Estate Agent Language Unpicked 
When you’re buying or selling a home, the last thing you want is to be bombarded with estate agent lingo.
Home Emergency Insurance for £130
- ✓ Covered up to £1,000 per emergency
- ✓ £250 for overnight accomodation
- ✓ Call out, labour & parts included
Unfortunately, agents can easily revert to type, dropping jargon on you with questions about whether you’re an FTB, if you’re after a freehold or leasehold, and so on.
Of course ,here at mashroom, we keep it classy with jargon-free language that is understandable and will help you sell your home or find the keys to a new one in no time at all. But enough about us. You came here for the jargon busters, and that’s what we’re going to do.
Grab a hot brew, put your feet up and read on as we unpick all the essential estate agent language.
Vendor
You are the vendor if you’re selling your home. Most people trying to sell their home are referred to as the “seller”, but the official term is “vendor”.
Portals
Have you ever heard of Rightmove and Zoopla? They’re the two primary property portals – websites used by estate agents, both online and high street, to advertise the properties of theirvendorssellers.
FTB
An FTB might sound like some acronym reserved for the world of banking, but it actually stands for first-time buyers. And just in case you didn’t know, first-time buyers are people who are purchasing a property for, you guessed it, the first time.
Property ladder
The property ladder is a series of stages that reflects your position in the UK housing market. First-time buyers are getting on the property ladder, while those moving from a small home to a larger one are known to be moving up the property ladder.
Under offer
When a property is under offer, it means the vendor has accepted an offer which is currently being processed. Nothing is concrete at this stage, but the signs are good, and hopefully, everything runs smoothly for the buyer and seller. Unless…
Gazumping
Gazumping is when a seller has accepted one offer on their property, only to then accept another offer of a higher price at the last minute. When this happens, it is understandably frustrating for the buyer.
Property chain
A chain is the number of people involved in your sale. You could be buying from someone who is purchasing from another person, who is buying from another person, who is buying from another person, who is… ok, you get it. The whole thing is a bit like a, erm, chain.
EPC
An energy performance certificate, otherwise known as an EPC, shows the efficiency of a property and provides a good estimation of how much utility bills will cost. It’s graded from A to G, with A being excellent and G representing a home that isn’t very cost-efficient.
AIP
If you’re taking out a mortgage to buy your next home, you will first need an agreement in principle (AIP). It’s an estimate of how much the bank is willing to let you. An AIP is also known as a mortgage in principle.
Leasehold
With a leasehold, you own the property but not the land where it’s built. Leaseholds are very common with flats in the UK.
Freehold
A freehold represents ownership of the building and the land that it sits on. In other words, you own all the stuff.
New build
New build homes are actually pretty straightforward. It represents a brand-spanking new home that hasn’t been lived in yet. Fancy!
Equity
The amount of money a homeowner puts into their property is known as equity or capital. This is the value built up over time as the owner pays off the mortgage and the property value increases.
ISA
An individual savings account (ISA) is a scheme designed to help people get on the property ladder by offering tax-free savings accounts.
STC
STC stands for subject to contract, which is when a property is off the market because an offer has been accepted but hasn’t been finalised.
