Tag Archives: inheriting a home

Helpful Advisors During a Property Tax Transfer on an Inherited Home

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California Property Tax Transfer

California Property Tax Transfer

Transferring A California Property Tax Base On An Inherited Home

If you’re a member of one of the many families who owns real property in California – it would be wise to understand how much Prop 13 and Proposition 19  can affect property tax reassessment, no matter where you live in the state. 

In fact, it’s never been more important than now to understand how profoundly these property tax relief measures can impact your life – plus how important it is to do everything correctly when dealing with property tax breaks like Proposition 19 and Proposition 13.

Number One Strategy: Avoid Making Mistakes!

For whatever reason, a fair amount of residents do not fully understand how these tax breaks work, and how to make them work.  The problem is, families often trigger reassessment of their property taxes by accident, due to a variety of reasons – refusing to hire an estate attorney simply to save money; faulty data; or mistakes filing information; missing document deadlines… so on and so forth.

Consequently, what can be lost can be significant… such as the ability to avoid property tax reassessment, to miss out on property tax breaks such as parent-child transfer and the parent-to-child exclusion; the right to transfer parents property taxes, to keep parents property taxes after a CA property tax transfer, when inheriting property taxes.

It’s not difficult to mishandle a transfer of property when inheriting a home, or mishandle the drafting of a trust in such a way that expectations towards a cap on property taxes are disappointed. Of course, these types of errors and subsequent property tax  reassessment brings great happiness to the parties responsible for collecting property taxes all over California.

Families that are concerned with making sure these processes go smoothly generally enlist advice and/or the services of a real estate law firm or estate attorney such as Rachelle Lee-Warner, Esq. at Cunningham Legal or a Trust Lender such as Commercial Loan Corp.

Proposition 19 and Revisions to California Property Tax Relief

It is difficult to avoid the fact that property tax breaks in California have been impacted, one way or the other, by Proposition 19; which was voted into law Nov 2020, becoming active on Feb. 16, 2021.

Under Proposition 19, a parent can transfer their primary residence and low property tax base to their children (i.e., heirs) — allowing  offspring to move into an inherited home rather quickly, within 12-months, as a principle residence.  Although, if the home is valued at more than $1,000,000 it may be reassessed, with an impact on the parent-to-child exclusion from current tax rates.  On the other hand, if you’re over 55, physically impaired, or a victim in some way of the frequent wildfires California has been experiencing, or some other natural disaster such as a flood or earthquake — you can be a recipient of numerous property tax breaks on top of CA property tax transfer (discussed in detail elsewhere within this Blog).

However, beneficiaries of parental property have other options, such as working with a trust lender such as Commercial Loan Corp, for example, in addition to having expertise in CA property tax transfer,  the ability to provide funding to an irrevocable trust, in order to buyout co-beneficiaries looking to sell off their inherited property shares, as well as establishing a permanently low property tax base. If you think you may benefit from a Proposition 19 property tax transfer on an inherited home, you can reach Commercial Loan Corporation at 877-464-1066 for a free benefit analysis.

New Rules For Property Tax Transfers In California

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Rules for California Property Tax Transfer

The new rules for California Property Tax Transfer in 2021

To Transfer Property Taxes: New Rules & Regulations 

When Proposition 19 was voted into law in Nov 2020, taking affect in Feb of 2021 – a learning curve was suddenly in effect for new homeowners and beneficiaries inheriting property from parents. It became essential, especially for middle class and upper middle class families, to quickly learn about changes to tax relief laws that would impact both existing trusts and inherited real estate.

For example, a “qualified personal residence trust” (QPRT), which is a trust that is established with the intent of allowing parents to continue to live in a house; and once that period of time has ended the balance of the interest is transferred to beneficiaries.

Put simply, a QPRT is a special kind of irrevocable trust that allows the person who created it to remove a primary residence from his, or her, estate so gift taxes can be reduced when transferring assets to a beneficiary.

Buying Out Sibling Property Shares While Keeping Your Inherited Home at a Low Proposition 13 Tax Base

As many Californians know, a loan to an irrevocable trust can also be used to buyout siblings’ property shares, inherited from a parent… while allowing beneficiaries who wish to retain that property, to transfer property taxes and keep that home at their parents’ low Proposition 13 protected tax base. It’s essentially a home equity loan on inherited property, made to the trust.

What a lot of people don’t know is the fact that the trustee and beneficiaries who are intent on keeping their inherited property will frequently borrow money to have their trust funded by a qualified trust lender licensed in the state of California so that an equal distribution of the trust can be made in order to meet California Proposition 19 Board of Equalization requirements.

