A.CRE

APR

The APR (Annual Percentage Rate) is a simple nominal interest rate representing annual interest accrued.  APR is the base rate that allows linear compounding period after period.

Periodic Rate = APR / n

When n = Frequency of compounding within a year.

APR is used in the context of costs: i.e. Inflation rate, interest rate on debt.

If the frequency of compounding is annual, then APR will be the same as the APY.

Putting Annual Percentage Rate (APR) in Context

Consider the financing of a commercial office building acquisition. The property, valued at $10 million, is located in a thriving business district and comprises 100,000 square feet of rentable space. The buyer, an investment group, decides to finance 80% of the purchase price ($8 million) through a commercial mortgage. The bank offers them a loan with an APR of 5%.

In this scenario, the APR effectively represents the cost of borrowing the funds on an annual basis, excluding other possible fees like closing costs or loan origination fees. The simplicity of APR allows the investors to compare this loan to other financing options quickly.

    • Loan Amount: $8,000,000
    • APR: 5%
    • Annual Interest Expense: APR x Loan Amount = 0.05 x $8,000,000 = $400,000

Thus, each year, the investment group will incur $400,000 in interest expenses alone, assuming the loan interest is calculated without further compounding within the year (as APR assumes linear, or simple, interest).

This example helps demonstrate the straightforward application of APR in evaluating the direct financial impact of loan terms in commercial real estate transactions, aiding in transparent and efficient decision-making for investors.

Frequently Asked Questions about APR (Annual Percentage Rate)

APR is a nominal interest rate that represents the annual cost of borrowing or the rate at which interest accrues, assuming simple, non-compounded interest. It is commonly used to express debt costs and inflation.

The periodic interest rate is calculated by dividing the APR by the number of compounding periods per year:
Periodic Rate = APR / n,
where n is the compounding frequency (e.g., 12 for monthly).

APR equals APY only when the compounding frequency is annual (n = 1). If compounding occurs more frequently, APY will be higher due to the effects of compounding.

APR does not include additional costs such as loan origination fees, closing costs, or other service charges. It reflects only the base interest charged annually.

APR is used to express the cost of debt financing for property acquisitions. For example, an $8 million loan at 5% APR results in $400,000 in simple annual interest expense, helping investors compare financing options clearly.

Because APR is a standardized measure of annual interest cost, it enables quick, apples-to-apples comparisons across different loan offers that may have varying terms or repayment schedules.

See related glossary entries for Annual Percentage Rate, Annual Percentage Yield, and APY, or explore financial modeling resources like the Real Estate Equity Waterfall Model (Updated June 2025).

Click here to get this CRE Glossary in an eBook (PDF) format.
by