I purchased a mobile home for my daughter while she attended college. The mobile home park required it to be "owner occupied" so she was put on the deed as a 50% owner. We sold it for a good profit after she graduated. I put a lot of money (and sweat) into improvements, but we still had a net gain.
Since she lived in it, she gets to avoid paying taxes on her gains. If we were 50% owners, can I deduct the expenses for upgrades alone to lower my 50% of the capital gains? I'm guessing I cannot deduct any of my labor?
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Since you paid for the cost of the improvements, you can add that cost to your 50% of the basis of the property. This will help to reduce your gain from selling your 50%.
Your guess is correct, you cannot include any cost for the labor that you put into the improvements.
Just to clarify, can I deduct from MY half of the gain?
Example: If the cost was $20, and we sold it for $100. There was a gain of $80. If we split that gain evenly, we each made $40. But if I paid $30 for improvements, our shared gain would only be $50 and I would still owe $25 in capital gains taxes.
Is it OK, to have our shared gain be the $80, which is $40 each and then I subtract the $30 in improvements I paid for so that her gain remains $40 and my gain is reduced to $10? She is exempt because she lived there. I'm not, but I paid for the improvements.
That's the general idea. The math is a little different, but the result is the same.
Using your numbers, here is what your portion would look like:
Your share of the cost (original basis of the property) = $10
Add the cost of improvements that you paid, $30 for improvements + $10 for your share of the cost = $40. This is your adjusted basis in your share of the property.
Property sold for $100, your share is $50.
Your gain is your share of the proceeds minus your adjusted cost basis, or $50 - $40 = $10.
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