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Definition

A distressed property is one whose owner has less time than the asset does. The pressure can be a missed mortgage payment, a maturing loan, a partnership breaking up, or an estate with a deadline. It describes the seller's position rather than the building's condition, which is why a well-kept building can be distressed and a neglected one is often just neglected.

How to read it
How to read it
  • The discount is paid for speed and certainty of closing, not for the roof. A building with no clock on it is not cheap.
  • Condition is priced by what it costs to fix. Position is priced by how long the seller has left.
  • Distress is curable until it is not. In Florida the right to sell ends when the clerk files the certificate of sale.
  • A property marketed as distressed with no verifiable pressure behind it is a listing adjective, not a position.

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