Answers to Your Prospects' Questions: Real Estate

Important: Use the green navigation on the left to properly sort your questions.

	1.	What are the benefits of donating real estate? You receive an income tax deduction equal to the appraised fair market value of the property, with no capital gains tax due on the transfer to us. You remove a large taxable asset from your estate. You can take advantage of a variety of gift formats available for a donation of real estate, each offering unique planning benefits.
	2.	How will you determine if the property I’d like to donate is going to be helpful to your charity? Here are some questions we will need to answer before we can accept your gift offer: Can we use the property to help us carry out our mission? If not, is the property saleable within a reasonable period of time? If we keep the property, will the costs of adapting it to our use and maintaining it over the long-term be reasonable? Are there any mortgages or liens on the property? Does the property have any environmental issues that could be a liability for us?
	3.	How will the value of my gift of real estate be determined? For all gifts of real estate worth more than $5,000, fair market value will be determined by an independent appraisal that you will obtain.
	4.	Can I use real estate to fund a life-income gift? In many cases, yes! Real estate is most often placed in a charitable remainder unitrust, which will pay income to you, your spouse, and/or other beneficiaries, and provide you with income and capital gains tax benefits. (For more information on unitrusts, go to gift plan details and sort for unitrusts.)
	5.	Can I place real estate or personal property in a unitrust? In most cases, yes. Remember that an asset like that may not be producing income, and so the unitrust's beneficiaries may receive little or nothing until a sale and re-investment into income-producing assets.

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Answers to Your Prospects' Questions: Real Estate

What are the benefits of donating real estate?

How will you determine if the property I’d like to donate is going to be helpful to your charity?

How will the value of my gift of real estate be determined?

Can I use real estate to fund a life-income gift?

Can I place real estate or personal property in a unitrust?

Ask Brian