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
Homes with division of ownership or use of a resort unit on the basis of time periods. For example, a resort home may be divided into 25 time shares of two weeks each, with two weeks left ...
Features a home buyer orders from a custom builder or developer when purchasing a home. For example, a customer may order a two-car garage when buying a home requiring an additional charge. ...
A clause in a document forbidding an individual from selling or transferring the subject property to another. Frequently, nonalienation clauses are used in a trust where the grantor of the ...
A heating system consisting of a heating unit forcing hot air through an interconnected network of air ducts with outlets throughout the structure. The advantages if a forced hot air system ...
Removal of land by the action of water. See also erosion. ...
Money earned or accrued during an accounting period that results in the increase in total assets. Items such as rental income. Revenues arising from the sales of real estate. The ...
Land zoned for industrial use including manufacturing, factory office and warehouse space, research and development. ...
Court order granted in favor of the landlord to remove a tenant from the property because of nonpayment of rent and/or damaging the property. The writ directs an officer of the law to ...
Costs taken over an above what one is entitled to. This can occur either by claiming depreciation costs exceeding actual depreciable value or by depreciating items that cannot be ...

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