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? ›

Multiply the purchase price of the property plus any necessary repairs by 1% to determine a base level of monthly rent. Ideally, an investor should seek a mortgage loan with monthly payments of less than the 1% figure.

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

The 1% rule states that a rental property's income should be at least 1% of the property's purchase price. For example, if a rental property is purchased for $200,000, the monthly rental income should be at least $2,000.

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? ›

The 2% rule is a rule of thumb that determines how much rental income a property should theoretically be able to generate. Following the 2% rule, an investor can expect to realize a positive cash flow from a rental property if the monthly rent is at least 2% 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.

What is the 3% rule in real estate? ›

1%, 2% or 3% rule is a gage of measuring if the investment would be profitable. The comparison is between the gross rent and the purchase price. 50% rule relates to quick reference practice of estimating your operating expenses so you can arrive at your NOI (net operating income). 1. Realty Circle.

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 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 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.

Why is there a 70% rule in real estate? ›

The 70% rule helps home flippers determine the maximum price they should pay for an investment property. Basically, they should spend no more than 70% of the home's after-repair value minus the costs of renovating the property.

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 1% rule in atomic habits? ›

Lesson 1: Small habits make a big difference

Here's how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you're done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you'll decline nearly down to zero.

What is Rule 1 investing principles? ›

Warren Buffett and his mentor, Ben Graham, championed Rule #1 for one fundamental reason: minimizing loss. By minimizing losses, even in subpar investments, you increase your chances of finding winning investments over time.

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