Let’s talk about the history of 1031 exchanges. Often considered the godfather of the 1031 exchange, T.J. Starker was a lumber baron in Oregon. He had lots of appreciated real estate that people wanted to buy, but he didn’t want to pay taxes. So he said “I’ll sell you these lands but you need to give me back some real estate in exchange.” This blew everyone’s mind because it was a non-simultaneous exchange. Starker was giving up his old land for new land that he would designate in the future.
The case went all the way to the Supreme Court and Starker won on a procedural argument. That case because the precedent of opening the floodgates of non-simultaneous exchanges. This made the IRS and treasury very nervous because there were no guardrails on 1031 to constrain the process. So Congress gave the IRS and treasure the authority to write their own regulations.
In 1984 they excluded partnerships from 1031 treatment, and they added the 45 day identification period and the 180 day exchange period. So now when you do a 1031 exchange you have to identify by midnight of the 45th day what properties you want to purchase. That rule was not written with the taxpayer’s success in mind. One strategy is to act like a chess player and think two moves ahead. Before you even sell your relinquished property, find what you want to buy as your replacement property.
The syndicators of real estate have products that are sold and regulated as securities. These products are typically referred to as DSTs (Delaware Statutory Trusts). When you own a beneficial interest in a DST you are deemed to own your proportionate share of the underlying real estate of the DST, and you’re deemed to take subject to the underlying debt that’s allocable to you. Using a DST could be a good backup option for your 1031 exchange if you need it.
Start Your 1031 Exchange: If you have questions about 1031 exchanges, feel free to call me at 612-643-1031.
Defer the tax. Maximize your gain.
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