3 Strategies for Using Your IRA to Invest in Real Estate

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Posted on 20th June 2010 by Realestate Finder in Articles

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With real estate prices depressed and a lot of wealth sitting in qualified plans, you may wonder how you can use that wealth to invest in real estate. In this article I offer considerations and strategies for using your IRA to position yourself in real estate for your future benefit.

People have taken advantage of their qualified plan deductible contributions – and often company matching contributions- to accumulate substantial savings. How can they use that money if they feel now is the time to invest in real estate?

If you want to use your employer-related qualified plan money, request your company to roll it over directly into to your own IRA tax free. Now decide how you want to invest or distribute that money. You can purchase real estate, but you’ll have to transfer your IRA money to a self-directed IRA.

You must avoid using your self-directed IRA for “prohibited transactions”. These prevent you from using your IRA account for “self-dealing”. As an example, you can’t use your IRA

* To buy stock or other assets from you or sell them to you,

* To lend to you or borrow from you, or

* To engage in transactions with certain related parties and/or family members.

So, in the case of real estate, you can only use it for your own benefit when you finally take an ‘in-kind’ distribution of the real estate in your IRA to yourself.

Tax considerations for real estate and deductible and Roth IRAs: Real estate is already a tax advantaged investment. Buying real estate for its rental income and appreciation carries all sorts of tax breaks. You get deductions against it rental income for the expenses of carrying the real estate. These include maintenance, mortgage interest payments, and depreciation. If deductions exceed your rental income, you can use the excess against your other income. Lastly, the sale of your real estate is subject to capital gains tax which is low for long term (greater than 1 year) holding periods.

Real estate in an IRA loses all these tax advantages. You’re left over with only IRA tax characteristics. For a deductible IRA, that includes deductible contributions to it, tax-deferred growth of its yearly earnings, but its distributions are subjected to income taxation. The latter can be quite severe. You also must make minimum retired distributions (MRDs) when you pass 701/2.

A Roth IRA gives you tax free yearly earnings and distributions come out tax free -and no MRDs ever. But the kicker is that whatever goes into it must be taxed as income – a very expensive proposition.

You can see that the IRA – of the self-direct kind or not – has an expensive income tax barrier – either coming out or going in. That means your investment gain must clearly overcome that high tax hurdle to make it worthwhile. Let’s consider some strategies.

Real estate strategies for the person with a lot of qualified plan money to invest If your money is tied up in your IRA (or qualified plan), and you want to take advantage of depressed real estate prices, here are three strategies to consider:

Real estate outside IRA strategy:

Use distributions from your traditional, deductible IRA to purchase and pay annual costs for real estate you buy outside you IRA. Since it’s outside your IRA, you can self-deal all you want. Use it as a rental or as a second home.

But arrange for its mortgage interests, depreciation, and other expenses to offset the income tax on your IRA distributions. That way you’ll keep all the future real estate tax advantages safe for your use.

Real estate inside your IRA – 2 strategies:

If you decide to buy real estate within your self-directed IRA, you can consider using a deductible IRA or a Roth IRA. But you lose all those real estate tax advantages.

So you’re looking for two big investment benefits of real estate to best use within an IRA:

* higher yearly earnings since these are either tax deferred (deductible IRA) or tax free (Roth IRA) and

* high appreciation – to more than offset the distribution income tax (deductible IRA) or the initial rollover income tax into a Roth IRA.

I would opt for using a Roth IRA rather than the deductible IRA. Although you’re getting hit by a lot of income tax to fund it, you’re presumably buying depressed real estate that’ll appreciate a lot over years. And all rental earning and future appreciation is never taxed. Lastly, you’ll never have to worry about making MRDs.

When you make an in-kind distribution of your real estate for your use, your basis in it will be equal to the value associated with the income tax you paid for it.

Shane Flait is a writer and consultant on financial, legal, tax, and retirement issues. He explains the issues and gives you workable strategies to accomplish your goals. Find out more and get a free report on Managing Your Retirement =>
http://www.easyretirementknowhow.com/FreeReportandSignUp.htm

Strategies For Buying Real Estate In A Slow Market

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Posted on 6th March 2010 by Realestate Finder in Articles

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The real estate market tends to be cyclical with some periods favoring buyers and other periods favoring sellers. As with other free markets, the pricing and availability of real estate is directly related to the forces of supply and demand. While many real estate markets in the United States are experiencing a substantial slowdown, other markets remain robust, and some even continue to grow. What makes the situation even more complicated is that even within a particular city or county, there may be some areas that are hot and others that are cold.
In regions of the country in which the real estate market is slowing, there are some things homebuyers can do to increase their chance of getting the property that they want on terms that are favorable. Below are some strategies to consider:
1. Clarify What You Want. Be sure to understand what kind of property you want (e.g. bedrooms, bathrooms, size, yard, location, etc.). Identify items that you “must have” and items that you would be willing to forego if your other priorities were met.
2. Consult Experts. You’ve no doubt heard the saying that “all real estate is local,” so arm yourself with the best information available. Consult a local real estate expert who can guide you about what communities are hot and which ones are not. Obviously, you are more likely to find deals in communities that have excess supply and limited demand than vice versa.
3. Understand Market Data. Obtaining and evaluating data can be one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. Identify communities that you find desirable and ask your real estate agent to provide you relevant sales statistics. For example, your agent can provide you:
a. A summary of how many properties are available in communities that you deem desirable.
b. How long properties are taking to sell this month, last month, last quarter, last year, etc.
c. How many properties have sold this month, last month, last quarter, last year, etc.
d. Changes in the median and average price of properties for a community this month, last month, last quarter, last year, etc.
e. Data on the sales price to list price ratio (SP: LP). This ratio provides information about how much, on average, sellers are reducing their price.
f. Detailed data on properties that are similar to the type of property you desire (often known as “comparables” or “comps”).
4. High Inventory Communities. Identify, or ask your agent to identify, communities that appear to be particularly slow, and that have an unusually large inventory of homes. You will have a broader variety of options in these communities, and you may increase the likelihood of finding a better deal.
5. Loan Pre-Approval. Be sure to consult with your bank or mortgage broker and obtain a loan pre-approval document. This not only let’s you know how much you can afford, but it also demonstrates to sellers that you are a serious buyer and that your offer is worthy of serious consideration.
6. Seller’s Motivation. While information about why a seller is selling is usually confidential, there are situations in which the seller will allow their agent to disclose important factors regarding their personal situation. Be sure to ask your agent to inquire about any information that the seller has disclosed to his/her agent that can be conveyed to your agent. This information may help you decide on making an offer on a property and the price you wish to offer.
7. Home Inspection. A home inspection conducted by a qualified inspector can provide you valuable information about the condition of a property. Moreover, if there are items that need repair or replacement, you can use this information to modify your offer price or terms.
8. Expand Search Scope. As mentioned above, even within a particular city or county, there may be some areas that are hot and others that are not. Be sure to provided detailed information about what you want to your agent, so that he/she can provide you a variety of community options.
9. Be Patient. Time is on your side when there is excess supply and insufficient demand. Try not to “fall in love” with a house so much that you cannot be objective. It may be that multiple offers and counter-offers occur before you either get the property you want or decide to walk way from a deal. You may also want to look at more properties than you normally would, so that you are exposed to a variety of options.
While the above is not an exhaustive list of strategies, it is a good starting point of issues to consider when buying real estate, particularly in a market that favors buyers. Obtain the services of a knowledgeable Real Estate agent who can provide you with additional strategies to help you reach your real estate objectives.