Real Estate has a language all its own. Here's some of the terminology you'll be hearing.

Adjustable Mortgage Loans: Mortgage loans under which the interest rate is periodically adjusted to more closely coincide with current rates. The amounts and times of adjustment are agreed to at the inception of the loan. Also called: Adjustable Rate Loans, Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs), Flexible Rate Loans, Variable Rate Loans.

Amortization: Repayment of a debt through monthly installments of principal and interest. The monthly payment is based on a schedule that will allow you to own your home at the end of a specific period (e.g., 15 or 30 years)

Annual Percentage Rate (A.P.R.): The A.P.R. shows the cost of the loan expressed as a yearly interest rate. It includes the interest, points, mortgage insurance, and other fees associated with the loan. The A.P.R. is disclosed as a requirement of the federal Truth in Lending statutes.

Buydown: A payment to the lender from the seller, buyer, or third party, or some combination of these, that causes the lender to reduce the interest rate during the early years of the loan.

Buyer's Agent: The licensed real estate salesperson who represents the interests of, and negotiates on behalf of, the buyer of a home or property.

Cap: In adjustable rate mortgages, the limit on how much the interest rate or monthly payment can change.

Closing: The final procedure in which documents are executed and/or recorded, and the sale (or loan) is completed.

Closing Statement: The statement which lists the financial settlement between buyer and seller, and also the costs each must pay.

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