Here are some real estate terms for you today. Just in
case you are thinking of buying a condo , or an apartment or even a property in
a gated community.
Real estate = is the property, in form of land or building(s). A house, an apartment, a store... is a
real estate. Also, the business of selling buildings or land is called real
estate.
Real estate agent (or estate agent, or realtor) = the person who sells properties and
land.
Observe the examples:
My friend works in the real estate industry (área de imóveis). Being a
realtor (corretor) he told me how hard it has been to sell a estate (vender uma
propriedade).
I bought a new estate (propriedade) and
the estate agent (corretor) was very skilled (capacitado) for the business.
Now... Se você for comprar um
apartamento, qual termo usar?
a) gated community
b) apartment
c) condo 
Why?
Gated community is an enclosed
area containning houses (sometimes shops, etc) with a wall or fence and gate around it, and the entrance
is guarded. Owners pay a fee for maintenance.

Gated Community
Apartment is a small living area inside a
building,
but when it is in a building with several other apartments,
normally it's rented (alugado) and not bought (comprado).

Building with several apartments for
rent.
An apartment is also a small living area on
top of a garage, office or store. (Em termos populares brasileiros, o famoso "puxadinho"
que certas famílias constroem na lage da casa, ou no telhado, ou nos fundos, pode ser considerado em
inglês "apartment").
An apartment can be the only one in the building. Or can
be one of several, as shown in the picture above.
Um apartamento num
flat onde você passa uma temporada, também é "apartment".
Now: "comprar um
apartamento" is to buy a condo. Condo (abbreviation of comdominium) is the apartment in a
building with two or more other apartments, and each one is owned by the people who is living
there - not rented.

Condos
Em termos práticos, nos Estados Unidos o que distingue um "apartment" de um "condo", é que normalmente "apartment" pode ser único num prédio (como no exemplo de uma pequena área habitável
sobre uma garagem, escritório ou loja) - e um "condo" não. Ou pode ser
em prédio com vários outros "apartments" e ser alugado; e
"condo" é um apartamento também em prédio com vários outros, mas o
morador é normalmente o proprietário, e não inqulino (tenant).
IMPORTANT:
Be Smart! Know the difference!

Condos

Condoms

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