Understanding the real estate investing terms and formulas is extremely helpful (if not crucial) for brokers, agents and investors who want to service or acquire real estate investment properties.

 

This is not always the case, though. During my thirty-year experience as an investment real estate specialist I often encountered far too many that had no idea, and it showed – both in their performance and success rate.

 

As a result, I felt it needful to list what I deem are the top 20 real estate investing terms and formulas worth understanding categorized as either primary or secondary. The primary terms and formulas are the very least you should know, and the secondary terms takes it a step further for those of you who are seriously planning to become more actively engaged with real estate investing.

 

Primary

 

1. Gross Scheduled Income (GSI)

 

The annual rental income a property would generate if 100% of all space were rented and all rents collected. GSI does not regard vacancy or credit losses, and instead, would include a reasonable market rent for those units that might be vacant at the time of a real estate analysis.

 

Annual Current Rental Income

 

+ Annual Market Rental Income for Vacant Units

 

= Gross Scheduled Income

 

2. Gross Operating Income (GOI)

 

This is gross scheduled income less vacancy and credit loss, plus income derived from other sources such as coin-operated laundry facilities. Consider GOI as the amount of rental income the real estate investor actually collects to service the rental property.

 

Gross Scheduled Income

 

– Vacancy and Credit Loss

 

+ Other Income

 

= Gross Operating Income

 

3. Operating Expenses

 

These include those costs associated with keeping a property operational and in service such as property taxes, insurance, utilities, and routine maintenance; but should not be mistaken to also include payments made for mortgages, capital expenditures or income taxes.

 

4. Net Operating Income (NOI)

 

This is a property’s income after being reduced by vacancy and credit loss and all operating expenses. NOI is one of the most important calculations to any real estate investment because it represents the income stream that subsequently determines the property’s market value – that is, the price a real estate investor is willing to pay for that income stream.

 

Gross Operating Income

 

– Operating Expenses

 

= Net Operating Income

 

5. Cash Flow Before Tax (CFBT)

 

This is the number of dollars a property generates in a given year after all cash outflows are subtracted from cash inflows but in turn still subject to the real estate investor’s income tax liability.

 

Net Operating Income

 

– Debt Service

 

– Capital Expenditures

 

= Cash Flow Before Tax

 

6. Gross Rent Multiplier (GRM)

 

A simple method used by analysts to determine a rental income property’s market value based upon its gross scheduled income. You would first calculate the GRM using the market value at which other properties sold and then apply that GRM to determine the market value for your own property.

 

Market Value

 

÷ Gross Scheduled Income

 

= Gross Rent Multiplier

 

Then,

 

Gross Scheduled Income

 

x Gross Rent Multiplier

 

= Market Value

 

7. Cap Rate

 

This popular return expresses the ratio between a rental property’s value and its net operating income. The cap rate formula commonly serves two useful real estate investing purposes: To calculate a property’s cap rate, or by transposing the formula, to calculate a property’s reasonable estimate of value.

 

Net Operating Income

 

÷ Value

 

= Cap Rate

 

Or,

 

Net Operating Income

 

÷ Cap Rate

 

= Value

 

8. Cash on Cash Return (CoC)

 

The ratio between a property’s cash flow in a given year and the amount of initial capital investment required to make the acquisition (e.g., mortgage down payment and closing costs). Most investors usually look at cash-on-cash as it relates to cash flow before taxes during the first year of ownership.

 

Cash Flow

 

÷ Initial Capital Investment

 

= Cash on Cash Return

 

9. Operating Expense Ratio

 

This expresses the ratio between an investment real estate’s total operating expenses dollar amount to its gross operating income dollar amount. It is expressed as a percentage.

 

Operating Expenses

 

÷ Gross Operating Income

 

= Operating Expense Ratio

 

10. Debt Coverage Ratio (DCR)

 

A ratio that expresses the number of times annual net operating income exceeds debt service (I.e., total loan payment, including both principal and interest).

