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Land Terms
Dam popular
Terms, Definitions, and Concepts: Agriculture, Biology, Conservation and Sustainability, Construction and Building, Ecology, Forestry and Silviculture, Geography, Hydrology, Management, Science, Water
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Dark shell (Dark box) popular
1. One form of a shell lease, a dark shell is a commercial or residential building with an unfinished interior and lacking heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), and usually without lighting, plumbing, ceilings, elevators, or interior walls. A dark shell is ready for warm shell or vanilla shell improvements (VSI) as well as tenant improvements (TI's), which are to be completed by the tenant once the lease agreement has been negotiated and executed. In many cases, the landlord will offer financial incentives in the form of a tenant improvement allowance (TIA), which pays for or at least partially defrays the cost of any improvements necessary for the tenant to occupy the building itself. Tenant improvement allowances do not usually include furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FFE) or trade fixtures necessary for the tenant to conduct business. Usually vanilla shell improvements (VSI), or those improvements necessary to upgrade the building from a cold shell or dark shell state, are not completed until the lease agreement between the tenant and landlord has been negotiated and executed. This ensures that the landlord does not pay for improvements that are unnecessary or that the tenant does not want.
2. The lease agreement or contract for a dark shell building. A proper dark shell lease should describe in detail the vanilla shell improvements (VSI) and tenant improvements (TI's) that are to be completed, and any other information necessary for construction of the building to be completed (commonly known as build-out) prior to tenant occupancy.
Same as Dark box. More or less the same as Arctic shell, Bare shell, Base shell, Cold dark shell, Cold dark box, Cold shell, Grey shell, or Grey box.
Discussion: Like many real estate terms and phrases, practical use and meanings of those terms associated with shell leases (e.g., vanilla shell, base shell, cold shell, warm shell, etc.) differ by location and situation, sometimes even within the same region or municipal area. As they say, the devil is in the details. The lease or sales contract should clearly and exactly specify the degree to which construction of any sort of "shell" or "box" building has been or will be completed prior to tenant occupancy. As either a tenant or landlord, you should not assume that the other party's definitions of shell lease terminology are the same as yours. Get it in writing, and make sure you understand and agree with all the terms and conditions of the shell lease agreement before you sign. If necessary, have a real estate attorney review the contract prior to its execution.
Shell leasing and its various forms (warm, cold, base, etc.) are used primarily in commercial real estate, but are gaining popularity in upscale condominiums and townhouses and other high-end residential real estate transactions. The idea is to attract either tenants or buyers, or both, by offering customizable living units. Financial incentives in the form of tenant (or buyer) improvement allowances afford new residents the opportunity to select nearly all aspects of interior decor, including relatively large projects such as plumbing and fixtures, wiring, and interior walls.
Terms, Definitions, and Concepts: Real Estate, Construction and Building, Appraisal, Auction, Finance and Investment, Management
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De minimis
Real Estate 2. A property that derives little or no value from on-site facilities or amenities.
Terms, Definitions, and Concepts: Appraisal, Auction, Finance and Investment, Legal (Law), Management, Real Estate, Taxes and Taxation
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Dealer
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Debt service
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Debt to equity ratio (Debt-equity ratio) popular
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Decentralization
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Declaration of restrictions
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Dedication
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Deduction
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Deductive reasoning popular
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Deed
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Deed of trust
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Deed Ver
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Default
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Defeasible
That which can be voided, altered, challenged, undone, cancelled, defeated, or annulled, especially through operation of law.
Terms, Definitions, and Concepts: Real Estate, Title and Title Insurance, Legal (Law), Management
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Defect
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Deferred commissions
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Deficiency judgment
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Dell
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Delta
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Density
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Department of Buildings (DOB)
Terms, Definitions, and Concepts: Construction and Building, Management, Real Estate, Zoning
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