Insights
California property exchange, 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.
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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.
August 4, 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.
August 4, 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.
August 4, 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.
August 4, 2026 -
Inherited property
I inherited a California rental I don't want. Should I sell, 1031, or buy into a DST?
Most California heirs are quietly better off selling. The step-up usually erases the old gain, so a 1031 or a DST defers a tax you may not owe. Here is how to tell which of the three doors is actually yours.
August 31, 2026 -
1031 basics
What is a 1031 exchange, and should you actually do one?
A 1031 exchange defers the tax on an investment property sale, it does not erase it. Here is how the deadlines really work, who is allowed to hold your money, and the cases where a 1031 is the wrong answer.
September 23, 2026 -
721 exchange
What is a 721 exchange (UPREIT), and how is it different from a 1031 or a DST?
A 721 exchange trades your property for units in a REIT's operating partnership. It defers the tax, and it is a one-way door: you cannot 1031 back out. Here is the trade.
October 1, 2026