Investment Formulas

Commercial Real Estate Investment Formulas

Professional reference formulas for commercial real estate investors.

Loan-to-Value (LTV) Ratio

Measures the percentage of the property's value financed by a loan.

·         Formula: LTV = Loan Amount ÷ Purchase Price (or Appraised Value) × 100

·         Example: $3,000,000 loan ÷ $4,000,000 purchase price = 75%

 Debt Coverage Ratio (DSCR)

Measures whether the property's income is sufficient to cover mortgage payments.

·         Formula: DSCR = Net Operating Income (NOI) ÷ Annual Debt Service

·         Example: $300,000 NOI ÷ $240,000 debt service = 1.25

 Sales Comparison Price per Square Foot

Compares properties regardless of size.

·         Formula: Price per Square Foot = Purchase Price ÷ Building Square Feet

·         Example: $4,000,000 ÷ 10,000 SF = $400/SF

 Gross Rent Multiplier (GRM)

Quick valuation metric based on gross rental income.

·         Formula: GRM = Purchase Price ÷ Annual Gross Rental Income

·         Example: $4,000,000 ÷ $250,000 = 16.0

 Capitalization Rate (Cap Rate)

Measures annual return before financing.

·         Formula: Cap Rate = Net Operating Income (NOI) ÷ Purchase Price × 100

·         Example: $260,000 ÷ $4,000,000 = 6.50%

 Cash-on-Cash Return

Measures annual cash return on actual cash invested.

·         Formula: Cash-on-Cash Return = Annual Pre-Tax Cash Flow ÷ Total Cash Invested × 100

·         Example: $120,000 ÷ $1,200,000 = 10%

 Net Operating Income (NOI)

Income remaining after operating expenses.

·         Formula: NOI = Gross Operating Income − Operating Expenses

 Expense Ratio

Measures operating efficiency.

·         Formula: Expense Ratio = Operating Expenses ÷ Gross Operating Income × 100

 Cash Required to Close

Estimate total cash needed to complete a purchase.

·         Formula: Cash to Close = Down Payment + Closing Costs + Loan Fees + Reserves

 Debt Yield

Lender metric independent of interest rates.

·         Formula: Debt Yield = NOI ÷ Loan Amount × 100

 Break-Even Occupancy

Occupancy needed to cover expenses and debt.

·         Formula: Break-Even Occupancy = (Operating Expenses + Debt Service) ÷ Gross Potential Income × 100