

Let’s say you buy a property in a major metropolitan area like San Francisco. We’ll reach out by email with next steps How Macro-Level Economics and Demographics Affect Cap Rate Let’s take a look at each one so that you can understand them better. These three factors combine to give each individual property or local market its unique cap rate. And just like geography and weather patterns affect temperature, there are three major factors that affect cap rates: Like taking the temperature of the air, a cap rate is just a way of measuring actual investment activity in the real world. So, to better judge risk for your real estate investment purchases, you can start with three major factors that affect cap rates. You also have to estimate and protect yourself against the possibility of losing money.

Risk is what Warren Buffett talks about in his #1 rule of investing – “don’t lose money.” As an investor, you can’t just pay attention to returns or profit. It’s the same principle that gives you a lower return for low-risk assets like Treasury bonds ( 1.91% for 30-year bonds as of 8/27/21) than for more risky assets like stocks ( average annual historical returns close to 10%). A lower cap rate means an investment is less risky. So in theory, a higher cap rate means an investment is more risky. It also lets you compare the risk of one property or market to another.īeyond a simple math formula, a cap rate is best understood as a measure of risk. This assumption lets you focus on the merits of the property’s financials instead of being distracted by debt. So, a cap rate assumes a property is bought for cash without leverage. The formula is focused on the property alone and not the financing used to buy the property.Įvery investor uses a different combination of down payment and financing. As you can see in the formula for net operating income below, the expenses do not include a mortgage or interest payment.Įxcluding debt is part of why a cap rate is so useful. Importantly, the cap rate formula does NOT include any mortgage expenses. But it can also be used on the level of an entire market by taking average cap rates for a large group of properties. The formula can be used on the level of an individual property by looking at its net operating income compared to its value. Net Operating Income (NOI) ÷ Purchase Price It’s the ratio of a rental property’s net operating income to its purchase price (including any upfront repairs): Cap Rate = What Is a Cap Rate?Ī cap rate is simply a formula. With the cap rate as a tool in your rental property toolbox, you’ll be able to more confidently buy and profit from your own investment properties.
STABILIZED YIELD ON COST NOI CALCULATION HOW TO
I’ll also share examples of how to use the cap rate formula in a very practical way to analyze real estate markets and rental properties. In this article, I’ll explain what a cap rate (aka a capitalization rate) is. But the most well-known rental analysis tool I use is something called a cap rate. How do you analyze rental properties? In other articles, I showed how to run the numbers with back-of-the-envelope analysis, including the super-simple one percent rule.
