Levered vs Unlevered Return
Unlevered return ignores debt. Levered return includes debt and shows what the equity actually earns after financing.
Why it matters
levered vs unlevered return changes what a disciplined buyer can pay, how much debt the asset can safely carry, and whether the return is coming from operations or fragile assumptions.
Worked example
In underwriting, tag levered vs unlevered return beside the exact source input and rerun the model when that input changes. The point is not a pretty metric; it is a better buy, hold, refinance, or walk decision.
How investors read it
Use it to kill bad deals quickly. If the back-of-envelope version does not survive conservative assumptions, do not spend five hours making it look alive.
Common mistakes
- · Treating the metric as a verdict instead of a screen.
- · Using broker-package assumptions without checking the source documents.
- · Ignoring taxes, capex, vacancy, financing terms, and timing.
Use current local data and source documents. Realist should show assumptions and date-stamp market inputs because stale inputs create fake precision.