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
Legal order for a person to present at a deposition or trial documents in his possession, such as related to a real estate transaction. ...
Legal contract in which the lender controls the pledged property being financed. The agreement describes the property and its location. Of default occurs, the lender may sell the ...
Individual who has a legal obligation to pay money to another. ...
Loan in which two or more lenders participate in the total financing of a single mortgage. The lenders in a piggyback loan do not necessarily have equal shares. ...
Detailed financial accounting of all the credits and debits for the buyer and seller upon consummation of a real estate sale. ...
Levied on those benefiting from the installation of a sewer. ...
(1) Reconciling the records to show agreement. (2) Agreement of the records to physical amounts. ...
Unlimited interest in property. A freehold estate may be a fee simple or file estate. Freehold estate includes freehold in deed, a fee simple estate; freehold in law, an inheritable estate; ...
Claim made by a federal or local government agency against a taxpayer's property for delinquent or overdue taxes. The tax lien is effected through tax assessment, demand, and failure to ...

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