Real estate glossary.

An absentee owner is a property owner whose mailing address differs from the property address — they don't live there.

A distress signal is a public-record indicator — tax delinquency, foreclosure, code violation, or vacancy — that an owner may be motivated to sell.

A lis pendens is a recorded public notice that a lawsuit — often a foreclosure — is pending against a property.

A MAO calculator finds the Maximum Allowable Offer on a property: ARV × 70% minus repair costs and wholesale profit.

A motivation score ranks how likely a property owner is to sell, from ownership profile and public-record distress signals.