Lack of Liquidity- Exchanging properties continually can tie up funds in real estate, making it hard for an investor to access liquid capital if required. While real estate can be a profitable investment, it's not as liquid as some other assets.
A 1031 exchange agreement is a tax deferral strategy that allows individuals or businesses to sell an investment property and reinvest the proceeds into a like-kind property, without incurring immediate capital gains taxes.
An IRC Section 1031 Exchange (“Exchange”) is a tax benefit that allows investors to defer the capital gains tax normally due on the sale of investment real estate or real estate held for productive use in a trade or business (sometimes as much as a 35% combined rate – state and federal).
An exchange is a real estate transaction in which a taxpayer sells real estate held for investment or for use in a trade or business and uses the funds to acquire replacement property.
Under § 1031(f)(1), a taxpayer exchanging like-kind property with a related person cannot use the nonrecognition provisions of § 1031 if, within 2 years of the date of the last transfer, either the related person disposes of the relinquished property or the taxpayer disposes of the replacement property.
A 1031 exchange gets its name from Section 1031 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, which allows you to avoid paying capital gains taxes when you sell an investment property and reinvest the proceeds from the sale within certain time limits in a property or properties of like-kind and equal or greater value.
If during the current tax year you transferred property to another party in a like-kind exchange, you must file Form 8824 with your tax return for that year. Also file Form 8824 for the 2 years following the year of a related party exchange. See Line 7, later, for details. Section 1031 regulations.
How do you report Section 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges to the IRS? You must report an exchange to the IRS on Form 8824, Like-Kind Exchanges and file it with your tax return for the year in which the exchange occurred.
A 1031 exchange is a tax-deferred transaction. If a business owner has property they currently own, they can sell that property, and if they reinvest the proceeds into a replacement property, they can defer any capital gains taxes associated with that sale.