Typically, beneficiaries enlist funding from a trust lender when a trust does not have sufficient cash to make an equal distribution to all the beneficiaries who are looking to sell their inherited property. Hence, the ability to transfer property taxes, mainly to transfer parents’ property taxes; and avoid property tax reassessment of an inherited home. Usually a savings of over $6,200 per year in property taxes. 

Avoiding ‘Fair Market Rates’ with Proposition 19 Trust Loan Exclusion from Property Reassessment

Changes to California property tax relief in 2021 are a challenge to  understand.  Trusts, Californians have discovered, are now used for more purposes than merely deferring property taxes for a few months. Californians have also discovered that they can avoid being reassessed at fair market rates by moving into inherited property as their principle residence  – bearing in mind a $1,000,000 cap on an exclusion from existing property tax rates.

The benefits of making a lifetime transfer of inherited property has to be compared to a transfer at the passing of a parent, which may cause you, as an heir, to inherit a “stepped-up basis” in transferred property. In other words, when you inherit assets that increased in value from when your deceased parent owned it, the asset’s “basis” is increased to the property’s current or “fair market” value on the date of the parent’s passing.  Unless you take steps to avoid this increase, to be able to transfer property taxes successfully, and avoid property tax reassessment altogether!

Saving Money on Property Taxes With Help From Experts!

When purchasing a new home or inheriting your parents’ residence
it makes sense to call a specialist experienced in the use of irrevocable trust loans to maintain your parent’s low property tax base. If you are inheriting a home, or expect to inherit a home and plan to transfer the low property tax base to a new home down the road, through an irrevocable trust loan in conjunction with Proposition 19, or Prop 58.

If you’re inheriting a home from a parent and wish to avoid property tax reassessment you still have all the tools to do so, as long as all new requirements are met.  If you’re a beneficiary, a brand new homeowners, you can  transfer parents property taxes when inheriting property and thus inheriting property taxes; with the ability  to keep parents low property tax base, as long as you live in your inherited home. 

“When it comes to keeping a low property tax base, with Prop 58 [or now Prop 19] and a trust loan, I always bring my clients to Commercial Loan Corp.  Their loans to trusts give my clients several invaluable benefits. Their terms can be a lot more flexible than an institutional lender like Wells Fargo or Bank of America.  They’re self funded, and that’s why they can extend easier terms to clients…

When your parents die, and your trust agreement says ‘equal shares’  –  That means equal shares!  People basically just get the overall concept of getting money from a trust loan even if it doesn’t sell. It makes more sense all around to get a trust loan; and everyone gets more money.“

Regarding the ever-present issue concerning families deciding to either sell inherited property; Or opting to keep property inherited from their parents – 

“More heirs and beneficiaries end up not wanting to sell their inherited property. And  if they did want to sell, a lot of people can be easily convinced, with more cash from a trust loan and trust lender than an outside buyer would come up with, ‘equalizing’ things for them…

You have to look at it this way: there are always  one or two, minimum, who  insist on selling their shares in an inherited property. And there is our initial client contact, with those who want to sell.  And that is where these family estate or trust conflicts begin.  If they sell their property, capital gains tax always hits them. That’s where a trust loan comes in, to avoid that.

A trust lender like Commercial Loan Corp, that doesn’t charge any fees up-front, that’s another great benefit.  Plus, they don’t charge interest on their trust loan in advance. Not only that, there is never a “due-on-sale” clause… that requires the mortgage to be repaid in full when sold; or that all or some of the interest owed must be paid up-front to secure the mortgage. No “alienation clause”… in the event of a property transfer, stating the borrower has to pay back the mortgage in full before the borrower can transfer the property to anyone. 

Going with a firm like that – all costs are offset, unless you plan to keep a property for 2, 3 years or less. Then it doesn’t make sense. But generally you’re looking at keeping that property for seven or more years, as a rule...”

To learn more about your options when inheriting a home from parents – transferring a low property tax base to your new primary residence – contact Commercial Loan Corp, at (877) 756-4454 to speak with a Trust Loan or Property Tax Savings specialist. Chances are the end result will be a much lower property tax bill.

For more information on California Property Tax News, visit the PropertyTaxNews.org website for all of the latest information and updates. 

