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Annual income after operating expenses
$
Current market value or purchase price
%
Capitalization rate as a percentage
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About

The capitalization rate is the ratio of a property's net operating income (NOI) to its current market value. A miscalculated cap rate distorts every downstream investment decision: overpaying by even 0.5% on a $2M asset means roughly $200,000 in lost equity. This calculator applies the standard income capitalization approach used by appraisers under USPAP and IVS frameworks. It solves for any one of the three variables - cap rate, property value, or NOI - given the other two. Results assume stabilized annual income and do not account for financing structure, vacancy fluctuation beyond your stated NOI, or capital expenditure reserves.

Pro tip: compare your result against local market cap rates before making offers. A cap rate significantly below the market average signals overpayment risk. A rate significantly above it may indicate deferred maintenance or tenant credit risk that the seller has priced in. This tool approximates value under the direct capitalization method only. It does not perform discounted cash flow analysis or account for reversion value at sale.

cap rate capitalization rate real estate property valuation NOI investment property income capitalization

Formulas

The direct capitalization method expresses the relationship between three variables. Given any two, the third is derived algebraically.

Cap Rate = NOIV × 100
V = NOICap Rate100
NOI = V × Cap Rate100

Where NOI = Net Operating Income, the annual income after all operating expenses (property taxes, insurance, maintenance, management fees) but before debt service and capital expenditures. V = Current market value or purchase price of the property. Cap Rate = Capitalization rate expressed as a percentage. The formula assumes stabilized, annualized income with no extraordinary items.

Reference Data

Property TypeTypical Cap Rate RangeRisk ProfileTypical NOI MarginCommon Lease Term
Class A Office (CBD)4.0 - 5.5%Low60 - 70%5 - 10 yrs
Class B Office (Suburban)5.5 - 7.5%Moderate55 - 65%3 - 7 yrs
Multifamily (Class A)3.5 - 5.0%Low55 - 65%1 yr
Multifamily (Class C)5.5 - 8.0%High45 - 55%1 yr
Retail (Strip Mall)6.0 - 8.5%Moderate - High50 - 65%3 - 5 yrs
Retail (NNN Single Tenant)4.5 - 6.5%Low90 - 99%10 - 20 yrs
Industrial / Warehouse4.5 - 7.0%Low - Moderate65 - 75%5 - 10 yrs
Self-Storage5.0 - 7.5%Moderate60 - 70%Month-to-month
Hotel (Full-Service)6.5 - 9.0%High25 - 40%Nightly
Hotel (Limited-Service)7.0 - 10.0%High35 - 50%Nightly
Medical Office5.0 - 7.0%Low - Moderate55 - 65%5 - 10 yrs
Senior Housing5.5 - 8.0%Moderate30 - 45%Month-to-month
Student Housing4.5 - 6.5%Moderate50 - 60%1 yr
Data Center4.0 - 6.0%Low40 - 55%5 - 15 yrs
Mobile Home Park5.0 - 8.0%Moderate60 - 75%Month-to-month
Mixed-Use Urban4.5 - 6.5%Low - Moderate55 - 65%Varies
Parking Garage5.5 - 8.0%Moderate60 - 75%Monthly
Single-Family Rental4.5 - 7.5%Moderate40 - 55%1 yr
Gas Station / C-Store5.0 - 7.5%Moderate70 - 85%10 - 20 yrs
Farmland / Agricultural2.0 - 4.0%Low30 - 50%1 - 5 yrs

Frequently Asked Questions

Vacancy directly reduces your NOI. If you quote gross potential income without deducting vacancy and collection losses, the resulting cap rate will be artificially inflated. Standard practice is to apply a vacancy factor (typically 5-10% for stabilized assets) to gross income before subtracting operating expenses. This tool expects you to input the true NOI after vacancy adjustments.
A low cap rate means investors accept a smaller income yield relative to price, which only occurs when the income stream is perceived as highly stable. Class A multifamily in a gateway city might trade at a 3.5% cap rate because the demand for housing in that location is nearly inelastic. Conversely, a rural hotel might require a 9% cap rate to compensate for seasonal revenue swings and tenant default risk.
With caution. Cap rates embed local risk premiums, property tax structures, insurance costs, and growth expectations. A 6% cap rate in a high-growth Sun Belt market may represent a better risk-adjusted return than a 5% cap rate in a stagnant Midwest market because projected NOI growth differs. Always normalize for expected income growth (yield-on-cost) before cross-market comparison.
Cap rate is an unlevered metric: it divides NOI by total property value regardless of financing. Cash-on-cash return divides pre-tax cash flow (after debt service) by the equity invested. A property with a 5% cap rate financed at 70% LTV with a 4% mortgage rate will produce a cash-on-cash return above 5% due to positive leverage. This calculator computes cap rate only.
No. The direct capitalization method is a single-period snapshot. It does not model property value changes over time, rent escalations, or depreciation tax shields. For multi-year projections incorporating reversion value at sale, you need a discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis. This tool is appropriate for quick valuation benchmarking at stabilized occupancy.
Include: property taxes, insurance, utilities (if owner-paid), management fees (even self-managed, use a market-rate proxy of 4-8%), repairs and maintenance, landscaping, and reserves for replacement. Exclude: mortgage principal and interest, income taxes, depreciation, capital expenditures (roof replacement, HVAC overhaul), and one-time costs. Misclassifying CapEx as OpEx is the most common error.