Doesn’t “FD” Stand for “Fire Department?”

“Things should be made as simple as possible ” but not simpler.”

—Albert Einstein

I’m all for making things simpler when it comes to real estate terminology.

But, there comes a point where it . . . becomes kind of silly.

Exhibit A:  showing instructions that refer to the front door ” as in, the location of the lockbox ” as “FD.”

No, Realtors don’t commonly abbreviate “Front Door” with “FD.”

Here’s a key to the other, genuine real estate abbreviations:

“FSF”:  finished square feet.
“FSZ”:  foundation size.
“FR”: family room.
“FP”:  fireplace.

P.S.:  Why did the names of some Presidents (FDR, LBJ, JFK) get abbreviated, but not others (Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton)?

It was based purely on length ” specifically, newspaper editors’ need to fit the President’s name in a headline.

In real estate, the limiting factor is the length of each field on MLS.

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

Leave a Reply