Case Studies

Real-world case studies showing how investors used 1031 exchanges, including lessons learned and outcomes.

Essential reading

California Landlord Story: How Maria Deferred $180K in Taxes

Maria sold a rental home in San Francisco and used a 1031 exchange to defer $180K in California taxes. Here's exactly how she did it.

12 min readRead article

Reverse Exchange Case Study: Buying the Replacement Before Selling

David and Linda found their dream property but their current building wasn't sold yet. A reverse exchange let them lock in the replacement while they completed the sale. Here's how it worked and what they learned.

9 min readRead article

Boot Mistake Case Study: When an Investor Accidentally Triggered Tax

Karen thought she was doing everything right, but she accidentally triggered tax on $50,000 of gain by not paying attention to both property value and debt in her exchange. Here's what went wrong and how to avoid it.

8 min readRead article

All articles

Retiree Passive Transition Case Study: From Duplex to DST Portfolio

A 68-year-old landlord tired of tenant calls exchanged her duplex into a diversified DST portfolio. Here's how she found peace in passive income.

11 min read

Improvement Exchange Case Study: Adding Value by Day 180

James sold an office building and identified a property that needed renovation. He used his 1031 exchange proceeds to fund $350,000 in improvements before Day 180, capturing the full tax deferral on the enhanced value.

8 min read

Partnership Split Case Study: Two Partners Wanted Different Things

Michael and Steve co-owned a $2.4M warehouse as partners. When Michael wanted to cash out and Steve wanted to exchange, they had to restructure their entity before the sale. Here's how they navigated the "same taxpayer" rule and why timing mattered.

9 min read

Commercial Investor Consolidation Case Study: From 4 Strip Malls to 2 DSTs

How a burned-out landlord consolidated four aging strip malls into two passive DST investments, simplified his business, and reduced his workload dramatically.

11 min read