Investor Profile
After decades of owning a piece of land, a retired engineer found himself at a crossroads. His property, originally purchased for $500,000, had appreciated significantly and was now listed for $2.7 million. While he was ready to sell, he faced a dilemma—how to avoid a substantial tax bill without taking on the responsibilities of property management. At his age, the idea of overseeing another real estate investment was unappealing, and his family had no interest in managing assets either.
Seeking a tax-efficient and fully passive solution, he turned to RealtyMogul to explore his options. After months of personalized guidance, he discovered that a 1031 exchange into a diversified portfolio of Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) would allow him to defer capital gains taxes, generate potential passive income, and strategically diversify his wealth. This case study highlights how he successfully transitioned his real estate holdings while securing a hands-free investment strategy tailored to his retirement goals.
The Challenge: Avoiding Taxes While Transitioning to Passive Real Estate
After decades of land ownership, a retired engineer was preparing to sell a property he had originally purchased for $500,000—now listed at $2.7 million. While eager to capitalize on the property’s appreciation, he wanted to defer capital gains taxes but had no interest in managing real estate in his retirement. His family also preferred a fully passive approach.
The RealtyMogul Solution: Education & Customization
Through multiple consultations, Steve and Tom from RealtyMogul provided in-depth education on different 1031 exchange strategies, explored the risks and potential benefits, helping the investor assess his best options. After careful evaluation, he decided to exchange into a portfolio of DSTs, allowing him to preserve his wealth, generate passive income, and diversify his holdings.
Why He Chose DSTs
Diversification:
- He spread his $2.7M investment across 20+ properties, including multifamily, essential retail, and industrial assets.
- His portfolio covered 12+ different markets across the United States.
- He allocated his investment across four separate sponsor groups to reduce reliance on any single operator.
Built-In Leverage for Enhanced Potential Returns:
- He didn’t have to apply for or personally guarantee any loans. The debt was built into the DST.
- By utilizing built-in debt, he used his $2.7m of capital to purchase $5.2M of property, increasing his upside potential.
- The leverage allowed him to purchase more property and increase his depreciation benefits, reducing his taxable income and improving his tax-equivalent yield.
Why He Chose RealtyMogul
Education & Support
RealtyMogul provided months of tailored education where they walked through the risks and potential benefits of various investment options, allowing him to fully understand the 1031 market, build investment criteria, and make an informed decision that best fit the goals, objectives, and risk tolerance of him and his family.
Investment Management
The investor could track all his DST investments in one place via RealtyMogul’s investor dashboard. RealtyMogul provides a single portal for the investor to receive information on sponsor communication, property performance, and tracking of distributions, avoiding the hassle of managing multiple portals across various sponsors.
Trust & Transparency
RealtyMogul’s due diligence process is thorough and highly selective. This saved the investor time and effort of reviewing all the potential options in the industry. It provided a high level of transparency, building trust for Tom and Steve’s reasoning for recommending or discouraging investment in each opportunity.
The Outcome: A Tax-Efficient, Passive Investment Portfolio
By leveraging RealtyMogul’s 1031 exchange expertise, the investor successfully deferred capital gains taxes, while transitioning into a diversified, income-generating portfolio without the burden of property management. Through strategic use of built-in leverage, he maximized depreciation benefits, reducing his taxable income and enhancing his potential for overall returns. Most importantly, he achieved a fully passive investment strategy that aligned with his and his family’s long-term financial goals.
This case highlights how RealtyMogul’s education, platform, and investment opportunities empower investors to make tax-efficient, wealth-building decisions—all without the complexities of direct property ownership. Considering a 1031 exchange? RealtyMogul can help you optimize your investment strategy today.
LEARN MORE ABOUT 1031 EXCHANGE
Disclosure - 1031 Exchange Risk
Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 (“Section 1031”) contains complex tax concepts, and certain tax consequences may vary depending on the individual circumstances of each investor. RM Securities and its affiliates make no representation or warranty of any kind with respect to the tax consequences of your investment or that the IRS will not challenge any such treatment. You should consult with and rely on your own tax advisor about the tax aspects with respect to your particular circumstances. Please note that RealtyMogul does not provide tax advice.
This article is for informational purposes only, and is not a recommendation or offer to buy or sell securities. Information herein may include forward looking statements and is for informational purposes only. Forward-looking statements, hypothetical information, or calculations, financial estimates and targeted returns are inherently uncertain. Past performance is never indicative of future performance. None of the opinions expressed are the opinions of RealtyMogul. Advice from a securities professional is strongly advised, and we recommend that you consult with a financial advisor, attorney, accountant, and any other professional that can help you to understand and assess the risks and tax consequences associated with any real estate investment. All real estate investments are speculative and involve substantial risk and there can be no assurance that any investor will not suffer significant losses. A loss of part or all of the principal value of a real estate investment may occur. All prospective investors should not invest unless such prospective investor can readily bear the consequences of such loss.
RealtyMogul and its affiliates are not registered as a crowdfunding portal. Unless stated otherwise in writing, RealtyMogul and its affiliates do not offer brokerage or investment advisory services to the Platform’s individual users. RM Adviser, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of RealtyMogul, is an SEC-registered investment adviser providing investment management services exclusively to certain REITs and single purpose funds. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Forward-looking statements, hypothetical information or calculations, financial estimates, projections and targeted returns are inherently uncertain. Such information should not be used as a primary basis for an investor’s decision to invest. Investments in real estate, including those offered by sponsors using the RealtyMogul platform, are speculative and involve substantial risk. You should not invest unless you can sustain the risk of loss of capital, including the risk of total loss of capital.