Also known as a 1031 exchange, a like-kind exchange is an IRS-eligible transaction that allows the owner of investment property to defer capital gains resulting from the hold and sale of the property. A like-kind exchange does not completely dismiss the owner’s requirement to pay the capital gains taxes associated with the appreciation in property value upon disposal; it only defers it.
Asset allocation is an important aspect of building a diversified portfolio. It is a strategy in which an investor divides capital among several asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, derivatives, and alternatives. While asset allocation does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining market, this strategy seeks to manage risk by diversifying exposure to asset classes at various locations on the risk spectrum.
There can be significant advantages to owning investment real estate, including reducing taxable income with business expenses, depreciation, and amortization. Unfortunately, what the IRS gives, it also eventually takes back.
In this article, we’ll discuss capital gains tax, how to calculate potential capital gains tax liability, and ways commercial real estate investors can minimize the impact of tax on capital gains.
When choosing to invest in real estate, there are a number of approaches an investor can consider. Two of the most popular investment methods include Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs). These two investment options have several benefits, which will be discussed below.
As a real estate investor, there could be times when you find you might need more cash than what your revenue streams can provide. Maybe you want to make improvements on your current properties. Or, perhaps, you want to buy additional assets to expand your portfolio.
The idea behind many investments is to generate an acceptable return for a given level of risk, while hoping for some appreciation on one’s investment. Then there are zero cash-flow investments, which serves a much different purpose for an investor.
Although we are inching towards the later stages of the cycle, the multifamily investment market has remained healthy. Providing evidence of this is the fact that national vacancy rates have only slowly inched up in the face of high levels of new supply.1 But doing well in this sector involves more than buying an apartment building and sitting back as a passive investor. Before you start your property hunt, however, you need to ask whether that Class A “luxury” investment, or Class B “workforce” property fits your risk profile and your investment goals.
When you sit down to figure out your investment strategy, the issues you might examine are financial goals, what type of return you might want, and what assets are available for acquisition, at a cost that makes some sort of sense. Also important is how much risk you’re willing to accept for a given return to meet your financial goals. It’s a good idea to understand your level of risk tolerance, to ensure that you make the investment decisions that are right for you.
It should come to no surprise that Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) carry many of the same risks as a direct property investment. After all, the underlying asset driving the investment’s performance is some type of real estate asset. From illiquidity to macroeconomic risks, such as rising interest rates, DSTs are exposed to a variety of similar factors that may spell trouble for any real estate investment.
In an environment of increasing property values and interest rates, realizing a return on real estate is becoming increasingly difficult for investors, whether it be an investment into direct property or a fractional ownership structure, such as a Delaware Statutory Trust. While this may be a concern for most, as 89% of investors put their money into real estate1, many are ignoring the crucial aspects of a real estate investment that go beyond the macroeconomic pressures.
