Capitalization Rate
Also known as “cap rate” or “income yield”, Capitalization Rate is a useful way to compute the rate of return on a real estate investment. It is commonly used in the Income approach to determine the Market Value of a property.
Say you want to buy a property just to rent it and make a profit. You will be advised to discover the cap rate of that property in order to calculate what you will approximately earn renting that property to a Tenant.
To discover the capitalization rate of a property, divide the Net Operating Income (NOI) by the amount you’ll pay to acquire that property. In short, the capitalization rate is the value that one property produces divided by the value that property costs.
Here’s an example to better visualize it:
A building is for sale. It cost $100,000 when it was built 20 years ago. And it produces - between residential and commercial rent - $50,000 a year. The capitalization rate is 50,000/100,000, which equals 0.5%.
An important thing to realize regarding the cap rate is that it does not take into consideration the depreciation of a property. That’s why, when valuing a house, it’s crucial for an Appraiser to use all methods of evaluation appropriate to the case.
Real Estate Tips:
Maybe just learning a new term won't be enough to solve your situation. Check out our real estate questions; perhaps someone else has gone through what you're going through!
Or just head to The OFFICIAL Real Estate Agent Directory® and leave it to the pros.
Popular Real Estate Terms
Are you speculating what a spec house means? (sorry for the lousy pun) The textbook spec (or speculative) house definition is “one built on an experimental basis, without an order ...
Regularly, subsequent means something which occurs at a later date. In other words, a subsequent event follows a prior occurrence. For example, new circumstances arise after a contract is ...
The number of units currently occupied in a facility, neighborhood, or city, stated as a percentage of total capacity. For example, a hotel has 80 rooms available for guests. Its average ...
The term “property title” is relatively common and often used in the real estate industry, which is why it’s useful to know what it really means. While the term itself is ...
Drilled well where water rises through the opening because of naturally occurring water pressure. ...
Condensed appraisal report covering the major items. ...
When talking about the open space ratio we are referring to a term that is used in zoning laws and regulations. The open space ratio is a term used to measure open space on a developed land ...
Method of describing a real estate property offering by a developer in lieu of a prospectus. ...
Organizational governing group. Either an appointed or elected body overseeing the management of an organization and rendering advice on current issues. Members are legally responsible for ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.