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

In any field, from the corner store or long-term rentals, the potential gross income is the expected revenue earned from a sale or the rendering of services. The potential gross income ...

Direct line of descent as from father to son. An example of a lineal hereditament would be passing of the title of real property by virtue of a will to the first-born son. ...

The maximum pre-approved amount that an individual or business can borrow without preparing a new credit request. It is a safety buffer in the event funds are needed for unexpected ...

Also called "Grey Shell, "Bare Shell," and "Artic Shell," a Cold Shell could be described as the more radical version of a Vanilla Shell. So, what does precisely the Cold Shell definition ...

Rental income received from property that exceeds the costs of owning and maintaining the property. ...

Proportionate share of an item to total items in the population. ...

A judgment of a court issued as a final order after hearing all the evidence and material directly related to some matter before its consideration. A final degree considers al the rights to ...

Provision in an agreement in which its renewal is a matter of course at the end of its initial term. ...

An antenuptial agreement is, as the terms composition states, an agreement that happens before the nuptials, or, in other words, the wedding. The antenuptial agreement is more commonly ...

Popular Real Estate Questions