 

Net Operating Income

 

÷ Debt Service

 

= Debt Coverage Ratio

 

DCR results,

 

Less than 1.0 – not enough NOI to cover the debt

 

Exactly 1.0 – just enough NOI to cover the debt

 

Greater than 1.0 – more than enough NOI to cover the debt

 

11. Break-Even Ratio (BER)

 

A ratio some lenders calculate to gauge the proportion between the money going out to the money coming so they can estimate how vulnerable a property is to defaulting on its debt if rental income declines. BER reveals the percent of income consumed by the estimated expenses.

 

(Operating Expense + Debt Service)

 

÷ Gross Operating Income

 

= Break-Even Ratio

 

BER results,

 

Less than 100% – less consuming expenses than income

 

Greater than 100% – more consuming expenses than income

 

12. Loan to Value (LTV)

 

This measures what percentage of a property’s appraised value or selling price (whichever is less) is attributable to financing. A higher LTV benefits real estate investors with greater leverage, whereas lenders regard a higher LTV as a greater financial risk.

 

Loan Amount

 

÷ Lesser of Appraised Value or Selling Price

 

= Loan to Value

 

Secondary

 

13. Depreciation (Cost Recovery)

 

The amount of tax deduction investment property owners may take each year until the entire depreciable asset is written off. To calculate, you must first determine the depreciable basis by computing the portion of the asset allotted to improvements (land is not depreciable), and then amortizing that amount over the asset’s useful life as specified in the tax code: 27.5 years for residential property, and 39.0 years for nonresidential.

 

Property Value

 

x Percent Allotted to Improvements

 

= Depreciable Basis

 

Then,

 

Depreciable Basis

 

÷ Useful Life

 

= Depreciation Allowance (annual)

 

14. Mid-Month Convention

 

This adjusts the depreciation allowance in whatever month the asset is placed into service and whatever month it is disposed. The current tax code only allows one-half of the depreciation normally allowed for these particular months. For instance, if you buy in January, you will only get to write off 11.5 months of depreciation for that first year of ownership.

 

15. Taxable Income

 

This is the amount of revenue produced by a rental on which the owner must pay Federal income tax. Once calculated, that amount is multiplied by the investor’s marginal tax rate (I.e., state and federal combined) to arrive at the owner’s tax liability.

 

Net Operating Income

 

– Mortgage Interest

 

– Depreciation, Real Property

 

– Depreciation, Capital Additions

 

– Amortization, Points and Closing Costs

 

+ Interest Earned (e.g., property bank or mortgage escrow accounts)

 

= Taxable Income

 

Then,

 

Taxable Income

 

x Marginal Tax Rate

 

= Tax Liability

 

16. Cash Flow After Tax (CFAT)

 

This is the amount of spendable cash that the real estate investor makes from the investment after satisfying all required tax obligations.

 

Cash Flow Before Tax

 

– Tax Liability

 

= Cash Flow After Tax

 

17. Time Value of Money

 

This is the underlying assumption that money, over time, will change value. It’s an important element in real estate investing because it could suggest that the timing of receipts from the investment might be more important than the amount received.

 

18. Present Value (PV)

 

This shows what a cash flow or series of cash flows available in the future is worth in today’s dollars. PV is calculated by “discounting” future cash flows back in time using a given discount rate.

 

19. Future Value (FV)

 

This shows what a cash flow or series of cash flows will be worth at a specified time in the future. FV is calculated by “compounding” the original principal sum forward in time at a given compound rate.

 

20. Net Present Value (NPV)

 

This shows the dollar amount difference between the present value of all future cash flows using a particular discount rate – your required rate of return – and the initial cash invested to purchase those cash flows.

