Return on Investment and Risk in Real Estate

If you are new to real estate investing, you may be wondering, “What is the relationship between risk and return on investment in real estate?”

You are not the first to ask this question and to give a simple answer, return on investment and risk in real estate do go hand in hand. As they say, the higher the risk, the higher the return. However, that doesn’t mean you have to take huge real estate investment risks in order to turn a profit. In fact, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Having an understanding of risk and reward and trade-off and conducting a risk analysis is critical to your success as a real estate investor. Knowing your own risk tolerance and being able to assess the return on investment and risk of any individual property will help you determine which rental properties can make good matches for your real estate investment strategy.

Related: Top 6 Real Estate Investment Strategies

Understanding Basic Risk and Return on Investment

Grasping the concepts of return on investment and risk in real estate is an important skill to acquire early in your investment career. While data, metrics, and calculations should be your ultimate guide, it can’t hurt to start with a basic foundation for assessing risk-return trade-off.

The easiest way to quickly determine the return on investment and risk associated with a property is to assess it within property classes. These classes are not rigid, however, and should only be used as a general basis for risk analysis.

When first analyzing real estate investments off of limited information, you can likely place a property somewhere within classes A through D. Class A properties are the nicest, and class D properties are distressed homes.

Property Classes

Class A properties are located in the best neighborhoods for the highest price points. They are also the most stable investment properties with the lowest risk and, consequently, the lowest return on investment.

Class B properties are priced slightly lower and reside in primarily middle-class neighborhoods. With a little elbow grease, class B properties tend to appreciate well. This type of investment property has somewhat more risk involved, though the higher return on investment makes it appealing.

Class C properties are found in poorer neighborhoods, and you will get them at a discount. Adding value to these homes can skyrocket your return on investment, but be wary of the high risk associated with owning them. Between extensive repairs and low occupancy rates, these high-risk investments are trickier to navigate. Though, for the right real estate investor, they can be extremely profitable.

Class D properties are distressed homes in the worst neighborhoods. You should think of them as far riskier versions of class C properties. They come at an incredible discount. Low prices allow for a potentially high return, but only extremely experienced real estate investors should consider taking on these kinds of high-risk investments.

Return on Real Estate Investment Through Analysis

As you can see from the above examples of property classes, the higher the risk the higher the return. Low-risk investments are only ideal for investors interested in a slow, long term, steady return on real estate investment. That being said, most investors are interested in a little risk. Taking on some risk means seeing higher profits and cash flow.

So, given that there is a trade-off, how much risk is too much?

When it comes to return on investment and risk, investment property analysis is the only way to determine the worthiness of a potential investment. Investment property analysis will give you hard numbers you can use to make high return real estate investment decisions.

Related: How to Maximize Return on Investment When Buying a Rental Property

Calculating Rate of Return on a Rental Property

There are three ways to measure return on investment and risk in real estate. These calculations are called return on investment, cap rate, and cash on cash return.

Let’s take a quick dive into each to see why they are important.

Return on investment (ROI) is a figure represented as a percentage. It shows the gross rental income earned from a property versus the total cash investment. If you’re analyzing a property you wish to run as an Airbnb, you can estimate its potential Airbnb rental income using Mashvisor’s free Airbnb calculator. This is a good general starting point, though you will want to make the other calculations as well.

ROI = Annual Rental Income/Total Cash Investment

A decent ROI should fall at 15% or more on average.

Related: How to Find Property with a 20% Return on Investment

The cap rate (or capitalization rate) is another percentage that represents the rate of return in terms of both the total price of a property as well as ongoing expenses.

Cap Rate = NOI/Price

A good cap rate is at least above 8%, though preferably above 10%.

Cash on cash return is a percentage as well. This metric provides a good representation of the rate of return in relation to the ongoing property expenses in addition to only the cash actually invested.

CoC Return = NOI/Total Cash Investment

Like cap rate, good cash on cash return falls at least above 8%, but even more preferable is above 10%.

Real Estate Rate of Return Calculator

Don’t have time for all of these calculations?

We don’t blame you- neither do we. Determining these values to assess return on investment and risk long-hand is time-consuming and difficult.

Good news: Mashvisor’s real estate rate of return calculator eliminates the need to search for real estate data, use spreadsheets, or make complicated calculations.

The rate of return calculator is an excellent tool for analyzing return on investment and risk in real estate. This calculator takes into consideration both your financing methods and the expenses associated with the rental property you are analyzing.

It delivers several important metrics:

• Rental income
• Cash flow
• Cash on cash return
• Cap rate
• Traditional and Airbnb occupancy rate

Our calculator will also help you choose the best possible rental strategy for a given investment, allowing you to get the highest rate of return on a rental property.

Hands down, Mashvisor’s rate of return calculator is the best possible way to determine the return on investment and risk of a rental property.

Return on Investment and Risk: The Takeaway

When it comes to return on investment and risk in real estate, we know that high-risk properties typically come with higher potential for returns. However, not every property is capable of living up to its potential. There are many factors that can influence an investment property’s performance. Without the right real estate investment software, you won’t be able to properly assess the value of a particular investment.

It’s important to know that the average return on investment in the US falls just above 8%. This benchmark should help you to gauge where your property falls in terms of return on investment and risk compared to the national average. It is also helpful to look at local statistics, as those numbers can vary dramatically depending on location. 

Ultimately, you want to strike a balance of return on investment and risk that fits your experience level, cash reserves, investment strategy, and overall risk tolerance. Less experienced investors may find that low-risk investments are a smart move to start with. Long time investors may opt to recover risky properties because they know what to look for.

Whether you choose to take on risk in your investments or not, every smart investor understands that their success depends on the data and calculations only powerful real estate investment tools can provide.

To learn more about how we will help you make faster and smarter real estate investment decisions, click here.