Investment Glossary:

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B

Backup Contract:  A contract to buy real estate that becomes effective if a prior contract fails to be consummated.

Balance:  See Principal Balance.

Balloon Loan:  A loan that has level monthly payments that will amortize it over a stated term (e.g., 30 years) but that requires a lump sum payment of the entire principal balance at the end of a shorter term (e.g., 10 years).

Balloon mortgage:  A mortgage with periodic installments of principal and interest that do not fully amortize the loan.  The balance of the mortgage is due in a lump sum at a specified date in the future, usually at the end of the term.

Balloon payment:  The unpaid principal amount of a mortgage or other long-term loan due on a specified date in the future.  Installment payments are often much larger than the other scheduled payments. Example: If a note is written for $50,000 at a fixed 9.0% rate of interest with payments based on an amortization schedule of 30 years and a balloon payment due in 5 years, the first 60 payments will each be $402.31 (the normal payment for a 30 year loan at 9.0% interest) and the last payment will be $47,940.15 which will be the outstanding balance remaining after the 60th payment.

Bankruptcy:  The financial inability to pay one's debts when due causes the debtor to seek relief through court action.

Bankruptcy Discharge:  The release of a bankrupt party from the obligation to repay debts that were or might have been proved in a bankruptcy proceeding.

Basis Point: This term describes the amount of change in yield in many debt instruments, including mortgages. It is equal to one one-hundredth of one percent.

Beneficiary:  The person who receives or is to receive the benefits resulting from certain acts.

Bilateral Contract:  A contract under which each party promises performance.

Bill of Sale:  A written instrument given to pass title of personal property.

Bird Dog:  Someone who identifies a potential good real estate investment opportunity and passes that deal on to another investor for a fee.

Biweekly Mortgage:  A mortgage that requires payments every two weeks and helps repay the loan over a shorter term.

Blanket Mortgage/Blanket Trust Deed:  A single mortgage which attaches to more than one property.  A mortgage on more than one parcel or unit of land. Blanket mortgages frequently are incurred by developers or subdividors who have purchased a single tract of land for the purpose of dividing it into smaller parcels for sale or development.

Blanket Mortgage:  Board Of Equalization:  A state board charged with ensuring that local property taxes are assessed in a uniform manner

Board of Realtors:  A local group of real estate licensees who are members of the state and national association of Realtors.

Bond:  A written agreement purchased from a bonding company that guarantees a person will properly carry out a specific act, such as managing funds, showing up in court, providing good title to a piece of real estate or completing a construction project. If the person who purchased the bond fails at his or her task, the bonding company will pay the aggrieved party an amount up to the value of the bond.

Book Value:  The capitalized cost of an asset, less depreciation taken for accounting purposes, based on the method used for the computing of depreciation over the useful life of the asset. 

Breach of Contract:  A violation of the terms of a legal agreement, default.

Bridge Loan:  Mortgage financing between the termination of one loan and the beginning of another loan.

Broker:  An individual who acts as an intermediary between two or more parties for the purpose of negotiating a transaction agreeable to all of the parties. In lending, the broker arranges and negotiates loan amounts, interest rates and loan terms between borrowers and lenders. Depending on the type of loan, the state wherein the transaction is occurring and contractual arrangements, the broker may represent the borrower, the lender or not have a fiduciary responsibility to either. (See definition of "fiduciary responsibility" below.).

Building Permit:  Permission granted by a local government or agency to build a specific structure at a specific site.

Bundle of Rights:  Ownership in real property implies a group of rights, such as the right of occupancy, use and enjoyment, the right to sell in whole or in part, the right to control the use, the right to bequeath, the right to lease any or all of the rights, the right to the benefits derived by occupancy and use of the property, etc.

Buy Down:  A payment of discounts points in exchange for a lower rate of interest. It has the effect of providing the lender with a greater yield today in exchange for a lower yield in the future. (See definition of "discount points" below.)