Keeping Your Parent’s Low Property Tax Base When Inheriting a Home

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Keeping Your Parent’s Low Property Tax Base When Inheriting a Home

Keeping Your Parent’s Low Property Tax Base When Inheriting a Home

How to Keep Parents Property Taxes In 2021

What was once the parent-to-child property tax break called CA Proposition 58 has now morphed into a property tax relief measure to help avoid property reassessment, called CA Proposition 19… active as of Feb 16, 2021.  

Estate and trust lenders are accustomed to teaching beneficiaries and new homeowners freely, in unfettered fashion, how to keep parents property taxes with Proposition 13 or Proposition 58 property tax breaks. But they are still funding trusts with a loan to an irrevocable trust, and helping clients to establish a low property tax base, to avoid property reassessment… Property tax specialists like this are still helping beneficiaries buyout a sibling’s share of inherited property, through a trust loan – the transfer of property between siblings. 

Property tax relief experts are still showing beneficiaries how to keep parents property taxes on a property tax transfer, taking advantage of the parent-to-child transfer or parent-to-child exclusion (from current property tax rates); helping families inheriting a home to transfer parents property taxes when inheriting a home, and inheriting property taxes. 

Help From Experts  

Some California firms with property tax relief expertise have been encouraged to get creative, to meet new property tax challenges and obstacles head on.  Firms such as real estate issues and property tax relief; or well known trust lender and Prop 58 / Prop19 experts Commercial Loan Corp in Newport Beach, who specializes in irrevocable trust loans and lending.  This particular trust lender is now offering heirs and beneficiaries inheriting a home from parents a free consultation for property tax savings – to help beneficiaries inheriting a home from parents to keep the parents’ low Proposition 13 property tax base; while also taking full advantage of Proposition 19 and Proposition 58.

This type of evaluation for property tax savings is designed to simplify a relatively complex process, helping heirs evaluate the benefits of a loan to an irrevocable trust, specifically for beneficiaries who want to buyout siblings’ inherited property shares, while keeping inherited property at their parents’ low property tax rate – as well as avoiding costly expenses associated with selling property through a realtor.  

The name of the game is to simplify the use of Proposition 19, as well as the transaction between trust lender and beneficiary. A process that is often difficult for families to understand.

Inside View From an Account Manager’s Perspective

One such seasoned proponent of simplification of the Proposition 58,  trust loan process is a highly experienced account manager by the name of Tanis Alonso – a particularly hard working, dedicated senior manager, who works closely with her clients, and frequently their estate lawyer or accountant.

In a recent interview with this blog Miss Alonso described her unique personal approach to planning and implementing estate & trust loans for families; how property tax saving trust loans and Proposition 58 tax breaks factor into her family undertakings and financial proceedings, Miss Alonso tells this blog:

“We don’t view each trust loan scenario as simply a ‘financial transaction.’ Nor do we see the home they’ve lived in for decades as just a ‘piece of real estate’. To us, this a ‘piece of family history’ in the making. And the process a ‘family decision,’ not a ‘transaction’…

Let’s say a property value is currently one million dollars and the current tax base is $1,200. If they were to get reassessed at current value that would be around $11,000 annually. By someone keeping the property and obtaining a trust loan to properly buy out their siblings that allows the beneficiary that is keeping the property to keep parents property taxes, to retain 100% of the Proposition 13 tax base that was paid by their parents and keep that low property tax base of $1,200.

This of course creates much greater affordability than if they were to improperly buy out their siblings and have that property reassessed. The loan to trust goes hand in hand with the Proposition 58 property tax transfer system, creating enough liquidity to equalize distributions, not sell, and allow a beneficiary to keep their parents property with their low property tax base.“

Feedback From A Seasoned Property Tax Consultant

“We let our clients know the Proposition 58 [or Proposition 19] tax benefit entitles children of parents leaving them property to preserve the low Proposition 13 maximum 2% tax base. A California property tax transfer. However, a lot of people don’t fully understand that you have to apply for the benefit. It’s not automatic. And it doesn’t apply to the principal home. explain to them that they get the assessed value tax benefit only if it’s a non principal home. You get the assessed value waved if for example it‘s a million dollar property… You get the million excluded – but the overage is reassessed… A lot of people don’t know that.

The creators of the trust get this benefit. definition of ‘a child’ or “children” is typically the adult children of a decedent…But this also refers to step-parents. Step-parents can also transfer property to a step-child… Mom can be a step parent and can still get the benefit. In-laws get the benefit as well. You don’t have to be blood relatives.

We basically introduce the trust lender, for example Commercial Loan Corporation, as a private money lender that loans to irrevocable trusts, that applies for and works in tandem with California Proposition 58 [or Proposition 19]… for beneficiaries who are looking to sell their real property shares – for the purpose of facilitating “non pro-rata distribution”… So every heir gets an equal share of the entire overall estate – however, not necessarily of every asset.

