Capitalized Interest Calculation

Are you guys including capitalized interest into the calculation for YOC?

I calculate YOC as NOI/TDC. My TDC includes land, construction costs, soft costs, dev acq fee, and contingency. I do not include capitalized interest as I consider YOC to be an unlevered metric.

Curious to hear your thoughts. Also, what are you guys seeing on dev acq fees (currently assuming 5% of land cost)?

13 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, your approach aligns with the general consensus that Yield on Cost (YOC) is typically considered an unlevered metric. YOC is calculated as NOI / TDC, where TDC (Total Development Cost) includes land, construction costs, soft costs, development acquisition fees, and contingency. Capitalized interest is generally excluded from TDC in this calculation because it is a financing cost, and YOC is meant to reflect the project's performance without the influence of leverage.

Regarding development acquisition fees, assuming 5% of land cost is within a reasonable range. However, the exact percentage can vary depending on the market, deal structure, and developer. Some developers may adjust this percentage based on the complexity or risk profile of the project.

Sources: Yield on Development Costs, Developers - How do you calculate how much to pay for land to develop a rental property?, Q&A:New Real Estate Development Shop, Great Deals You've Recently Done, What to look for in a Development Budget?

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I've gone both ways on this with LPs. I think that the general rule here is to include the interest reserve into the YoC calculation. However, I argue that the interest reserve is more indicative of the capital behind the project than the merit of the project itself (although the project profile also plays a role). 

Let's assume a project has a $1MM NOI, costs $16.67MM to build, and stabilizes to a $20MM value. 

Here are 3 scenarios that I've though about:

  1. The project is built with cash. The project produces a 6% YoC in a 5% cap rate market exit.
  2. The project is financed at 80% LTC at a 12% rate (2 year timeline to stabilize and 75% Weighted Average Outstanding Balance). The project produces a 5.24% YoC in a 5% market.
  3. The project is financed at 65% LTC at a 7% rate (2 year timeline to stabilize and 70% Weighted Average Outstanding Balance). The project produces a 5.64% YoC in a 5% market. 

In Scenario 1, the project seems to pencil. In Scenario 2, most people would argue that the project is not viable. In Scenario 3, the project doesn't pencil particularly well but is viable. High level IRRs are about 10, 12% and 17% respectively. 

In my personal opinion, I don't think that financing costs should be included in YoC because they can heavily distort the perception of a project's viability. However, internally, knowing your sponsorship strength and means, the metric can have weight. 

 

I think I'd agree with you. Reasonably speaking, development requires debt, so the cost of that debt should be taken into account when determining viability

 

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