DAMAGES. The amount of money decided by the law or court to be recoverable by a person who has been wronged or has sustained injury whether in his person, property or relative rights, through the act or default of another who is made to pay such amount.
DEED. A written instrument for the transfer of real estate, used as an evidence of title to real estate. It must be signed, sealed and delivered.
DEFAULT. The failure to fulfill a duty or promise, or to discharge an obligation; The omission or failure to perform any act.
DEFEASANCE.An instrument which defeats the force of some other instrument, such as mortgage, etc.
DEFEASANCE CLAUSE. The clause in a mortgage that gives the mortgager the right to redeem his property upon the payment of his obligations to the mortgagee; A clause which nullifies another part of the instrument.
DEFICIENCY. The difference between the sales price or market value of real estate and the amount of indebtedness being sued for in a foreclosure sale, where the debt is larger than the sales price.
DEVISE.A gift of real estate by a will.
DIRECTIONAL GROWTH. The direction toward which the residential sections of a city are destined or determined to grow.
DOWER. The right a wife has in her husband’s real estate.
DUPLEX. A two-family house each having two stories side by side.
