Real Estate Glossary
Our glossary is the largest dictionary of real estate and construction terms on the Internet with almost 10,000 definitions.
- Dobie
- Used during a concrete pour this small concrete block supports the rebar so it isn't forced to the bottom.
- Doc
- Abbreviation for the word document.
- Dock
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- Structure built into the water from the land providing a facility for boats to tie up.
- Loading area for goods at the rear of a commercial building.
- Doctrine
- Legal rule, principle or tenet.
- Document
- Recorded materials including letters, photos, reproducible computer files, legal forms, etc. A document is any tangible information including letters, contracts, electronic or paper files, x-rays, receipts or other material evidence.
- Document Needs List
- List of documents that a lender requires from a potential borrower, such as paycheck stubs and credit card statements.
- Documentary Evidence
- Any written evidence or tangible material that is coherent and related to the subject at hand. This includes documents, contracts, electronic and paper files, photographs and other non-oral evidence.
- Document Stamp
- Tax imposed by some state and local governments to record property deeds and mortgages into the public records.
- Dodecagon
- Polygon that is comprised of 12 angles and sides.
- Dodecahedron
- Solid figure comprised of 12 adjoining plane surfaces.
- Dog Anchor
- Heavy metal staple that makes a temporary connection between timbers.
- Dog-eared Board Fence
- Wooden fence with top corners of the vertical fence boards cut of at 45-degree angles.
- Dog House Dormer
- Dormer, which is in the shape of a small dog house.
- Dog's Tooth
- Brick corners which project from a wall.
- Dogleg
- Directional change.
- Dolerite
- Coarse-grained Basalt.
- Dollar and Percentage Adjustments
- Modification in the amount of money involved for some justifiable reason.
- Dolly
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- Any of several kinds of low, flat, wheeled frames for transporting heavy objects.
- Tool that holds a rivet at one end with a head hammered out of the other end.
- A stick or board for stirring.
- Dolly Varden Siding
- Bevel siding that is made with a rabbet or two-sided groove running along the edge which will overlap the top of the board below it.
- Dolphin
- Vertical piling structure which provides support to and contact with each other.
- Dome
- A convex vaulted curvature often spherical in shape usually built atop of a building. They can be constructed of any material including masonry, wood, glass or steel and can be decorative or functional in nature.
- Domed Ceiling
- Hemispherical (1/2 of a globe) ceiling projecting upward.
- Domicile
- A person's permanent primary residence. Alternately, the state where on has a permanent legal address.
- Domiciliary Administrator
- One who is considered the primary and principal estate administrator, being in the state where an individual was domiciled at the time of death.
- Dominant Tenement
- Property that has an easement right through another adjoining property. The property through which the easement passes is considered to have the servient tenement.
- Donee
- One to whom a gift or bequest is made.
- Donor
- One who donates or gives a gift or bequest.
- Door
- A movable structure for opening or closing an entrance to a building, room, closet, cabinet, etc. They can swing or slide and are normally made of wood or metal.
- Door Bevel
- When a door has a slight bevel cut on the vertical edge, lock side, of a swinging door, it can clear the edge of the jamb as the door swings but still fit tightly into the jamb.
- Door, Bifold
- Door consisting of panels with vertical hinges in the center, so that they can fold back upon themselves.
- Door Buck
- Rough opening into which door framing is installed or the wood or metal jamb on which the finished doorframe is hung.
- Door Bypass
- Sliding door, often used in closets, installed so that one door passes in front of the other door.
- Door Casing
- Also called door trim, this molding is used to trim both door and window openings.
- Door Chain
- Locking device where one end of the chain is attached to the doorjamb or the wall with the other end sliding into a holder on the door. This type of lock allows the door to be opened slightly without being unlocked.
- Door Check
- Device that slows the closing of a door.
- Door Chimes
- Doorbell, which makes the sound of, chimes ringing when it is used.
- Door Closer
- Device that automatically pulls a door, closed at an adjustable speed. Door closers can be single acting, double acting, overhead or floor.
- Door, Exterior
- Door, which is constructed to be able to be exposed to the outside elements on one or both sides.
- Door, Fire
- A door designed to resist the passage of fire. Fire doors are rated by the amount of time they can resist the penetration of fire with the time ranging from one-half to three hours. Fire doors are used to close openings in firewalls, so that the door area is no more vulnerable to fire than the wall.
- Door, Flush
- Door with a thin plywood facing over a core and frame of wood or wood particleboard.
- Door Frame
- Structure around the door opening where the door is hung.
- Door Hardware
- Hardware consists of knobs, which are used to open a door and latches, and hinges which allow the door to be opened and closed.
- Door Header
- Uppermost horizontal doorframe member.
- Door, Hollow Core
- Door with a thin plywood facing over a hollow core framework.
- Door, Interior
- Door used to close off a room inside a building and is not designed to be exposed to exterior elements.
- Door Jack
- A mechanism made of boards, which hold the door erect when it is being worked on before installation.
- Door Jamb
- Framework surrounding a door opening. Also called a doorpost.
- Door Knob
- Handle that is used to open or close a door.
- Door Lock
- Latching device, which secures a door in the closed position.
- Door, Panel
- Door that has raised or recessed panels in the spaces between exposed rails.
- Door Post
- Framework surrounding a door opening. Also called a doorjamb.
- Door, Prehung
- Door that can be set into a structure as a single unit because it has already been installed in its frame in the factory.
- Door Pull
- Knob, which does not operate a latching mechanism, that opens and closes a door.
- Door, Rolling
- Type of door that can roll up overhead, because it is made from interlocking, hinged metal panels.
- Door Shoe
- Weather strips at the bottom of a door to seal out the elements.
- Door Sill
- Part of an exterior door that runs the full depth and width of the casing on the bottom portion, from the inside to the outside.
- Door, Sliding Glass
- Door with glass panels and a wooden or metal frame door, that slides on rollers in a track. When there are two doors as part of the mechanism, one is fixed and unmoving and the older sliding past the fixed panel when it's opened.
- Door Threshold
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- A length of wood, masonry, etc. along the bottom of a doorway.
- Entrance to a building or room.
- The beveled wood or metal strip over the sill of an exterior door.
- The beginning point of something.
- Door Trim
- Also called door casing, this molding is used to trim both door and window opening.
- Doorbell
- Electrical device at the entrance door, which when pressed, sounds a bell or buzzer inside the home or office to announce visitors.
- Doornail
- A large headed, decorative nail that can be used as studding on some doors. They can be ornamental or used to strengthen the door.
- Doorstop
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- Device that is installed near the bottom of a door so that it does not hit an adjacent wall when the door is opened.
- Device used to hold a door open at a certain position.
- A thin wooden strip attached to the frame of a doorway, against which the door closes.
- Doorway
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- Opening in a wall meant to be closed by a door.
- Passageway or entry into a building or room.
- Dooryard
- The part of a yard, which is very close to the door.

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