If you’ve been keeping up with my Real Estate blog posts the past few months, you’ve probably become much more familiar with the ins and outs of homebuying – you understand the big picture topics like what a mortgage is, how to qualify for one, how much you can afford, what type of home you should be looking at, and even what types of insurance you may need. However, you may not be familar with other, smaller things, sort of the nitty gritty of real estate. Things like common real estate abbreviations are important to know, but aren’t usually covered in most general, overall questions about real estate.
So, even if you’re going into the homebuying process well educated, with all of this research and learning on your side, it’s very easy to still be confused by industry terms that you aren’t familiar with. For us, they’re there to save time – as abbreviations and acronyms always are – but for you, the consumer, they can just feel like another obstacle in a sea of confusing new things.
So, for your convenience as you take on the journey to owning your own home, here is a handy list of common real estate abbreviations from Virginia realtor Larry Atkins. Hopefully using this as a reference will save you a lot frustration, and a lot of time Googling things!
I hope this helps you decipher some common abbreviations seen in real estate listings. And remember: If you see anything that you are confused by, or if you have anymore questions or want more help with anything at all related to real estate, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’m always happy to do whatever it takes to help you get into the home of your dreams.
Reference Guide For Real Estate Abbreviations
from Larry Atkins
When looking at a listing for a house, land or commercial property you may find some abbreviations that have you wondering… what is that? Here are a few to help you figure out what the listing is really saying.
Common Abbreviations for House/Commercial Listings:
BR: is commonly used to refer to bedrooms.
BA: is commonly used to refer to bathrooms.
SQFT: is used to refer to the square footage of the property.
Det: means detached for example there is a detached garage that is not connected to the home or the home is not attached to another dwelling (like a duplex).
C/A: commonly used for Central Air.
C/VAC: commonly used for Central Vacuum.
OSP: commonly used for Off Street Parking for example in the city if the home has its own driveway or assigned lot/garage.
FCD YD: commonly used for Fenced Yard.
When looking at a listing for a house, land or commercial property you may find some abbreviations that have you wondering… what is that? Here are a few to help you figure out what the listing is really saying.
Others you may see would include SSA (stainless steel appliances), or GCT (granite countertops), OFP (open floor plan).
Common Abbreviations for Land Listing:
AC: used to abbreviate acres or acreage.
AG: commonly used to denote the land is zoned Agricultural
RES: commonly used to denote the land is zoned Residential
COMM: commonly used to denote the land is zoned Commercial
TOPO: This is short for the topography of the land.
+/-: this is used to denote that the acreage is approximate and there could be more or less than advertised.
Other Abbreviations Not Mentioned
On top of that incredibly helpful list, I’d like to add my own list of common real estate abbreviations that weren’t covered in Mr. Atkins’ post. Here are a few others that I come across frequently:
- W/O basement = Walk-out basement (meaning that a portion of the basement is above ground, so you can walk from the basement directly outside).
- HWD Flrs T/O = Hardwood floors throughout
- SA = Seller’s Assist. This is, essentially, when the seller agrees to pay a percentage of your closing costs.
- BA = Buyer’s Agent
- CC = Closing costs, often written as an example: $5,000 SA for CC
- Relo Rebate = Relocation referral fee commission rebate. Often, relocating buyers’ companies charge their Realtors a referral fee so some builders will offer to rebate that relocation referral fee.
- HOW = Homeowner’s warranty
- COOP = Cooperating fee. This is the commission that the seller’s agent is paying the buyer’s agent for cooperating in the sale.
- CD =Closing Disclosure
- ALTA = American Land Title Association. Usually when people use this acronym in conversation, they’re referring to the final closing sheet.
