Husband of 34 years to my college sweetheart, Janet Murphy (@janetmurphydesign on Instagram). Together we have 6 wonderful children from ages 15-31 and 5 grandchildren. I've been a licensed REALTOR since 2003 and broker since 2007. I also am a cost segregation specialist helping building owners and real estate investors maximize their tax deductions, save thousands on their income taxes and increase their cash flow. If you're a building owner you probably haven't done a study...let's connect. There is no obligation. We can run an estimate for you and really every building should be evaluated if the basis is over $150,000. I can work all over the country and not just here in the Upstate. We relocated to Greenville, SC for the lifestyle, lower cost of living, amazing amenities in the area and the growth opportunity for business and real estate. We absolutely love it here!
All opinions are expressly my own and do not represent either eXp Realty LLC, Cost Segregation Services, Inc. or any other company, organization or group that I might be affiliated with.
Real estate investors who are buying and holding long term and mid term rental homes should look at doing cost segregation to saving money on income taxes. I do a lot of studies for real estate investors across the country. We are doing a number of them these days for investors in the Upstate of South Carolina as well as in the state of North Carolina. Upstate CREIA and Carolinas Real Estate Investors Assocation are two outstanding investor associations.
If your property has a cost basis of around $200,000 or more and if you are planning to hold the property for at least another 3 years, it’s highly likely you will stand to benefit from doing a cost segregation study.
The costs will generally range from about $2,200 – $3,500 depending up the size and cost basis of your property and whether or not you’ll need to file an IRS Change of Accounting form 3115. The 3115 form is used to let the IRS know you’re moving from straight line to accelerated depreciation. It’s used all the time. In fact I think we draft about a 1,000 of these each year.
But if you own a property, you might end up saving $5,000 – $10,000 after paying for the cost of the study. This works if you’re profitable and having to pay taxes on your rental income, or if you are considered a full time real estate professional. If your expenses and standard depreciation already wipe out your income, then doing a cost segregation study probably doesn’t make sense to do.
I get asked to come in and present to commercial real estate brokers, financial advisory firms, CPA firms and occasionally a college might ask me to speak to their accounting students. The the folks who are consistently really interested in learning more about cost segregation are the CRE brokers…as well they should.
This is not only easy money but it’s a great value-add service that you can tell your clients about which in turn might lead to another deal. How so? Let’s say you help a buyer purchase a new building. As part of your due diligence, you get an estimate for cost segregation. It’s likely the owner is not familiar with cost segregation. You might end up saving that owner $30, $50, $100k+ on his/her taxes. It might even be enough that they want to buy another building with you. You can earn a referral fee on business you send our way. Of course it’s nowhere near what you earn with real estate commissions but it all helps at the end of the day. Telling your clients about cost segregation and getting them an estimate is a win-win-win for everybody.
I recorded a presentation that I recently used to help educate many commercial real estate brokers. It’s not meant to be an in-depth study of cost segregation but hopefully provides enough of an overview to help you understand the power of cost segregation and why you should have a trusted source to help you and your clients maximize their building’s cash flow while minimizing the taxes for the owner.
Presentation about Cost Segregation for Commercial Real Estate Brokers
Anyone paying attention to Washington DC knows that our elected representatives have not put together a real budget. There is still lots to do when they get back to work 🙂 in early January. One of the things that has been floating around DC is the possible extension of the 100% bonus depreciation rule that was originally put into place by the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017.
Many in commercial real estate and particularly the GPs who run the syndications for multi-family investments have become addicted to the 100% bonus depreciation rule. I like to call it the crack of real estate and tax. In 2023 it has moved to 80% bonus and in 2024 it’s scheduled to drop to 60% bonus depreciation.
Bonus depreciation comes in to play or all property with a class life of 20 years or less. When a cost segregation study is completed, the property that is normally all 39 year if commercial and 27.5 year if multi-family / residential investment, gets reclassified to it’s proper class lives which are 5, 7, 15, and/or 27.5 / 39 years. This allows for a much bigger deduction to be taken early in the life of the ownership of the property.
If you’re looking for cost segregation services or studies in the Upstate of South Carolina, I can help. I’m based in Greenville and work with many building owners in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson to help them with their properties. We have saved owners a small fortune on their income taxes.
Our firm conducts an engineering-based cost segregation study that allows you as the owner to maximize the deductions you might have with your building(s) when it comes to depreciation. Reach out if you’d like a free, no-obligation estimate on what your income tax savings might be if you utilize cost segregation. We can do this on properties if they have been newly acquired as well as those that perhaps you’ve held for a number of years. Call me at 864-276-1448. John Murphy, CSSI.
