Senior property owners have different needs than other investors when it is time to sell. There are often estate-planning issues, tax issues, considerations of other family members, and possibly transitioning to alternative living arrangements. I am a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) and have some real world advice for the mature crowd
Why are you considering selling your building?
About 90% of my clients who sell are in their 70s and 80’s. The most common reason they sell is that they may not be physically or emotionally up to the task of running an apartment building. It’s getting harder and harder to maintain the building and deal with cranky tenants.
In addition, a lot of my sellers who are getting up in age want to put their affairs in order. If they are not going to bequeath their building to their kids or other family members, they often want to sell the building while they are still healthy and make sure that things get handled properly. They want to avoid putting their family through the probate process or having family members fighting about things after they are gone.
Many of my clients also want to do things, buy things, help a family member, or travel with the money they receive from the sale of their building. They want to do this while they are still healthy. They may want to buy a RV and travel the country, help their daughter with a down payment on a house, put their grandkids through college, donate to their favorite charity, or spend 6 months a year in a foreign country.
Do you live in the property?
If you are selling a property that is strictly a rental, than you probably don’t have to worry about your living situation. However, if you do live in the property, you will have to address your new living situation. A lot of my senior sellers end up moving close to their kids. Others want to stay in the area but may opt for leasing instead of ownership. I have helped many senior clients relocate by either leasing or purchasing a smaller home or condo. I’ve worked with a lot of adult children of my clients to help Mom and Dad transition to housing here in LA if they want to stay. Some of my clients have been in their late 80’s and their kids were instrumental in working together with me to help their parents. If you do live in a property that you may want to sell, give me a call and let’s have a conversation. I’m sure I will have many great ideas on how to take the next steps.
Capital Gains and Tax Planning
Most of senior sellers end up cashing out of their properties and not doing a 1031 tax deferred exchange in order to defer taxes. It is important to check with your CPA or tax preparer in order to get an accurate estimate of what you will have to pay both federal and state.
Capital Gain Alternatives
There are a few alternatives to selling and just paying your capital gains taxes. One is a Charitable Remainder Trust. A Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRT) remains a popular way for seniors to donate property and do well for society. Basically you transfer the property to a CRT. You pay no capital gains taxes when the asset is sold. You will receive lifetime income. If this is something that you might be interested in again contact me and I will put you in touch with the appropriate attorneys that handle Charitable Remainder Trust creation.
If you have any interest in some alternatives to simply selling and paying your capital gains taxes call me and lets have a chat. I will put you in charge with the attorneys and financial planners that work with seniors to help set up these specialized investment trusts. We can discuss these options when we meet.
Title Issues
Owners who have owned a property a long time occasionally have title issues. For example, old mortgages that still show up, old mechanics liens, or erroneous tax liens. Sometimes a previous spouse or perhaps an ex-partner still shows up as an owner even though they relinquished ownership to the property years ago. Maybe a lien was placed on the property from a lawsuit. I have seen some pretty crazy things in my years. If you have a common name it is easy to have erroneous things filed against your property. Fortunately, I have a lot of experience helping owners clear title issues up. I work closely with my title company partner and we handle things and get them cleaned up.
Special Note to Adult Children
Are you tasked with helping a parent in transition? I can help you. First things first, I am very sensitive to your parents needs. 90% of my clients are seniors and I am very familiar with their particular needs and what they are going through. You can rest assured I will take great care of them and treat them with compassion. It’s a big step for them to let go of a rental property that they may have owned for many years and maybe even lived in or raised kids in.
I’ve been selling real estate for 35 years and have experience with every type of property. I can handle complex deals especially when there are
partnerships, complicated trust issues, multiple owners, litigation, financial planners, family problems, lawyers, CPAs, or whatever else is thrown my way.
Bottom line is that I do what ever it takes to get the job done. Whether it is arranging movers, finding contractors for repairs, trashing out a house, finding a handyman, solving title issues, stopping foreclosure, helping you parents transition to a new home, or whatever else it might take. I am a problem solver. Don’t worry I’ll take care of it.
I make house calls!
Sometimes the logistics of working with seniors requires a bit of extra effort. For example, I often make house calls to my senior clients who don’t use email or the web. Although many seniors use technology I still have clients that don’t use web or email. I am happy to meet clients at home to sign paperwork or explain things in person.
Many times I will be working with the adult children of my clients who want to be involved with the sale of a property because they want to make sure Mom and Dad are doing the right thing. This is quite common, and I welcome input from not only family members, but also attorneys, CPAs, financial planners, and whomever else my senior clients feels comfortable consulting with.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have any further questions. The vast majority of my seller clients are seniors and as a Senior Real Estate Specialist I take my responsibility very serious to act in their best interests.
Estate Planning
Do you have a living trust? Are your properties in your living trust? This is super important. If an owner passes and the property is not in a trust, your heirs will have to go through the probate process, which takes time and cost a lot in court fees, probate administration fees, and attorney fees. If you do not have a living trust call me and I can give you three names of great estate planning attorneys that can help set you up with a living trust.
Final thoughts…
I became a Senior Real Estate Specialist because so many of my apartment sellers were seniors and I thought getting extra education would benefit them greatly. Getting this designation has enhanced my ability to serve the needs of my senior clients. I look forward to helping you through the process of selling your property. Thank you.