a specific...

  3. Abutting

    Land that joins, reaches, or touches adjacent land. Adjacent...

  4. Accelerated depreciation

    A method for calculating the depreciation of...

  5. Acceleration clause

    A clause in a written mortgage, note, bond, or conditional...

  6. Accession

    The acquisition of title to improvements or additions to...

  7. Accretion

    An expansion or addition to land caused by the natural...

  8. Accrued depreciation

    The difference between the cost of replacement new (as of...

  9. Acknowledgment

    A declaration made to a notary public or other public...

  10. Actual eviction

    A lessor-initiated legal procedure in which a delinquent...

  11. Actual notice

    Informative or factual expression; that which is known; true...

  12. Ad Valorem tax

    A tax levied on the basis of value; commonly used to refer...

  13. Administrator

    The county court-appointed person charged with settling the...

  14. Adverse Possession

    Actual, evident, hostile, infamous, exclusive, and...

  15. Affidavit

    A written declaration signed and sworn to in the presence of...

  16. Agent

    One who represents or has the authority to act on behalf of...

  17. Agreement of sale

    A written agreement in which the buyer agrees to purchase...

  18. Air lot

    A specific airspace over a piece of land. Like surface...

  19. Air rights

    The right to use the open area above one's property. It can...

  20. Alienation clause

    Clause in a mortgage instrument that does not allow the...

  21. Alienation

    The act of transferring property from one person to another....

  22. Alluvion

    The real soil growth caused by accretion.

  23. Amendments

    Amendments are changes to previously approved and ratified...

  24. Amenities

    Neighborhood amenities and services that increase the value...

  25. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

    A federal statute that went into force in 1992 to prohibit...

  26. Amortization

    The repayment of a financial obligation through installment...

  27. Amortized loan

    A loan in which the principal and interest are paid monthly,...

  28. Anticipation

    The expectation of specific future occurrences causing...

  29. Antitrust laws

    Laws that are intended to protect the free entrepreneurship...

  30. Appraisal

    An estimate of the amount, quality, or worth of something....

  31. Appraised value

    An estimated value of a specific property current worth in...

  32. Appreciation

    A rise in the worth or value of a property as a result of...

  33. Appurtenant

    Belonging to; incident to; annexed to.

  34. Arbitrage

    The simultaneous purchase and sale of a security in order to...

  35. Arbitration

    A method of resolving a dispute between two parties through...

  36. Assessment

    Imposition of a tax, fee, or levy, generally at...

  37. Assignment

    The transfer of rights or interests in a bond, mortgage,...

  38. Assumed name statute

    Assumed name statute is the law, which is in place in the...

  39. Assumption of mortgage

    The conveyance of property title to a grantee in exchange...

  40. Attorney-in-fact

    The holder of a power of attorney.

  41. Attorney’s opinion of title

    An instrument drafted and signed by the attorney who...

  42. Avulsion

    A pulling away of land caused by natural forces.