Redfin Net Present Value (NPV) / MBA Resources

Introduction to Net Present Value (NPV) - What is Net Present Value (NPV) ? How it impacts financial decisions regarding project management?

NPV solution for Redfin case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Redfin case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Marco Di Maggio, Julia Kelley. The Redfin (referred as “Redfin Estate” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Finance & Accounting. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Decision making, Financial management.

The net present value (NPV) of an investment proposal is the present value of the proposal’s net cash flows less the proposal’s initial cash outflow. If a project’s NPV is greater than or equal to zero, the project should be accepted.

NPV = Present Value of Future Cash Flows LESS Project’s Initial Investment

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Case Description of Redfin Case Study

Redfin, a technology-powered residential real estate brokerage, was founded in 2002 with the intention of using technology to disrupt the real estate industry. Over the next 15 years, Redfin made several changes to its business model. Initially, the company provided less support than a traditional real estate brokerage but helped home buyers and sellers save more money. Over time, in response to customer feedback, Redfin increased the level of customer service it provided while decreasing the amount customers saved, instead relying on its unique online tools to differentiate itself from other real estate brokerages. In July 2017, Redfin went public at a $1.73 billion valuation. Now, in late 2017, CEO Glenn Kelman had to decide what Redfin's top strategic priority should be. Redfin could try to increase its market share, which was currently less than 2% even in the company's top markets, or it could focus on balancing costs and improving its bottom line.

Case Authors : Marco Di Maggio, Julia Kelley

Topic : Finance & Accounting

Related Areas : Decision making, Financial management

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Redfin Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10017588)	-10017588	-	-
Year 1	3464074	-6553514	3464074	0.9434	3267994
Year 2	3969472	-2584042	7433546	0.89	3532816
Year 3	3971977	1387935	11405523	0.8396	3334948
Year 4	3233523	4621458	14639046	0.7921	2561253
TOTAL			14639046		12697012

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2679424

In isolation the NPV number doesn't mean much but put in right context then it is one of the best method to evaluate project returns. In this article we will cover -

Different methods of capital budgeting

What is NPV & Formula of NPV,
How it is calculated,
How to use NPV number for project evaluation, and
Scenario Planning given risks and management priorities.

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Capital Budgeting Approaches

Methods of Capital Budgeting

There are four types of capital budgeting techniques that are widely used in the corporate world –

1. Internal Rate of Return
2. Net Present Value
3. Payback Period
4. Profitability Index

Apart from the Payback period method which is an additive method, rest of the methods are based on Discounted Cash Flow technique. Even though cash flow can be calculated based on the nature of the project, for the simplicity of the article we are assuming that all the expected cash flows are realized at the end of the year.

Discounted Cash Flow approaches provide a more objective basis for evaluating and selecting investment projects. They take into consideration both –

1. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Redfin Estate have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.
2. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Redfin Estate shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Redfin

NPV = Net Cash In Flowt1 / (1+r)t1 + Net Cash In Flowt2 / (1+r)t2 + … Net Cash In Flowtn / (1+r)tn
Less Net Cash Out Flowt0 / (1+r)t0

Where t = time period, in this case year 1, year 2 and so on.
r = discount rate or return that could be earned using other safe proposition such as fixed deposit or treasury bond rate. Net Cash In Flow – What the firm will get each year.
Net Cash Out Flow – What the firm needs to invest initially in the project.

Step 1 – Understand the nature of the project and calculate cash flow for each year.
Step 2 – Discount those cash flow based on the discount rate.
Step 3 – Add all the discounted cash flow.
Step 4 – Selection of the project

Why Finance & Accounting Managers need to know Financial Tools such as Net Present Value (NPV)?

In our daily workplace we often come across people and colleagues who are just focused on their core competency and targets they have to deliver. For example marketing managers at Redfin Estate often design programs whose objective is to drive brand awareness and customer reach. But how that 30 point increase in brand awareness or 10 point increase in customer touch points will result into shareholders’ value is not specified.

To overcome such scenarios managers at Redfin Estate needs to not only know the financial aspect of project management but also needs to have tools to integrate them into part of the project development and monitoring plan.

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 15%

After working through various assumptions we reached a conclusion that risk is far higher than 6%. In a reasonably stable industry with weak competition - 15% discount rate can be a good benchmark.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 15 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10017588)	-10017588	-	-
Year 1	3464074	-6553514	3464074	0.8696	3012238
Year 2	3969472	-2584042	7433546	0.7561	3001491
Year 3	3971977	1387935	11405523	0.6575	2611639
Year 4	3233523	4621458	14639046	0.5718	1848777
TOTAL					10474146

The Net NPV after 4 years is 456558

(10474146 - 10017588 )

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 20%

If the risk component is high in the industry then we should go for a higher hurdle rate / discount rate of 20%.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 20 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10017588)	-10017588	-	-
Year 1	3464074	-6553514	3464074	0.8333	2886728
Year 2	3969472	-2584042	7433546	0.6944	2756578
Year 3	3971977	1387935	11405523	0.5787	2298598
Year 4	3233523	4621458	14639046	0.4823	1559376
TOTAL					9501280

The Net NPV after 4 years is -516308

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9501280 - 10017588 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Redfin Estate to discount cash flow at lower discount rates such as 15%.

Acceptance Criteria of a Project based on NPV

Simplest Approach – If the investment project of Redfin Estate has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Redfin Estate can ACCEPT the project, otherwise they can reject the project. This means that project will deliver higher returns over the period of time than any alternate investment strategy.

In theory if the required rate of return or discount rate is chosen correctly by finance managers at Redfin Estate, then the stock price of the Redfin Estate should change by same amount of the NPV. In real world we know that share price also reflects various other factors that can be related to both macro and micro environment.

In the same vein – accepting the project with zero NPV should result in stagnant share price. Finance managers use discount rates as a measure of risk components in the project execution process.

Sensitivity Analysis

Project selection is often a far more complex decision than just choosing it based on the NPV number. Finance managers at Redfin Estate should conduct a sensitivity analysis to better understand not only the inherent risk of the projects but also how those risks can be either factored in or mitigated during the project execution. Sensitivity analysis helps in –

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

What will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

What are the uncertainties surrounding the project Initial Cash Outlay (ICO’s). ICO’s often have several different components such as land, machinery, building, and other equipment.

Some of the assumptions while using the Discounted Cash Flow Methods –

Projects are assumed to be Mutually Exclusive – This is seldom the came in modern day giant organizations where projects are often inter-related and rejecting a project solely based on NPV can result in sunk cost from a related project.

Independent projects have independent cash flows – As explained in the marketing project – though the project may look independent but in reality it is not as the brand awareness project can be closely associated with the spending on sales promotions and product specific advertising.

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Negotiation Strategy of Redfin

References & Further Readings

Marco Di Maggio, Julia Kelley (2018), "Redfin Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.