Well, if the family in question uses the Commercial Loan Corp company that we have been using for years… the loan they provide is to a trust, and not to beneficiaries; so there is no title, and no crippling 66.66% property tax reassessment.  Well, for example, there might be three siblings… beneficiaries – and a house to inherit. And this is always important to remember.

If you’re one out of the three siblings that wants to keep the inherited house, you are definitely looking at a 66.66% property value tax reassessment – if you’re operating without a loan to a trust, or you’re using your own cash; or getting money from a very pricey institutional lender – typically with multiple restrictions and extremely strict terms.”

At the end of the day, all families need to understand is the fact that in the end, they save a great deal of money on property taxes if they aim to keep their parent’s home.  If they are looking to sell, they simply need to understand that they will be putting lot more cash in their pocket  using the trust loan approach, rather than selling to an outside buyer.  Everything else is secondary, if you are inheriting property.

If you are interested in finding out how much you might be able to save by keeping a parents low Prop 13 property tax base on an inherited home, we suggest you contact Commercial Loan Corporation at 877-756-4454. They will provide you with a free estimate on what your annual property tax savings will be and provide you with information on the Proposition 19 process.  They can even put you in contact with a trust and estate attorney in your area if needed.

Are Trusts Mainly for Wealthy Folks?

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Are Trusts Only for the Wealthy

Are Trusts Only for the Wealthy?

Gifting property to adult children is a great thing to do, no matter the tax breaks – and thankfully, if you live in California and inherit property in that state, you do not need to be mega wealthy with $1,200 per hour tax lawyers to be able to avoid property tax reassessment, or to learn how to use a trust to save on taxes or to buy out siblings’ shares in your inherited real estate… with a trust loan.

Putting it bluntly, it doesn’t hurt to live in a state like California, where you get to save tens of thousands in tax breaks every year, compared to other states…. or compared to California the way it was pre-1978 before Proposition 13, and later in 1986 with Proposition 58, when you started to be able to keep parents property taxes when you’ve inherited property and are able to transfer parents property taxes, inheriting property taxes on a property tax transfer with a simple parent to child transfer or as lawyers call it, parent to child exclusion. Or perhaps lucky to be anywhere, if you can keep that house you inherited in your name, and you have a very good accountant! Another point – why trusts aren’t just for wealthy folks to save on income tax. 

There are trust lenders providing trust loans in California to cure family estate problems, with some beneficiaries insisting on selling inherited property – and no one can agree what the property value is, whether the local tax assessor is right or wrong;  or whether to sell or not to sell.  This is most likely one reason, besides saving on property taxes, that many property tax consultants and tax attorneys firmly believe that lawmakers in every state should pass property tax relief bills that make sense.

It would be advisable for homeowners and beneficiaries inheriting property to go to websites focused on CA Proposition 19, Prop 13, Prop 58, and Proposition 60… such as Trust and Estate Loans info-sites  or irrevocable trust lenders, or perhaps niche California focused property tax relief blogs like this one, Property Tax News.  Which is simply to straighten up and learn more about why property tax relief is crucial to California, and would be an economic life-saver to other states, if they were to surprise everyone and gain some genuine leadership, along the lines of what New York has.  So the middle class (not just the millionaires) can live in comfort and security.

As every state in America is now in the throes of a relentless pandemic, with a disastrous affect on businesses and unemployment within local and state economies…  lawmakers in every state would be wise to look at passing a property tax relief bill that would give consumers some financial relief, for example as CA Proposition 13 did in beginning in 1978 and Proposition 58 did in the beginning of that Amendment in 1986, giving Californians the ability to transfer parents property taxes.   

It seemed like a miracle for middle class homeowners in California… and beneficiaries to trusts inheriting a home from parents.  Enabling a property tax transfer solution from parents and grandparents when inheriting a home, and likewise inheriting property taxes – with a parent to child transfer or parent to child exclusion… the urgent need to keep parents property taxes was all of a sudden a reality, thanks to Howard Jarvis and colleagues, regardless of their deeper motivations – and of course the ability to transfer parents property taxes when inheriting property; avoiding property tax reassessment to keep property taxes low, and to have the ability to utilize trusts for a lower tax base – for all Americans; not just for corporate CEOs, VIPs and wealthy families in Beverly Hills, in Santa Barbara, the Marina in San Francisco, or similar locales.