Jack plane
A woodworker's tool designed for shaving off small amounts of wood. The workhorse of the plane family, a jack plane is a good length for truing up boards, fitting doors, and similar tasks.

Jalousie window
A window that consists of vertical rows of horizontal glass slats that operate together by a crank mechanism that connects all the slats.

Jamb
A surface that lines an opening for a door.

Joint liability
The responsibility of two or more people to fulfill the terms of a home loan or debt.

Joint Tenancy
A form of ownership or taking title to property which means each party owns the whole property and that ownership is not separate. In the event of the death of one party, the survivor owns the property in its entirety.

Joist
A floor or ceiling support member supported by foundation walls, piers or beams. Subflooring is connected to floor joists.

Judgment
A decision made by a court of law. In judgments that require the repayment of a debt, the court may place a lien against the debtor's real property as collateral for the judgment's creditor. Alternative spelling is "judgment."

Judicial Foreclosure
A type of foreclosure proceeding used in some states that is handled as a civil lawsuit and conducted entirely under the auspices of a court. Other states use non-judicial foreclosure.

Jumbo Loan
A loan that exceeds Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s loan limits, currently at $252,700. Also called a nonconforming loan. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae loans are referred to as conforming loans.

Junior mortgage
A loan that subordinate to the primary loan.