Real Estate Information

Planning for Real Estate with Estate Planning


One of the most important considerations you will need to make in regards to your real estate holdings and your estate includes tax planning. If not handled properly, your estate could end up getting hit with significant losses due to taxes after your demise. To protect yourself and your estate against this possibility, it's important to plan for your real estate with estate planning.

First, it's important to understand exactly what estate planning is and what it is not. Estate planning goes far beyond the simple drafting of a will. In essence, an estate is the total property, both real and personal, that is owned by an individual prior to distribution through a trust or a will. The act of planning your estate involves distribution of the real and personal property to your heirs, taking into consideration all the applicable laws, regulations and possible tax considerations.

The goal of estate planning is to preserve the most amount of your wealth possible for the intended beneficiaries; prior to your death. Due consideration of this must be entered into in order to avoid penalties related to certain Federal and State tax laws. Otherwise the property and wealth that you struggled to earn and obtain during your lifetime could easily be lost to the ravages of poor estate planning after your death instead of benefiting your heirs as you intended.

Wills and trusts are two instruments which are commonly used in estate planning. They have different purposes and very different outcomes, however. Wills are subject to probate court and if they are contested; the result can be a length and costly legal battle. In some cases, the majority of an estate has been whittled away the costs associated with a contested will. It is possible in some situations to avoid probate through the use of a trust and therefore avoid the risk of a long drawn out and expensive legal battle. A trust is used when property is held by one or more persons for the benefit of one or more other persons known as beneficiaries. The holder may be a separate trustee or a beneficiary. A trust is commonly used when there are minor children as heirs; although it could be used for other purposes. Other considerations to avoid possible negative tax impacts on you real estate include lifetime gifts and gifts made while you are still alive.

In some cases you may find that charitable gift contributions are a good way to go because you can take advantage of immediate tax savings as well as future tax savings. Under some circumstances you may be able to avoid the capital gains tax you would accrue if you sold a property as well as take an income tax charitable deduction for the property's full market value when you use it to make an outright gift. Since the property will be removed from you estate, this will also provide future tax savings. Some individuals also choose to plan for their real estate by generating income through a charitable remainder in order to receive income either for life or during a specified term of years.

If you own real estate it is critical that you take care of it with carefully crafted estate planning early on. This can help you to anticipate economic changes without being hit with severe economic impacts later on.

Nicole Soltau is the President and Founder of CreditUnionRate.com.
The Leading Credit Union Directory.
Search, Find, Join.
http://CreditUnionRate.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Inland Real Estate Corporation Pays May and Declares June Cash Distribution to ...
MarketWatch (press release)
OAK BROOK, Ill., May 17, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Inland Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:IRC) today announced that it paid a cash distribution of $0.0475 per share on the outstanding shares of its common stock to common stockholders of record at the close ...

and more »


The New First Family of Real Estate
Wall Street Journal
By CANDACE JACKSON And LAUREN AE SCHUKER The real-estate purchases of the daughters of Formula 1 Racing boss Bernie Ecclestone call attention to a handful of ultrawealthy young people making waves at the very top of the real-estate market.

and more »


CBS News

Inland Empire real estate seems to improve, but 'don't call this a normal'
San Bernardino Sun
Rising home prices and falling foreclosures may signal that Inland Empire markets are moving toward "normal" conditions. "We're stressing that we are moving toward more normal conditions, but there are many ways this is not a normal market," said ...
Foreclosures fall again, for now, survey findsNewsday
Report: Fewer US homes foreclosed upon in AprilSan Jose Mercury News

all 393 news articles »


San Francisco Chronicle (blog)

Web 2.0 remaking real estate, again
San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
When the world-wide web began making real estate data easy for anyone to access, the world of real estate changed forever. Realtors are no longer gate keepers of information: the MLS is public domain; property history (including prior sale amounts, ...

and more »


Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust Announces Agreement To Acquire Fully Leased ...
MarketWatch (press release)
VANCOUVER, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust ("PIRET" or the "REIT") (CVE:CA:AAR.UN) today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire a fully leased multi-tenant, income producing industrial property ...
Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust Announces Release of Q1 2012 Financial ...Sacramento Bee
Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust Announces Agreement to Acquire Two Fully ...African Business Review (press release)

all 25 news articles »


Globe and Mail

Canada Pension Posts 6.6% Return on Real Estate, Bonds
Bloomberg
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, the country's second-biggest public pension manager, posted a return of 6.6 percent in the latest fiscal year, led by real estate, bonds and infrastructure investments. Investment income for the year ended March 31 ...
CPP Fund Totals $161.6 Billion at 2012 Fiscal Year-EndMarketWatch (press release)

all 35 news articles »


kypost.com

Realtors(R) Raise Awareness at Real Estate Rally
MarketWatch (press release)
WASHINGTON, DC, May 17, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- An estimated 10000 Realtors(R) converged on the grounds of the Washington Monument today to make their voices heard on behalf of homeowners, real estate investors, and those who aspire to ...
Realtors Raise Awareness at Real Estate RallyRisMedia.com (press release)
Chris Griffith: 'I'm thinking of getting a real estate license so I can sell ...Naples Daily News
OREA endorses Bill to enhance electronic real estate transactionsCanada NewsWire (press release)
Construction Digital (press release) -Sacramento Bee
all 41 news articles »


Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. to Present at Wells Fargo ...
MarketWatch (press release)
NEW YORK, NY, May 17, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (the "Company" or "ARI") (NYSE:ARI) today announced Stuart Rothstein, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, is scheduled to ...
CREW report: Myths still hindering women's progress in commercial real estateREjournals.com
APOLLO COMMERCIAL REAL EST. FINANCE INC : Apollo Commercial Real Estate ...4-traders
Street research for Ares Commercial Real Estate expected on May 22NASDAQ

all 6 news articles »


Open File

Real Estate Agents See Spring Home Sales And Bid Wars
Investor's Business Daily
By VANCE CARIAGA, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Posted 06:18 PM ET Anyone who makes a living in residential real estate knows better than to crack open the champagne just because of some encouraging housing data. Still, it's hard not to get cautiously ...
Space Cases: 100 years of complainingOpen File

all 2 news articles »


Press-Enterprise

REAL ESTATE: Inland Empire tops dubious foreclosure list
Press-Enterprise
... earlier this year with the federal and state governments on how they used to be processed, but that is expected to change in the next few months, said Steve Johnson, director of the Riverside office of MetroStudy, a real estate consulting firm.

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006