Definition of "Capitalization rate"

Natalie Bell real estate agent

Written by

Natalie Bellelite badge icon

Keating Real Estate

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.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Waterproofing the joint of a roof. ...

Land expansion resembling a star. The starts center is the city, and major thoroughfares going away from the city are depicted. ...

Enclosed building that stores agricultural products (hay, livestock or farm equipment). ...

method of land description that identifies a parcel by specifying its shape and boundaries. ...

Possession and use of a property estate by virtue of a lease. There are four types of leasehold estates: estate for years, periodic tenancy, tenancy at will, and tenant at sufferance. ...

The land-to-building ratio is a means to calculate in percentage how much a structure occupies the total land parcel on which it is located. It is the total building area as a percentage of ...

Tax-free status given to certain nonprofit organizations and governmental entities. Churches, charities, and government buildings do not pay property tax because of their tax-free status. ...

A financial obligation comes in several ways. In general terms, the meaning of liability refers to the amount of money an individual or company owes to a lender. We define the party holding ...

Buying real property subject to risk. For the high risk undertaken, the expected return is higher. The investor may lose all of part of the initial investment. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions