Learning to talk the talk

Confused by the words used in buying or selling a house? More than 2,000 definitions of real estate terms can be found at www.realestatewords.com.

The entries range from A-frame, “[a] post-World War II housing style shaped like one or more As” to zoning ordinance, “[a]n act by city or county authorities to regulate and control the use of real estate for the health, morals, safety and welfare of the general public.”

Abbreviations such as APR (annual percentage rate) and ARM (adjustable rate mortgage) also are included.

The website, although intended for real estate agents and brokers, is accessible to anyone who uses the Internet.

Briefly

* A new service offered by www.redfin.com allows sellers in the San Francisco Bay and Seattle areas to list a home on the site and in the Multiple Listing Service for $2,000, instead of paying the standard agent commission. The seller also will receive a lockbox, a yard sign and tools needed to host an open house. A Redfin agent will handle offers, negotiations, contingencies and closing. The service is expected to expand to Southern California by year’s end.

gayle.pollard-terry@latimes

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