In real estate, the capitalization rate, or cap rate, is the percentage rate used to estimate investment property value in the capitalization approach. The cap rate is used to convert net operating income into a rental property's market value.
The Cap Rate Formula:
Property Value = NOI / Capitalization Rate
The cap rate is an indicator of investment value and expectation of return. It is not the same as other measures of return such as the IRR or ROI.