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The Shorter Encyclopedia of Real Estate Terms
The Shorter Encyclopedia of Real Estate Terms

By Damien Abbott.

Published by Delta Alpha Publishing, 2004.

Subtitled: "Based on English and North American Practice, including Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Scots Law, Civil Law and Latin terms."

This is a 7" by 9" paperback running to 973 pages, plus a preface, acknowledgments and a user guide.

Though called an encyclopedia of Real Estate terms, definitions are mostly on the short side, so it could equally be called a dictionary. What makes it a "shorter" encyclopedia, though, is not the brevity of the entries but the fact that French terms and lengthy references were removed from the 2nd edition of the full Encyclopedia of Real Estate.

There are about 7,500 terms defined in the book. Definitions have markers that give a special indication if the term has a geographically limited usage. Terms defined elsewhere in the Encyclopedia are indicated with bold text. There are also frequent see also references and references for further reading, as well as in-text citations to relevant statutes and case law.

The first fifteen entries in the "R" sequence are:

• rachmanism
  
• rack rate
  
• rack rent
  
• Radburn
  
• radical title
  
• radius clause or radius restriction clause
  
• range
  
• range land
  
• range line
  
• ransom strip
  
• ratable estate
  
• ratable value
  
• ratchet clause
  
• rate
  
• rate cap
  

As you can see, this book goes far beyond what someone needs to know to buy or sell a house, or even to be successful Realtor, especially because of its international scope. It seems most useful as an adjunct reference work for those studying the history or background to real estate practice and law, or wanting to get into real estate in a different English-speaking country.