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
Income reporting to the Internal Revenue Service using form 1099 stating income earned. For example, An employing real estate broker uses form 1099 to report commissions earned by a real ...
The definition of a testator in real estate is an individual who makes or leaves a valid will detailing how their possessions are to be divided or distributed among their heirs. The ...
Accelerated method in which a fixed percentage factor of two times the straight-line rate is multiplied each year by the declining balance of the fixed assets book value. ...
Transfer of both real and personal property. An example is the sale of a home with personal belongings. Putting together a group of property to be sold together, perhaps at a discount ...
The American Society of Appraisers, also referred to as ASA, is the largest voluntary membership, a multi-discipline trade association that stands for and promotes its appraiser members. ...
Falsify financial records and statements to misrepresent the financial position and operating results of the business. ...
A style of architecture originating in Europe in the 1920s. The international architecture design was very functional and emphasized buildings constructed of steel, reinforced concrete, and ...
Loss arising from the partial or complete destruction of property resulting from circumstances of a sudden, unanticipated or unusual nature. For example, fires, storms and floods to real ...
Large room at the entrance to a building designed for people to converse or move about freely. ...

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