For the purposes of this chapter, the term -

(1)

''Secretary'' means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;

(2)

''person'' means an individual, or an unincorporated organization, partnership, association, corporation, trust, or estate;

(3)

''subdivision'' means any land which is located in any State or in a foreign country and is divided or is proposed to be divided into lots, whether contiguous or not, for the purpose of sale or lease as part of a common promotional plan;

(4)

''common promotional plan'' means a plan, undertaken by a single developer or a group of developers acting in concert, to offer lots for sale or lease; where such land is offered for sale by such a developer or group of developers acting in concert, and such land is contiguous or is known, designated, or advertised as a common unit or by a common name, such land shall be presumed, without regard to the number of lots covered by each individual offering, as being offered for sale or lease as part of a common promotional plan;

(5)

''developer'' means any person who, directly or indirectly, sells or leases, or offers to sell or lease, or advertises for sale or lease any lots in a subdivision;

(6)

''agent'' means any person who represents, or acts for or on behalf of, a developer in selling or leasing, or offering to sell or lease, any lot or lots in a subdivision; but shall not include an attorney at law whose representation of another person consists solely of rendering legal services;

(7)

''blanket encumbrance'' means a trust deed, mortgage, judgment, or any other lien or encumbrance, including an option or contract to sell or a trust agreement, affecting a subdivision or affecting more than one lot offered within a subdivision except that such term shall not include any lien or other encumbrance arising as the result of the imposition of any tax assessment by any public authority;

(8)

''interstate commerce'' means trade or commerce among the several States or between any foreign country and any State;

(9)

''State'' includes the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States;

(10)

''purchaser'' means an actual or prospective purchaser or lessee of any lot in a subdivision; and

(11)

''offer'' includes any inducement, solicitation, or attempt to encourage a person to acquire a lot in a subdivision