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. 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 yearsGross Rent Multiplier
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.
