Investing in friend's business

If you are considered a real estate professional and filing a Schedule C, you can deduct the taxes and insurance. If you are not, you must wait until you sell the property.

 

Since this was purchased as an investment to fix and resell, you add the carrying costs including mortgage interest, property taxes and rehab expenses to the basis of the property. When you sell it, all of these costs (and others from the purchase) become part of the adjusted basis for determining gain or loss on the property. Property taxes are added to the basis and are not deductible on Schedule A since they are considered a business expense, not a personal one, because of the status as an investment property.

 

Next year you will report the sale under the investment section unless you are considered a real estate professional; if you need directions at that time, please post a new question.  Until the property is sold, you do not report any expenses from the purchase or updates you have completed except as noted above for real estate professionals.

 

Creating a partnership is out of my scope for a recommendation and I would advise you to talk to an attorney and review the links below.

 

-for more information follow these links-

5 Tax Implications and Tips if You Flip Things for Profit | The ..

Limited Liability Company Taxes - TurboTax Tax Tips & Videos

 

Super helpful, Ray.  Thank you so much.

You may want to look into the two (or more if applicable) of you establishing a partnership on this. A partnership files a 1065 partnership return and issues each partner a K-1 showing that partner's expenses, gains and losses on the sale. Makes things significantly easier at tax filing time, and a whole lot simpler too.

Just my two cents.

 

Thank you for the help Carl.  I was thinking along those lines, but you've helped to clarify and confirm my choice.