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L.1 · INTERMEDIATE · 2 MIN

Cap Rates and Property Valuation

A cap rate is the real estate equivalent of an earnings yield — it measures the annual net operating income (NOI) a property generates relative to its value. It’s the single most important metric in property valuation.

Quiz · 5 questions ↓
§ 01
Cap Rate = NOI / Property Value
§ 02
Cap RateProperty TypeImplication
3–4%Core urban office, trophy assetsLow risk, low yield, high prices
5–6%Suburban office, quality retailModerate risk and return
7–8%Value-add multifamily, industrialHigher yield, some repositioning needed
9%+Distressed, secondary marketsHigh risk, potential high returns
§ 03

Lower cap rates mean higher prices (and lower yields). When investors say ‘cap rates are compressing,’ they mean property values are rising relative to income — real estate is getting more expensive.

§ 04
Look up a REIT in **Fundamentals**. Estimate its portfolio cap rate: NOI / Total Property Value. Compare it to the 10-year Treasury yield — the spread is the risk premium for owning real estate.
§ 05
A property generates $100K NOI. At a 5% cap rate it’s worth $2M. If cap rates rise to 7%, what’s it worth?
§ 06

Rising interest rates compress cap rate spreads and push cap rates higher — causing property values to fall even if NOI is stable. This is how monetary policy transmits to real estate values.

§ 07
A rental property generates $120K NOI. It sold for $2M last year and $2.4M this year — no improvements. What happened to the cap rate, and what's the market implying?
Five questions · AI feedback

Sit with the ideas.

An industrial property generates $720,000 in annual NOI. Comparable properties trade at a 6% cap rate. The 10-year Treasury yield is 4.5%. What is the implied property value, and what does the cap rate spread over Treasuries tell you?

Why:
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