private treaty
- noun
- Specialized
:
contrato privado
- Selling the artwork by private treaty allowed the seller to set a price without the pressure of a public auction.
- private treaty sale
Examples
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In contrast with the above-mentioned contributions, many academics found evidence that in the United States, real estate sales at auction suffer from a discount in relation to private treaty sales (Mayer, 1998; Allen, 2001; Quan, 2002).
Academic text (2016) -
They found that there was not a significant difference between auctioned property prices and prices in private treaties.
Academic text (2016) -
Their contribution is highly relevant for the purposes of our study because they not only compared the auction and private treaty sale prices of residential properties, but also their guide and sale prices.
Academic text (2016) -
According to the authors, real estate auction procedures in Australia and New Zealand are a desirable and viable alternative to private treaty sales.
Academic text (2016) -
Magna Carta was also a private treaty between King John and Pope Innocent III.
Blog text (6) -
Private treaty sales and auction sales are considered alternatives with perfect substitutability by buyers and sellers.
Academic text (2016) -
Auctioneers would desperately love to mimic how dealers operate (ever heard of private treaty sales?).
Blog text (24) -
The house was sold through a private treaty after the owners negotiated directly with the buyers.
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Many property owners prefer a private treaty because it provides a more discreet way to sell their homes.
Synonyms
1
2.8
A written contract where a seller transfers ownership of a house or car to a buyer for an agreed price
1
3.3
A legal agreement between a buyer and a seller that explains the terms of a sale
Antonyms
53
3.6
To sell something at a public sale where people bid and the highest bidder buys it
How Compelled
- Formal
- Specialized
209
7.2
- Formal
53
3.6
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
private + treaty
The phrase is compositionally built from 'private' + 'treaty' and can be understood as a 'private agreement' if the learner knows 'treaty' = 'agreement', so the basic idea of a non‑public agreement is recoverable. However, the specific real‑estate sense ('a sale by direct agreement') is a specialized, legal usage that a B1 learner might not predict from the parts alone, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Private treaty comes from the idea of a quiet agreement: private (not public) and treaty (a formal agreement between the two sides). Imagine a seller and a buyer sitting together and making their own deal instead of selling at a public auction, so the phrase means 'a sale without auction'.