 

Present Value of all Future Cash Flows

 

– Initial Cash Investment

 

= Net Present Value

 

NPV results,

 

Negative – the required return is not met

 

Zero – the required return is perfectly met

 

Positive – the required return is met with room to spare

 

21. Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

 

This popular model creates a single discount rate whereby all future cash flows can be discounted until they equal the investor’s initial cash investment. In other words, when a series of all future cash flows is discounted at IRR that present value amount will equal the actual cash investment amount.

 

So You Know

 

 

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8638414

 

7 Real Estate Marketing Tools You Should Be Using Right Now

 

Real Estate Marketing Tools- Traditional

 

Aside from the well-known bandit signs and billboard signs, there are many other traditional real estate marketing tools that are still working for many professionals in the industry. While online real estate marketing is still raking in most of the real estate sales and leads, it’s foolish to ignore other avenues that are still generating clients and revenue for some of the most prolific real estate agents and companies in the world.

 

Seven Offline Real Estate Marketing Tools You Should be Using

 

To help you get a better idea at what offline real estate marketing tools are working in this online marketing-driven climate, I’ve put together some of the most effective offline realtor tools for you:

 

1. Host a Broker Event. This will help you network with the people in your industry about the topics that matter most. This is an excellent way to keep an ear to the ground and possibly get ideas for your blog, fill holes in your marketing strategies and even come to an agreement with colleagues that might find clients you need, but they have no use for.

 

2. Print Media. A standard-bearing classic in offline real estate marketing tools, be sure to invest in professional designs and printing materials only. Stick with the basics here: research papers, white papers, product descriptions, brochures, marketing material, etc. Whatever will get your message out there and keep screaming it once your client gets it home and reads it.

 

3. Support Local Organizations and Charities. From sponsoring a local baseball team to adopting a highway, there are tons of ways that you can give back to the community. Not only will this establish you as a pillar of the community, but your name will become instantly recognizable.

 

This comes into play when a community member’s friends or family are looking for a real estate person in the area-guess whose name is on the tip of their tongues? Be sure to be selective and choose organizations that are inline with your message and values.

 

4. Press Releases. The goal here is two-fold. First, you want to get informative press releases out that establish your real estate agency as the “go to” firm in the area. These releases have to be timely, well-informed and address all of the latest topics and breaking news in the area.

 

This will garner the attention of news and program directors at your local media stations, leading them to contact you for matters in which your expertise is needed. These are the types of media appearances that will make your agency a household name, thus building up buyer confidence and increasing your sales and referrals.

 

5. Hold Free Real Estate Seminars. Give speeches meant to show potential real estate investors how to enter the market, or show people how to get the most added resale value on their home. Talk about topics that people are going to benefit from-give them “the get” as in “what are they going to get for attending?” Then, deliver on that get. Don’t sell your services, but rather establish authority and be helpful-it will come back to you tenfold.

 

6. Catchy Business Cards. Business cards can make you stand out or get thrown out-it’s up to you which name on paper you want to be. For instance, drop-cards are a nifty way to gain attention. These look like folded up bills of money, leading people to at least pick them up and look at them.

 

When they see your name, they associate putting money in their pocket and are left with a good impression. Drop these in places where people will pick them up. Or how about a business card that folds up into a house? Have a plain white business card? That’s perfect for them to write someone else’s phone number on and then throw away when they’re done with it. Just sayin’ (wink-wink)

 

7. Vehicle Wraps. You drive around your town or city everyday, passing hundreds and thousands of people. Why not use your car for free advertising? Get your vehicle wrapped with your real estate agency’s name or your name and face. Let people know who you are, wherever you go. It’s a one-time cost and super effective at getting you recognized as a person about the community, not just some name on a sign in front of a house.

 

Of course, integrating these offline marketing tools with online marketing techniques is the real key to real estate success.

 

So Tell Me, what kind of traditional or online real estate marketing tools are you using?

 

As an Online Marketer and MLM trainer and consultant, April Ray has helped hundreds of new business owners generate traffic, leads and sales for their home businesses as well as provide coaching to those who lack the skills and confidence to get started in building the business of their dreams.