Real Estate Glossary
Our glossary is the largest dictionary of real estate and construction terms on the Internet with almost 10,000 definitions.
- Fir
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- Any of the species of cone-bearing evergreen trees.
- The wood from this species.
- Fire Alarm
- System that warns inhabitants at a sign of smoke or flames or a rise in heat.
- Fire Alarm Annunciator Panel
- Panel that shows the location of a fire.
- Fire Alarm Control Panel
- Panel with the control devices for use and testing.
- Fire Block
- Wooden block built between the wall studs or joists, within covered walls, which closes off the passage of air, thereby limiting the spread of fire.
- Fire Box
- The combustion area of a fireplace, furnace or boiler, where the fire is contained.
- Fire Break
- Plowed or cleared land that has been cleaned of combustible material such as dry brush, to stop the spread of a fire.
- Fire Brick
- Heat resistant clay brick, which is used in fireplaces and other places where it would be exposed to high, heat or fire. They have the ability to retain their physical properties when exposed to high temperature.
- Fire Clay
- Clay that can withstand high heat and is used in the production of firebrick.
- Fire Control
- Fire suppression apparatus and training in a system so that fires can be controlled and contained.
- Fire Department Connection
- Water source where the fire department connects its house to fight a fire.
- Fire Division Wall
- Wall, designed and rated to delay passage of fire, which extends continuously from the bottom to the top of a structure.
- Fire Door
- 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.
- Fire Door, Corrugated
- A fire-resistant door constructed of two layers of corrugated galvanized steel with 2 ½ -inch corrugations over an asbestos sheet core with a steel frame.
- Fire Door, Metal-clad
- A fire-resistant door fabricated from 30 gauge, or thicker, sheet steel panels. It has interlocking seams and a core of dry wood. It is the most common type of fire door currently in use and is often referred to as tin clad.
- Fire Escape
- A fireproof stairway that runs down the outside of a building to help people escape if the building is burning.
- Fire Extinguisher
- Device containing fire-suppressing material under pressure, which is directed at the fire to extinguish it by means of oxygen deprivation and/or cooling. Hydrants are rated as follows:
Grade A - ordinary material fires;
Grade B - fluid fires;
Grade C - electrical fires;
Grade D - materials which need an extinguishing compound to absorb heat and does not react with the fuel.
- Fire Hydrant
- A street hydrant supplied from a fire main or other water main, with connections for fire hoses and a valve to start and stop the water flow.
- Fire Insurance
- Insurance protecting against loss or damage from fire.
- Fire Lines
- Use of a wet standpipe, which is a vertical pipe, always full of water, which reaches to the upper floors of a building that can be immediately accessed to distribute water, in the event of a fire.
- Fire Proof
- The covering of all exposed surfaces constructed of noncombustible materials, which include brick, aluminum siding, cement and asbestos shingles.
- Fire Rating
- Rating system that shows the fire resistance of a material or system as tested by a recognized laboratory against applicable ASTM standards. For instance, one 5/8 inch thick type X gypsum drywall sheet installed on each side of a wood stud will give a wall a one hour rating, while a double thickness will give a two hour rating.
- Fire Resistant Panels
- Panels made of type x gypsum wallboard. Fiberglass and other heat-resistant, noncombustible materials are added to its core to increase the fire resistance of the wallboard.
- Fire Resistive
- Materials, which are able to withstand exposure to flame of a specified intensity or for a specified time. Fire resistive materials are used in interior finishes, such as wood paneling, wallboard, acoustical tile, furniture and carpeting fabrics.
- Fire Retardant
- Chemical that withstands the spread of fire or, when applied, increases the fire resistance of that material.
- Fire Retardant Paint
- Paint with nitrogen compounds that form insulating gas bubbles when exposed to heat so that the heat transfer is slowed by the trapped gas, thus protecting the painted surface.
- Fire Retardant Treatment
- Saturation of material or coating of surfaces with fire retardant chemicals.
- Fire Stop
- Wooden block built between the wall studs or joists, within covered walls, which closes off the passage of air, thereby limiting the spread of fire.
- Fire Taping
- Method of taping used for fireproofing rather than for appearance. When a finish coat of joint compound is not needed, the joints of the wallboard are taped to avoid a possible path for a fire.
- Fire Wall
- Buffer of fire-resistant material, which is rated to withstand the effects of a fire for a period of time and prevents the further spread of the fire beyond the wall for that length of time.
- Fireplace
- An open structure of fireproof material, built into a wall inside a building, in which a fire is built.
- Fireplace Base Assembly
- Fireplace foundation and hearth support. Fireplace, Multi-face Fireplace which is open all the way through and which fronts in two different rooms.
- Fireplace, Rumford
- The large surface opening of this fireplace makes it very heat efficient. The fireplace is shallow, with a single face and high opening with flared firebox sides.
- Fireplace, Single-face
- Fireplace, which is closed in the rear and opens only into the one room it faces.
- Firestone
- Stone which can withstand extreme heat and keep its physical characteristics.
- Firm Commitment
- Written promise, made by the lender, to loan money. It usually contains all of the terms relevant to the transaction. Alternately, an irrevocable agreement that commits one of the parties to perform a certain act.
- First American Credco
- This company provides a merged credit report from the Big Three companies (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union Corp.) for $30.95. Phone # (800) 443-9342.
- First Mortgage
- Primary mortgage on a property, which takes priority over any other liens and is satisfied before any secondary liens.
- First Refusal Right
- Being offered the right to buy something before it is offered to others. The opportunity of a party to match the terms of a proposed contract before the contract is executed.
- First User
- Initial user of real estate, such as the first occupant of a newly built home.
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