Like any industry, Real Estate maintains a language of its own, with shorthand jargon and specialized terms used daily by those in the biz. But lingo used by housing professionals can sometimes be confusing when you're shopping for homes. The following list might help — common terms found in Twin Cities home listings, explained in everyday English:
A (Active)
This means the property is on the market, available, and open for offers. (Sellers may have received an offer but have not yet accepted it.)
A,i (Active, Inspection)
Sellers have accepted an offer contingent on a buyer's inspection of their property. Depending on what's written in the offer, the whole process of inspecting and negotiating repairs, concessions, etc. often takes around 5-10 days.
A,r (Active, Subject to Statutory Rescission)
The sellers of a condo, townhouse or co-op have accepted an offer which is contingent on the buyers reviewing all association governing documents and financials. After receiving the final document, buyers have 10 days to review them in Minnesota. They can cancel the offer at anytime during this period, for any reason.
A,s (Active, Sale of Another Property)
The sellers have accepted an offer from buyers who need (or want) to sell a home in order to buy a new one.
A,o (Active, other)
A,o means the sellers have accepted an offer with a contingency that could be anything other than the above. For example, if it's a vacant lot and buyers want to get building plans approved by the city before committing, they would submit their offer contingent on the city approval.
P (Pending)
The sellers have accepted an offer and are cruising to closing. This usually means the inspection period has passed and all other contingencies (except financing) have been lifted.
T or TNAFS
This stands for Temporarily Not Available for Showing. It typically means the listing is active but sellers wish to make the property unavailable for private showings, for whatever reason. Maybe they have company staying with them or are making repairs or remodeling. It might also mean they've accepted an offer and are getting a buyer's inspection.
If you are curious about a home with this status, ask your agent to check the MLS database or contact the listing agent directly to get more information. Keep in mind sites like Zillow currently do not display property with TNAFS status.
Coming Soon
The home is visible online but cannot be toured in person until the listed “Active” date. In the Twin Cities Northstar MLS region, listings cannot be “Coming Soon for more than 21 days. They may be open to offers.
Heidi Swanson is a Realtor® based in St. Paul, Minnesota. She writes a blog to share information on a variety of real estate related topics including buying and selling, market conditions, homeownership trends and more. Reach her at heidi@lyndenrealty.com or 651-503-1540.
This content was created by a human writer and has not been generated by AI.