Insights

California property tax, in plain English.

Straight answers on what you owe when you sell or inherit a California rental, and the legitimate ways to defer or reduce it. No jargon, no sales pitch.

Selling a California rental

How much will I owe in taxes if I sell my California rental property?

Every tax you owe when you sell a California rental, in plain English: federal capital gains, depreciation recapture, the 3.8% NIIT, and California's own stack, plus the tools that defer or reduce the bill.
July 31, 2026
Your options

I want to sell my California rental: what are my options for the tax?

You don't have one choice. See the legitimate, IRS-sanctioned ways to defer or reduce the tax on a California rental sale: 1031 exchange, DST, Opportunity Zone, and more, with the trade-offs named honestly.
July 31, 2026
Inherited property

I inherited a rental property in California. Between Prop 19 and capital gains, what are my options?

Inheriting a California rental has two sides: a basis step-up that can shrink your capital gain, and a Prop 19 property-tax trap national advice misses. How to think about keep, sell, or defer.
July 31, 2026
1031 financing

Did financing kill your deal?

When replacement-property financing falls through, a 1031 exchange can fail and trigger the whole tax bill. Why financing derails exchanges, the mortgage-boot trap, and how a DST can rescue the deal before day 180.
July 31, 2026