How do you calculate IRR after finance in real estate development?

Answer 1

Internal Rate of Return, a still common analysis, basically uses a complex but mechanical mathametical process, available on most all financial calculators or PC systems, to determine the indicated IRR. Basically, you need to determine the projected cash flows from the project and their timing (so sometimes you may reduce a gross flow by something like it's carrying or finance charge), and have an interest rate you want to use. Please note that the answer is usable, if at all, for comparison purposes only. IRR calculates the return based on an immeadiate re-investment at the stated rate for all cash flows through the life of the project, for term of the project. That interest rates would remain stable, or you could invest immeadiately, even after predicting flows fairly well, or want to keep them for the life of the project are all poor assumptions. In fact, the "inventor", professor type of this analysis, very popular in the 1970s or so, received a great deal of fortune and fame for it, but even admitted he agreed it wasn't very good - and said so starting in about the 1990s. (I forgot his name),