FIRPTA Book Table of Contents

This is the table of contents for the FIRPTA ebook I am writing. It will assemble itself over the next several weeks via blog posts. Look for the chapter numbers in the title of the blog post.

This is just a guess and I reserve the right to change the order as I go along. In fact, I pretty much guarantee it will happen.

Send questions, suggestions, and comments. Please. If something is unclear, or if I have skipped something important, let me know so I can fix that. Go to the Contact page for all the ways to reach me.

00 – Disclaimers and other pre-emptive strikes

So you will take responsibility for your own behavior. Read this book for background, but hire someone to help you with your specific investment.

00 – Disclaimers and other pre-emptive strikes

01 – Introduction

An overview of the ebook.

01 – Introduction (part 1) – Overview
01 – Introduction (part 2) – Why the acquisition is so important

02 – Estate tax and the nonresident investor

The estate tax is a tax imposed on a deceased person’s wealth. It is as high as 45% of the value of property owned by that person. Avoiding this tax is perhaps the highest priority for a nonresident investor.
02.01 – Estate tax and the nonresident investor
02.02 – Who is a resident for U.S. estate tax purposes?
02.03 – Assets subject to estate tax; direct ownership, ownership through corporations
02.04 – Real estate held through partnerships
02.05 – Using trusts to prevent estate tax on U.S. real estate

03 – Gift tax and the nonresident investor

The United States imposes a tax on gifts. A nonresident who wishes to give U.S. real estate to a child, for instance, might find this has caused a massive tax–as high as 45% of the value of the property. While you might not plan on making a gift, you should have the flexibility to do so, tax-free, if you choose.

04 – Generation-skipping transfer tax and the nonresident investor

The generation-skipping transfer tax is a tax on property transferred during lifetime or at the time of death, when the recipient is more than a generation younger than you–your grandchild, for instance. For nonresident parents whose children become U.S. residents and plan to stay, this is a critical item to avoid. Otherwise the grandchildren will inherit far less than they should.

05 – Income taxation of rental property

If you buy property and rent it to someone, this is how you are taxed on your rental income, and how you can take advantage of the business expenses you incur to reduce your U.S. tax on rental income.

06 – Income taxation of personal residences and vacant land

If you buy a personal residence or vacant land, there is no rental income, but there are expenses. This chapter discusses what tax treatment is given to your expenses of ownership.

07 – Selling — capital gains taxation

Sooner or later you will sell. This chapter discusses how to calculate your profit and how that profit will be taxed.

08 – Selling — tax withholding rules

In order to ensure that taxes are paid, the U.S. government imposes a 10% (of gross sales price) withholding tax on sale of real estate by nonresidents. This chapter discusses the withholding rules, how you can reduce the withholding, how you can get a refund if appropriate, etc.