Breaking Down The 1% Rule In Real Estate (2024)

When it comes to real estate investing, the 1% rule isn’t the only method to determine the best opportunities to buy a rental house. Other popular methods include the gross rent multiplier, the 70% rule and the 2% rule.

Gross Rent Multiplier

The gross rent multiplier (GRM) gauges the amount of time it takes to pay off an investment. It’s a property’s purchase price divided by its gross annual rent. The result is the total number of years it’ll take to pay off the investment only with rental income. The lower the GRM, the more lucrative the property may be.

Purchase price ∕ Gross annual rent = Years to pay off investment

Let’s say you purchase a $200,000 investment property. You charge $2,500 in monthly rent, and your annual gross rental income is $30,000 (2,500 12).

$200,000 ∕ $30,000 = 6.67 years

The property’s GRM is 6.67. So, it should take about 6 years and 7 months to pay off the property with rental income. Of course, you’ll need to consider other expenses when determining a property’s profit potential, including repair, operating and maintenance costs and vacancy rate.

You can use GRM to compare investment properties, too. If one property has a GRM of 6.67 while another has a GRM of 8.33, the property with the lower GRM (6.67) may be the better option because you should be able to pay off the investment faster. When comparing properties, make sure they’re in similar markets with similar operating, maintenance and other costs.

70% Rule

The 70% rule is for house flippers. It recommends that an investor pay no more than 70% of a home’s after-repair value (ARV) minus repair costs.

To calculate the 70% rule, multiply the home’s estimated ARV by 0.7 (70%). Take the result and subtract any estimated repair costs. The final result will be the amount you should pay for the property. Let’s look at an example.

Let’s say you’re interested in a property you estimate will have an ARV of $150,000. You also estimate you’ll need to spend about $30,000 on repairs to flip the home.

$150,000 ✕ 0.7 = $105,000 – $30,000 = $75,000

Based on the 70% rule, you shouldn’t pay more than $75,000 for the property.

2% Rule

The 2% rule works the same as the 1% rule. The 2% rule says an investment property’s monthly rent should equal at least 2% of the purchase price.

Purchase price + Repair costs ✕ 0.02 = Monthly rent

Here’s how to apply the 2% rule on a property selling for $150,000:

$150,000 ✕ 0.02 = $3,000

According to the 2% rule, your monthly mortgage payment shouldn’t exceed $3,000, and you should charge $3,000 in monthly rent.

The 2% rule is more extreme than the 1% rule – basically doubling the monthly rent amount. But it can work in certain markets and provide a financial safety net if an investor struggles to fill vacancies or needs a major, costly repair on the property.

No matter which rule you choose, you can run the numbers on a potential property to help ensure you’re making an affordable investment.

Breaking Down The 1% Rule In Real Estate (2024)

FAQs

Breaking Down The 1% Rule In Real Estate? ›

The 1% rule of real estate investing measures the price of an investment property against the gross income it can generate. For a potential investment to pass the 1% rule, its monthly rent must equal at least 1% of the purchase price.

How to calculate the 1% rule in real estate? ›

How the One Percent Rule Works. This simple calculation multiplies the purchase price of the property plus any necessary repairs by 1%. The result is a base level of monthly rent. It's also compared to the potential monthly mortgage payment to give the owner a better understanding of the property's monthly cash flow.

How realistic is the 1% rule in real estate? ›

The 1% rule isn't foolproof, but it can be a good tool to help you whether a rental property is a good investment. As a general rule of thumb, it should be used as an initial prescreening tool to help you narrow down your list of options.

What is the 4 3 2 1 rule in real estate? ›

Analyzing the 4-3-2-1 Rule in Real Estate

This rule outlines the ideal financial outcomes for a rental property. It suggests that for every rental property, investors should aim for a minimum of 4 properties to achieve financial stability, 3 of those properties should be debt-free, generating consistent income.

