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Real estate glossaryNational exam concept

Capitalization rate

Capitalization rate, or cap rate, is the annual net operating income divided by the property's value or price.

Exam area: Valuation and Market Analysis

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What does “capitalization rate” mean in real estate?

Capitalization rate, or cap rate, is the annual net operating income divided by the property's value or price. It expresses the unlevered income return implied by those figures.

How is “capitalization rate” different from the closest wrong answer?

Cap rate uses net operating income. Gross rent multiplier uses gross rent and does not subtract operating expenses.

What is the Georgia-specific rule?

This is a national valuation calculation on the Georgia exam. Financing costs and income taxes are not operating expenses in the standard NOI used for cap rate.

Worked exam example

Scenario

A property producing $54,000 in annual NOI and valued at $675,000 has an 8 percent cap rate because $54,000 ÷ $675,000 = 0.08.

What is the most common exam trap?

Trap correction

Using gross income, mortgage payments, or monthly NOI can make the arithmetic look correct while the setup is wrong.

Original exam check

Apply the definition

A small office building collects $90,000 in annual rent. Operating expenses are $36,000, and annual mortgage payments are $30,000. The building is valued at $675,000. What is its cap rate?

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Continue with Valuation and Market Analysis complete lesson. It places this term inside the full rule, worked examples, exam traps, and mixed practice required for mastery.