Do You Have a Real Estate Related Question? I Will Email You an Answer Quickly. As a top Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach real estate expert, it's my job to help! Please take advantage of my experience and knowledge. Ask me anything about: - Any particular home that is or was on the market. - Neighborhoods and local market trends. - Local demographics and the economy. - Tricks and traps when buying real estate in this area. - Special tax considerations regarding real estate. - Specific questions about contracts, escrow, and closings. - Anything real estate! It's my job to know EVERYTHING about real estate! Ask me anything. There are no dumb questions! It's FREE, and I promise to get back to you quickly... 
First Time Buyers >Your Principal Residence
The Federal Tax Code allows married taxpayers to exclude from capital gains taxes up to $500,000 in profits from selling a home (singles can exclude $250,000). In order to qualify for this exemption, you must prove that that the home has been your principal residence for at least two out of the last five years. The establishment of the home as a principal residence depends on the facts of each homeowner's circumstance. Here are two cases to consider.
Homeowner A has lived at 25 Pine Drive for 12 years. Although he stays at his vacation cottage in another town for up to three months out of each year (sometimes more), 25 Pine Drive is his principal residence, where he lives most of the time. When he sells the home, Homeowner A (filing as a single individual) can keep up to $250,000 in tax-free profit.
Homeowner B buys 108 Maple Street, intending to live there. He rents it out while waiting to sell his current home, where he has lived for six years. His principal residence sells at the end of two years. Homeowner B moves into his new house, lives there for three months, and then decides to travel. After a six-month trip, he regrets buying 108 Maple Street and sells it. Even though he has owned the house on Maple Street for over two years, it won't qualify as "owner-occupied", because he only lived in it for a few months. Thus Homeowner B is not eligible to claim the tax exemption when he sells the house on Maple Street.
Consult your tax advisor for advice about your particular circumstance.
|
| Q |
Where is the world's largest wine cellar, and how big is it?
|
| A |
A company in the center of the wine-growing district of South Africa has a cellar that covers an area of 54 acres and has a capacity of 27 million gallons. |
 See More Real Estate Trivia > |
|
|
|
- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