Industrial Outside Storage or IOS, is a class of property that has become increasingly popular especially in areas where there is a high concentration of warehouses, trucking and supply chain operations. Generally speaking this is a parcel of land where truck trailers are parked.
These IOS’s generally consist of fencing all around the property and then some kind of parking pad – often gravel of sorts. Nearly all of the improvements are land improvements. There will be a small part of it likely identified as utilities which are 39 year class life.
*Let’s say you buy a 5 acre parcel that already is an IOS and you paid $700,000 for it. Maybe you have a land value of $350,000. The remain $350,000 can be studied in a cost segregation study and get that identified properly. That’s not an expensive study. It might cost about $3,000. It’s likely you’ll end up with 90+% that gets identified as 15 year class life because they are land improvements. In 2023, you can take 80% of that in depreciation right away given the bonus depreciation rules.
If you have a property like this, reach out and we can run the numbers for you.
Do you own property on beautiful Lake Keowee in the Upstate of South Carolina? Is it a short-term rental? Long-term rental? Either way, you might benefit by doing cost segregation for tax savings.
I’m based here in the Upstate of South Carolina and work with many owners not only in South Carolina, but across the U.S. to study their investment properties for tax savings that can be the result of applying cost segregation to your properties.
Cost segregation is a tax planning strategy that can be applied to various types of real estate investments, including short-term rental properties. Short-term rentals, such as vacation homes or Airbnb properties, can benefit from cost segregation studies in order to maximize tax deductions and reduce taxable income. Here’s how cost segregation can be applied to short-term rentals:
What is Cost Segregation? Cost segregation is the process of identifying and classifying certain components of a real estate property into shorter depreciation periods for tax purposes. This allows property owners to accelerate their depreciation deductions, which in turn can reduce their taxable income and improve cash flow.
Types of Property Components: Cost segregation typically focuses on reclassifying certain building components from a standard 27.5 or 39-year depreciation period to shorter periods, such as 5, 7, or 15 years. Short-term rental property owners can benefit by reclassifying assets like:
Personal property: Furniture, appliances, fixtures, and equipment.
Land improvements: Landscaping, outdoor lighting, parking lots, and sidewalks.
Tenant improvements: Renovations or improvements made to cater to guests’ needs.
Benefits of Cost Segregation for Short-Term Rentals:
Increased depreciation deductions: By reclassifying assets to shorter depreciation periods, property owners can deduct a larger portion of the property’s cost in the early years, reducing their taxable income.
Improved cash flow: Higher depreciation deductions mean lower taxes, leading to increased cash flow for the property owner.
Enhanced ROI: The upfront tax benefits can significantly improve the return on investment for short-term rental properties.
Cost recovery: Cost segregation can uncover previously overlooked deductions, allowing property owners to amend past tax returns and claim retroactive deductions.
Cost Segregation Study: To implement cost segregation for a short-term rental property, property owners typically hire a qualified cost segregation specialist or firm. The specialist will conduct a thorough study, which involves inspecting the property, identifying eligible components, and preparing a detailed report that outlines the reclassified assets and their respective depreciation periods.
IRS Compliance: It’s important to ensure that the cost segregation study is performed in compliance with IRS regulations and guidelines. The IRS provides detailed guidance on cost segregation in its Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide.
Documentation: Proper documentation is critical when applying cost segregation to short-term rental properties. Property owners should maintain records related to the cost segregation study, including the study report and any supporting documentation.
While cost segregation can provide significant tax benefits for short-term rental property owners, it’s important to work with tax professionals or specialists who are experienced in this area, as it can be complex and requires expertise to maximize its benefits while staying compliant with tax regulations.
Short-term rentals are great candidates for cost segregation. Whether your on the Airbnb, VRBO or some other short-term rental platform, these properties tend to do very well for their owners when it comes to utilizing this tax strategy.
Many of the short-term rentals that I see tend to be nicely finished on the inside and often will have decent land improvements like driveways, patios, outdoor kitchens, docks and extensive landscaping.
How might this work you ask? Let’s say you paid $800,000 for your property that you’ve converted into an Airbnb in 2023. We’ll say the land is $150,000. That leaves you with $650,000 as your basis. (BTW, this math works essentially the same if your Airbnb was 2x as much or 1/2 as much). Of that $650,000, let’s say we identify 20% as 5 year property and 5% as 15 year class life property. That means you can accelerate 25% of the $650,000 or $162,500. In 2023, you can take 80% of that as Bonus Depreciation so you could take a deduction of $130,000. If you made $150,000 in 2023 as your Airbnb income, you could knock that down by $130,000. If you’re at the 32% tax rate, that’s a savings of over $40,000 in income tax savings. A study like this might cost you between $3,500 – $4,000. That’s an expense to you so it nets down to $2,720. Your ROI is about 15:1 or 1,500%.
