(888) 791-1031
Engagements

Find out what the exchange actually costs you — before the clock starts.

Most people call after the property is in escrow. The best call happens before it is listed, when every option is still open.

Schedule a Consultation

or call (888) 791-1031

How we work

Three Ways to Work Together

Every engagement starts with the same question: what does this transaction actually cost you, and what has to happen for it not to.

Roadmap Review

For owners who are considering a sale.

  • Qualification review — property, holding period, entity structure, related-party screen
  • Primary residence overlay analysis where §121 may apply
  • Tax exposure projection across three scenarios
  • Replacement debt and equity targets for full deferral, in writing, ready to hand to your broker

Delivered before you list. Most clients use this to decide whether to exchange at all.

Roadmap Complete

For owners in an active exchange. Everything in Roadmap Review, plus:

  • Direct access throughout the 45-day identification window
  • Identification strategy — three-property, 200%, and 95% rules applied to your situation
  • Reverse and improvement exchange structuring where the timeline requires it
  • Form 8824 preparation
  • Carryover basis and excess basis computed and split correctly
  • Continued depreciation schedule on the replacement property
  • Cost segregation feasibility screen
  • A complete permanent file: settlement statements, exchange documents, basis history

Roadmap Perpetual

For owners who intend to hold, exchange again, or pass the property to heirs. Everything in Roadmap Complete, plus:

  • Annual California Form 3840 filing for as long as the deferred gain remains
  • Ongoing basis maintenance across subsequent exchanges
  • Step-up analysis and a written memorandum for your heirs and your estate counsel

The exchange does not end at filing. Neither does the recordkeeping.

Fees

Quoted flat, after we understand the transaction.

Engagements are quoted as a flat fee after an initial consultation, based on the complexity of the transaction. We do not quote before understanding what is involved, and we do not bill hourly.

Fees are never contingent on your tax result. That arrangement is prohibited for return preparation under Treasury Department Circular 230, and it would compromise the independence of the analysis.

Before the first call

What we need to run the number.

The tax on an exchange is arithmetic, not opinion. Six inputs produce the answer, and most owners already have all six sitting in a drawer or in an email from their lender. Bring what you have and we will tell you what is missing.

  • Expected sale price — the contract price, or your broker’s current opinion of value
  • Debt on the property being sold — the mortgage payoff balance, plus any second lien, line of credit or seller financing that gets retired at closing. This sets the debt target you have to replace to avoid mortgage boot
  • Original purchase price — and the date you acquired it
  • Capital improvements — what you have put into the property since purchase
  • Depreciation claimed to date — from your depreciation schedule, not an estimate
  • How title is held — individual, joint, LLC, partnership or trust, and who the other owners are

If you have already exchanged into this property, we also need the carryover basis from the prior exchange — that number is frequently lost between preparers, and reconstructing it is part of the work.

Common Questions

Answers before the first call

Yes. Enrolled Agent status is a federal credential valid in all fifty states, and we work with property owners nationwide, including exchanges that cross state lines. If California is on either side of your transaction, the state adds reporting and a long-term claim on the gain that the federal rules do not — see California 1031 exchanges for what that involves.

Enough that you do not end up with mortgage boot. If the property you are selling carries a mortgage that gets paid off at closing, that relief is treated as value you received. To defer the full gain you generally have to replace it — with new debt on the replacement property, with additional cash out of pocket, or with some combination of the two. This is why the payoff balance on the property being sold is one of the first numbers we ask for: it sets the debt target you have to hit, and it is the item most often overlooked until closing.

Six things, most of which you already have: the expected sale price, the debt outstanding on the property being sold, the original purchase price, the cost of improvements, the depreciation claimed to date, and how title is held. If you have exchanged into this property before, we also need the carryover basis from that exchange. With those inputs we can model the tax before you list.

Many excellent CPAs handle one or two exchanges a year. Depreciation continuation on replacement property, basis splitting, and California’s Form 3840 are the three places we most often find errors. We are glad to work alongside your existing preparer.

Common, and it is a structuring question with real timing sensitivity. Raise it early — options narrow considerably once the property is under contract.

Call today. (888) 791-1031. What can still be done depends entirely on how many days remain.

No. We do not recommend or evaluate replacement properties, and we do not offer investment advice or securities. We tell you what the property has to accomplish financially; your broker or advisor identifies it.

There are structural options, and they depend on your timeline and what you are willing to accept. That is a conversation, not a webpage.

Next step

Start With the Number

Before you list, before you sign, before the clock starts — find out what is actually at stake.

Schedule a Consultation

or call (888) 791-1031

This is general information only, not tax advice. Consult a qualified tax professional — including an Enrolled Agent — for guidance specific to your situation. Read the full disclaimer.