As a real estate investor, you want to profit from your investment.
You’ll also need to know how long it will take to realise your returns on
investment (ROI).

Applying certain rules of thumb can help when determining whether a real
estate investment is likely to be profitable. The 50% rule in real estate estimates that real estate investors should expect a property’s operating expenses to be roughly
50% of its gross rental
or lease income.

However, we don’t include mortgages in these expenses. Instead, expenses
like property taxes, insurance, maintenance costs, capital expenditures,
utilities, and property management costs.

Therefore, if your monthly rental income is Ksh. 200,000, you should use at most Ksh. 100,000 for expenses. These expenses
include property management costs, taxes and other management costs.  The amount also includes periods where your
rental property is vacant. The remaining amount is your net income.

The 50% rule is an excellent way to dive into the real estate
business. If you are new to property investment, this rule can help you
avoid some beginner mistakes.

This rule ensures that you don’t exaggerate real estate profits. You can
easily track your real income by keeping clear monthly expense records.

How Accurate Is the 50% Rule?

The 50% rule for real estate investments is a
guideline and not
cast in stone. The rule is
designed to help you
as a real estate investor estimate what you may make as
rental returns in case you invest
in a specific rental property. Again, the 50% standard is intended to prevent
investors from underestimating the costs of owning  and
running the property.

Benefits of The 50% Rule in Property Investment

• With this
  rule, you determine the growth potential of your rental business. You can
  save and eventually buy another property if you have a bigger share after
  the 50% rule.
• It helps you
  evaluate real property income. If you are buying a rental property, you’ll
  request the owner to give you income and expenses records. That way,
  you’ll know the potential of the property.
• With the 50%
  rule, you’ll know when to continue with the business and when to sell it.

If you get a higher cash flow amount after 50% and a mortgage
investment, you can go ahead with the investment.

What is the 1% Rule in Real
Estate?

The 1% rule tends to go hand in hand with the 50% rule. The rule will
show you how much rental income you should expect from a profitable rental
property.

The 1%
rule insinuates that the monthly rental income should be at least 1% of the
total property purchase price.

If you find a house with a more than 1% return,
then that’s a good investment.

Example calculation:

If you bought rental property worth Ksh. 20 million, monthly rental
income should be 1% of that, which is Ksh.200,000.

If you cannot get that 1%, investing in real estate might be a bad idea.
Instead, go back and search for the best locations with high rental yield
potential.

This 1% rule is also a guide. In certain neighborhoods,
you can get returns above 1%.

Conclusion

The 50% rule will be a better blueprint to determine the cash flow you
will earn on specific rental property. Of course, there are other things you’ll want to consider beyond the 50%
rule for real estate

Although the figures you get are close estimates, they should help you
make the right investment.

Always ensure you scrutinize rental property before investing in it.
Consider all aspects that will make you realise your ROI as early as
possible.

Tips on buying your first rental property in kenya