Selling a property or business? What the tax really costs, and the legal ways to keep more

The tax side of a big sale, start to finish

For homeowners, landlords, business owners and the real estate agents who work with them.

• What the bill really is. Federal and California capital gains, the 3.8% net investment income tax, and depreciation recapture on rentals and business property.
• What lowers your basis (and raises your tax), and how a mortgage or cash-out refinance changes the picture.
• Structured installment sales. How spreading the gain over several years works under the tax code, and the trade-offs to weigh.
• 1031 exchanges and boot. The rules, the deadlines, and why cash or debt relief in an exchange can still be taxed.
• Stuck (suspended) passive losses. When years of unused rental losses can finally be used, and when an exchange keeps them locked.
• Opportunity Zones. How reinvesting a gain can defer it, and what the newer rules say.
• Side by side. An unbiased comparison of a cash sale, a 1031 exchange, a Delaware statutory trust, seller financing and a structured installment sale.

Real estate agents and brokers are welcome. Bring a client who is about to sell.