Yes, I understand that it's possible to be illiquid but solvent. I understand the concept of not being able to buy things with the house directly so you have t

Yes, I understand that it's possible to be illiquid but solvent. I understand the concept of not being able to buy things with the house directly so you have to get a loan. I understand that those terms have different definitions. My point was that, when the illiquidity is sufficiently advanced -- when you the actual ability to sell is far enough into the future, and the possibility of making a sale is increasingly dubious -- then those judgments of how much it's "worth" become likewise dubious, and the venture is more reasonably characterized as insolvent, because the unwillingness of others to buy means the property doesn't have a value that supports its status as sufficient collateral. Also, in your example, assuming (which was the thing I was conditionally disputing) that the real estate really is worth the $5 million, you'd be worth $0, not negative $5 million.