Owners should always consult with their tax professionals to see if this makes sense for you to do. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss. I’m happy to run a no cost, no obligation analysis / estimate for you. Let’s connect on LinkedIn or find my on Twitter @costsegbuilding.
We have an upcoming free course for CPAs to earn continuing education credit (1.5 hours of CPE) but this will also be a helpful webinar for commercial real estate brokers, commercial bankers and of course, building owners. Commercial building owners should know this information. If you are a residential real estate investor or owner of short-term rentals, this will also be a helpful course.
Prepare for a comprehensive exploration of the intricate world of cost segregation and gain valuable insights to demystify the application of Tangible Property Regulations, resulting in significant reductions in your client’s taxable income. Unlock the artistry behind these regulations to maximize their advantages. We will dissect the most prevalent depreciation and expensing opportunities for clients who own and develop commercial real estate and short-term rentals. Whether it’s Commercial Buildings, Apartment Complexes, Long-Term or Short-Term Rentals, Disposition of Materials, or Interior Renovations, each presents unique opportunities for expensing and accelerating depreciation, provided you have a foundational grasp of the regulations and access to the requisite cost data.
Rather than drowning in the complexities of regulations as is often the case in presentations, we will utilize real-world scenarios encountered by building and short-term rental owners to assist you in crafting a strategy for expensing and accelerating depreciation, including leveraging Bonus Depreciation. An integral aspect of our sessions is addressing your specific queries to empower you in confidently applying these regulations to meet your client’s precise requirements. Hundreds of Tax Professionals have consistently rated CSSI’s team of presenters and content as excellent. We cordially invite you to join us for an engaging 1.5-hour discussion filled with strategic insights and ample time for addressing your inquiries. CPE credits are available for CPAs through our NASBA certified provider.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, attendees will be able to discuss advanced depreciation and expensing strategies related to cost segregation including:
•Common scenarios for expensing and accelerating depreciation using the Tangible Property Regulations and Cost Segregation
•Advantages of Short-Term Rentals
•When to use Bonus Depreciation vs Section 179
•Renovation Depreciation — When to use Partial Asset Disposition (PAD) and Qualified Improvement Property (QIP)
•Grouping OpportunitiesYour clients who own buildings may be eligible for substantial deductions. Grasp the implications in these real-life scenarios to deepen your understanding of strategies and gain a competitive edge, ultimately affording your clients the deductions and cash flow they rightly deserve.
REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS
•You must register for and attend the entire session to receive CPE credit.
•A course evaluation must be completed to receive CPE credit.
•Group attendance will not be recognized. Each attendee must be logged in individually to receive credit.
When you register, you can put my name down as the rep who invited you.
Cost Segregation Explained for Mobile Home and RV Park owners in 2 minutes. These are great assets for cash flow and the depreciation these parks generates is second only to C-stores and tunnel car washes. It’s not uncommon to see 50-90% of the property get reclassified so it can be accelerated.
What does this mean? Let’s say you purchased an RV Park for $2.5MM and the land is worth $500,000. That leaves you with a cost of $2MM which as it sits is 27.5 year property. But what if you could reclassify 75% of it by doing cost segregation? That’s $1.5MM in property that has been reclassified as either 5 or 15 year property. In 2023 you can take 80% bonus depreciation. So the owner could get a depreciation expense of $1.2MM in year one of owning the property. If he/she took straightline 27.5 year deprecation without cost segregation, the depreciation expense would be a maximum of about $72,000 that first year depending upon when they put it into service.
Remember that cost segregation is based upon cost and not appraised value. If you have a property that you paid $200,000 for 20 years ago and now it’s worth $1.5MM, a study isn’t going to help you much unless you’ve done a ton of improvements along the way. What we are seeing is a number of these parks are either being developed or they are trading hands. Once that happens, the new owners should definitely look at doing cost segregation.
I work all over the U.S. in all 50 states and get calls from all over the place to help with cost segregation not only on these assets but all types of commercial property. I’d be happy to talk with you at no charge and if you’d like our team to run the numbers for you, just let me know. Connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.
BizNow has a details on it as well. It’s a great concept and one that I think other developers could mimic. When do we start to see these in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Atlanta and Nashville?
