A single-family residence (SFR) is a free-standing residential structure consisting of one unit that is usually occupied by one household or family.  Most single-family homes are built on lots larger than the structure itself and that surround the house – a “yard” in North American English or “garden” in British English – with a garage on the property.

A duplex is a residential structure on a single lot comprised of two housing units located either on two separate floors or side-by-side, each with a separate entrance for two households.  A semi-detached house is a separate housing built as one of the two units in a duplex that share a common dividing wall, where each is commonly a mirror image of the other.

Residential or commercial real estate that is occupied by the property’s owner is owner-occupied property.  Owner-occupied residential property is private real estate that is occupied by its owners for use as their principal residence and not to generate income from either rental income or capital gain for its owners.  Non-owner-occupied residential property is any residential dwelling or unit constructed, intended for or currently used as habitable space in which the owner does not reside or where individuals other than the owner reside, for the purpose of generating a profit from rental income or capital gain for its landlord.

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