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Real Estate Vocabulary

Posted on April 19, 2007
Filed Under Real Estate, Expat Tips, Vocabulary | Leave a Comment

If you are looking for a home in Uruguay, keep in mind that a lot of the research or “shopping” can be done online. There are many real estate portals and real estate companies with very informative sites. The best of them however are in Spanish and are laden with Real Estate specific lingo. The purpose of this post is to provide a quick background, and a decoder ring for accessing this world.

Real Estate Vocabulary, compiled from Uruguayan web sites:

Type of property - Tipo de propiedad

Apartamento - Apartment, flat or condo
Campo - Large tract of land usually for raising cattle
Casa - House
Chacra - Country home, small ranch or small farm
Edificio - Building
Estancia - Ranch
Hogar - Home, also hearth or fireplace
Padrón - Lot or registration associated with one lot
Padrón Unico - One lot, meaning the property ownership is not shared
Propiedad horizontal - Condo; this means that there is a condo association and there are gastos comunes or condo fees.
Terreno - Plot of land
Vivienda - Home

Transaction type

Alquilado - Rented
Alquilar - To rent
Alquiler - The rent
Alquiler temporada - Summer home rental, see vacaciones for more detail.
Alquileres anuales - Long term rental, year lease
Alquilo - For rent, actually, I rent
Cuotas - Installments, usually related to a mortgage or financing
Permuta - Exchange. In Uruguay it is not uncommon to use another smaller valued property as part of the transaction.
Financiación - Financing. Some apartments bought with financing are sold as a combination of cash plus taking over the financing payments
Hipoteca - Mortgage
Remates - Auction
Temporada - It means season, more specifically, an amount of time in the summer season.
Venta - For sale
Vacaciones - Vacation rentals or houses rented by the quincena (15 days). Keep in mind that in addition to the stated price you are expected to pay electricity and water for the rental period.

Terms for Floors - Pisos

Duplex - Apartment with two floors
Penthouse - Penthouse
Planta baja - Ground floor
Planta alta - Second floor
Primer piso - Second floor. Uruguay uses the European system of referring to the second floor as the first floor. First floor is called planta baja or ground floor). Which leads to confusing numbering in buildings.
Segun piso - Third floor

Parking - Estacionamiento

Garaje - Garage
Cochera - Parking place or stall

Leisure areas - Areas recreativas

Gimnasio - Exercise room
Piscina - Swimming pool
Piscina climatizada - Heated swimming pool
Piscina cubierta - Covered swimming pool
Pileta - Swimming pool
Sala Juegos - Game room

Condition - Estado

Impecable - Same as in English
A estrenar - Brand new
Reciclado a nuevo - Rebuilt, made new
Listo para habitar - Ready to move in
Para reciclar - To be worked on, i.e. needs a lot of work
Reparaciones sencillas - Simple work needs to be done

Terms describing areas or features

Acesso a azotea - Roof access
Aire acondicionado - Air conditioning
Alarma - Alarm system
Altillo - Attic, often refers to a room in the attic
Ambiente - Space, room
Amueblado - Furnished
Ascensor - Elevator, lift
Azotea - Flat roof, often tiled
Azotea transitable - Flat roof that one can walk on
Azulejos - Kitchen or bathroom tiles
Balcon - Balcony
Baldosa - Floor tile
Baño - Bathroom
Barbacoa - Separate room (or rooms) usually at the back of the house for holding barbecues
Calefaccion - Heating
Calefaccion por radiadores - Heating system with radiators
Calentador de agua - Hot water heater
Calefón - Hot water heater
Central losa - Central floor heating
Cocina - Kitchen
Cocina con office - Kitchen with a work area.
Comedor - Formal dining room
Cortina de enrrollar - Roll up curtains
Cortina veneciana - Venetian blinds
Cieloraso - Ceiling
Deposito - Storage
Direccion - Address
Distribucion - Area that leads to several doors
Dormitorio - Bedroom
Dormitorio principal - Master bedroom
Dormitorio en suite - Bedroom with private bathroom
Escalera - Stairs
Estar - Living room
Estufa - Heater
Exquisito - Beautiful
Fachada - Facade, front of building
Fondo - The patio in the back of a house.
Gas por cañeria - Piped natural gas
Gastos comunes - Condo fees. Unlike the US even when you rent, you may be required to pay condo fees.
Habitacion - Room, bedroom
Heladera - Fridge
Hogar - Fireplace (also means home)
Hogar a lena - Fireplace for wood
Jardin - Garden
Lavadero - Laundry area, usually near the kitchen
Lavaropa - Washer
Lavavajillas - Dishwasher
Living - Living room
Losa radiante - Heated floor
Luminoso - Bright
Metros cuadrados - Squared meters, multiply by 10.764 to convert to squared feet
Microonda - Microwave oven
Pallier - Entryway just outside an apartment unit
Parquet - Parquet floors
Parrillero - Barbecue grill, Uruguayan style
Pasillo - Corridor
Pasillo de acesso - Access corridor
Patio - Patio
Piso de madera - Hardwood floors
Placar - Built in closet
Plazas (camas) - Number of sleeping places usually specified when renting vacation homes.
Portero Electrico - Intercomm
Recibidor - Entry hallway
Reja - Window bars or grate
Servicio de Mucama - Cleaning service
Sótano - Basement
Superficie del terreno - Area of the plot.
Superficie edificada - Constructed area (as opposed to the livable area). This may include deck and other outdoor features
Techado - Covered (meaning has a roof)
Techo - Roof
Terraza - Deck or balcony
Terraza al frente - Balcony facing the front of the building
Terraza al fondo - Balcony facing the back of the building
Terraza de servicio - Open area in building
Ubicacion - Location
Ventana - Window
Ventanal - Large window
Ventilador de techo - Ceiling fan
Yeso - Plaster of Paris
Zocalo- Baseboard

Other posts in Expat Tips

• Pros and Cons of Shipping Furniture Abroad
• Should I Bring My Electrical Aplliances to Uruguay?
• Usufruct and Inheritance Issues
• Tipping Custom in Uruguay
• American Income Tax While Living Abroad
• Visa Requirements to Travel to Brazil
• Inheritance Laws in Uruguay
• Uruguayan Spanish Conjugation
• Obtaining the Uruguayan National ID
• Steps To Obtain Permanent Residency in Uruguay

Other posts in Real Estate

• Pros and Cons of Retiring in Uruguay
• Heating in Uruguay - Things to Consider
• Real Estate Outlook in Punta del Este
• Overview of the Impuesto al Patrimonio (Asset Tax) in Uruguay
• Inheritance Laws in Uruguay
• What Everybody Ought to Know About Renting in Uruguay
• Squatter Rights in Uruguay
• Real Estate Investment Risks in Uruguay
• A Description of the Land Buying Process in Uruguay
• Uruguayan Links

Other posts in Vocabulary

• Car and Driving Spanish-English Glossary
• Uruguayan Spanish Conjugation
• Uruguayan Mate Custom
• Marijuana Legal Status in Uruguay
• Types of Cheeses Made in Uruguay
• Things to Consider Before Hiring Household Help
• Uruguayan Knife Sharpener
• Observations on Pricing in Uruguay
• Uruguayan Banking Vocabulary
• Banners Commonly Seen in the Streets of Montevideo

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