What is the 2% rule in real estate? ›

Applied to real estate, the 2% rule advises that for an investment property to have a positive cash flow, the monthly rent should be equal to or greater than two percent of the purchase price.

How do you implement the 1% rule? ›

To apply the 1% rule, you can either multiply the property's purchase price by 1% or move the decimal point in the purchase price two places to the left. The result should be the minimum you consider charging in monthly rent.

What is the golden formula in real estate? ›

In case you haven't heard of the so-called Golden Rule in house flipping, the 70% Rule states that your offer on a property should be no greater than 70% of the After Repair Value (ARV) minus the estimated repairs.

Is the 1% rule outdated? ›

The 1% rent-to-price (RTP) ratio rule, once a go-to method for estimating rental property cash flow, may no longer hold its ground in today's real estate landscape. Recent evidence suggests that this rule is losing its effectiveness due to inflated home prices and shifts in the rental market.

What is the golden rule in real estate? ›

Corcoran's Golden Rule of real estate investing consists of two main parts. The first is being able to purchase property with at least 20% down, ideally in a location that has started seeing an increase in demand. The second is to have tenants living on that property paying the mortgage.

What is the Brrrr method? ›

What is BRRRR, and what does it stand for? Letter by letter, BRRRR stands for “Buy, rehab, rent, refinance and repeat.” It's like flipping, but instead of selling the property after renovation, you rent it out with an eye on long-term appreciation.

What is the 7 rule in real estate? ›

In fact, in marketing, there is a rule that people need to hear your message 7 times before they start to see you as a service provider. Therefore, if you have only had a few conversations with the person that listed with someone else, then chances are, they don't even know you are in real estate.

What is the 80% rule in real estate? ›

When it comes to insuring your home, the 80% rule is an important guideline to keep in mind. This rule suggests you should insure your home for at least 80% of its total replacement cost to avoid penalties for being underinsured.

What is the 50% rule in real estate? ›

The 50% rule or 50 rule in real estate says that half of the gross income generated by a rental property should be allocated to operating expenses when determining profitability. The rule is designed to help investors avoid the mistake of underestimating expenses and overestimating profits.

What is Rule 70 in real estate? ›

Put simply, the 70 percent rule states that you shouldn't buy a distressed property for more than 70 percent of the home's after-repair value (ARV) — in other words, how much the house will likely sell for once fixed — minus the cost of repairs.

What is the 10X rule in real estate? ›

At its core, the 10X rule mandates that one should set targets that are 10 times what they initially thought achievable and then expend 10 times the effort to reach those targets. Origins: Stemming from the business world, its applicability has transcended sectors, with real estate being a primary beneficiary.

What is the 10 second rule in real estate? ›

As part of its REALTOR safety program, NAR trains its REALTORS to practice the “10-Second Rule.” It says one of the reasons REALTORS and agents end up in dangerous situations is because they are not paying attention. To counteract, they should take 10 seconds to observe and analyze their surroundings.

What is the 1% maintenance rule? ›

The 1 percent rule

There are many ways to consider saving up and budgeting for home maintenance costs. The 1 percent rule is a good standard because it's so easy to remember. Just put aside 1 percent of the total purchase price of your home for home maintenance repairs.

What cap rate is the 1 rule? ›

The 1% rule states that a property's monthly rent must be at least 1% of its purchase price in order for the owner to break even. The 2% rule states that a property's monthly rent needs to be at least 2% of its purchase price in order for the owner to make a sustainable profit.

What is the formula for calculating real estate? ›

GRM = Property Price ÷ Gross Annual Rental Income

The GRM is expressed in months, so this property would pay for itself in about 14 months. Remember, though, that this does not include other fees, so it's not completely accurate. The GRM is a starting point for investment considerations.

What is the 1% rule in multifamily? ›

For example, if a property costs $100,000, the monthly rent should be at least $1,000. This rule of thumb is based on the idea that a property that generates at least 1% of its purchase price in monthly rent is likely to be cash flow positive.

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