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
An individual appointed by a court to manage the affairs and property of a legally incompetent party. The conservator has full decision-making authority over the affairs of the property in ...
Sales commission charged to buy shares in a real estate mutual fund sold by a broker or salesperson. Typically, the fee ranges from about 1 percent to 8 percent of the initial investment. ...
Sponsor of a syndicate involving people or companies buying an interest in a real estate investment or unit. The group of investors are in effect engaged in a joint venture for profit." ...
British thermal unit-a unit of energy associated with the creation of heat. Prior to 1929, it was defined as the amount of heat required to raised the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 ...
Are you planning on buying a house? If you are, you’re going to love the Buyer's Market definition. But if you are a home seller, you will wish that term never comes up again in your ...
Listing of items in priority or sequential order. There may be a succession or series of steps to result in a desired outcome. An example is what logical order should occur in building a ...
When we use the term contingent, we typically imply that something is dependent on another factor. Real estate contingencies make home selling, buying, or even inheriting a property ...
To undertake or take on a responsibility or duty. ...
Danger, hazard, risk, or peril. For example, jeopardizing a piece of property by pledging it as collateral for a loan. ...

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