Did you know that if you own a property that is not your primary
residence, you are actually classified by the IRS as somewhat of
an investor? This makes selling your property just a bit tricky,
especially when it comes to the taxes which come along with it.
In such cases, a large portion of your profit from the sale of
the property is owned to the IRS, and is called a capital gains
tax. Because of this capital gains tax, property owners are left
with less profit when it comes time to sale their property.
If you want to avoid these capital gains losses, there’s a way
to do so; using the 1031 exchange. Under Section 1031 of the
United States Internal Revenue Code, property owners may exchange
one property for another like-kind property and defer the
recognition of capital gains or losses due upon sale. With
proceeds from the sale being placed in escrow, property owners
have 45 days to choose another property to re-invest their
funds, and only 6 months to complete the transaction all together.
This can be very useful, especially in the investment of rental
properties. Avoiding capital gains taxes will allow you to put
more into your next investment. One of the misinterpreted rules
of the 1031 exchange is the aspect that the properties to be
exchanged must be exactly the same type of property. Although
the rule is usually interpreted to be strict, it is actually
very liberal. An apartment building could be exchanged for raw
land as a 1031 exchange. There are still requisites, but they
are more lenient than to be expected.
So when do you use a 1031 exchange? Often times, people will
attempt to use it for second homes. However, the 1031 exchange
is to be used with investment properties only. There are some
loopholes that can take place to help you avoid capital gains
taxes on vacation or second homes, though it is very difficult
to achieve. Overall, it is wise to use a 1031 exchange when
you plan to purchase another investment property… only then
can avoid paying high capital gains taxes.
Talk with PMI to find out more about 1031 exchanges and how
it can benefit you when it comes time to sell your property!
