An installment contract is a single contract that is completed by a series of performances –such as payments, performances of a service, or delivery of goods–rather than being performed all at one time.
An installment sale has the following primary disadvantages: The sold assets will not receive stepped-up basis in the event of your death.
Tax Deferral (for the seller): One of the most compelling reasons to consider an installment sale is the ability to defer capital gains tax.
Situations where the installment method isn't permitted Installment method rules don't apply to sales that result in a loss. You can't use the installment method to report gain from the sale of inventory or stocks and securities traded on an established securities market.
Required Elements of a Real Estate Contract To establish legality, a real estate contract must include a legal purpose, legally competent parties, agreement by offer and acceptance, consideration, and consent.
The installment method is not available for the following Gains associated with inventory, depreciation, amortization recapture, and other ordinary income items. Dealers of real or personal property cannot use the installment method. Sales at a loss do not qualify for the installment method.
Writing your own contracts is perfectly possible, and legal. But it's also an incredibly bad idea. There's two reasons for this: Property law is complicated. Because it's such a fundamental part of legislation, it's often lots and lots of different laws layered on top of each other.
You may elect out by reporting all the gain as income in the year of the sale in ance with your method of accounting on Form 4797, Sales of Business Property, or on Schedule D (Form 1040), Capital Gains and Losses and Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets.