Buying US vacant land in Louisiana - John McKilligan -

 

reply to the reply below

Hi David,
 
I've worked with John as his client and now business advisor since 1991 when there was Centa Realty!  So technically, you had my listing in West Van.  John suggested I ask you a question (and say "Hello").  Am thinking about paying cash for a piece of land in the United States.  No mortgage, no rental income, few if any visits to the property...what happens?  More specifically - do I pay purchase tax?  do i pay a sales tax/capital gains in a few years when it sells?
 
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david ingram replies:

Every Province in Caanda has different real estate laws.

BC and Ontario have a  propery purchase tax.

BC restricts rentals in strata title buildings

PEI has a non-resident restriction on ownership as does Australia.

Every state in the US has different laws with Vermont and Californis (as an example) having an alternative minimum tax on Real Estate profits.

Florida, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Texas, Wyoming have no personal state return while Tennessee only taxes interest and dividends and New hampshire only taxes self-employed business profits.

The rest and the federal government all tax real estate profits and capital gains.

And the above answer is always subject to change,.  When i started in this busienss only about 17 states had income tax and new 43 do.

I do not know of any property purchase taxes in the US but I am sure at least one jurisdiction will have one.

If you want to install a cuilvert, etc, yourself to gain access or drain it and it is a recreational site for you to go and park your motorhome on for weekends, you can do that.

If the intent is to hold for future commercial resale, you can NOT even cut down a tree or install a number on the fence (if there is already a fence since you cannot build a fence wither).

.This older question about doing something to a building, etc, will also help.
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QUESTION: Hello David,I'm living in Vancouver, finally paid off the student debt but don't see myself getting into
the expensive Vancouver market. I do however like to ski and was thinking of buying an
inexpensive trailer (25k Cdn) in Maple Falls Washington.
 
However I'm not sure what other expensives I should expect given that it's in the US.
I'm not trying to make this an investment with a high return, but I would like to do some
handy work to it to increase the value. If I add about 10k worth of value, how would that
affect my taxes in the long term? Thanks for the advice.
----------------------------------------------david ingram replies:One of my favourite weekends ever was in 1973 at the Chandelier (think it has a different name now) when marooned at SnowLine  because of the gas shortage when one could only buy gas on odd days if your licence pklatre ende dwith an odd number and even days when it was an even number.Strangely, it was that weekend 34 years ago that lets me answer you question now.The cabin I was staying in was not a rental but was built by the fellow who owned it.  When he was building it, buddies would come down and help him and one weekend, the INS raided the spot and deported a bunch of his friends for working in the US . He was fine building it because he owned it but no one else can hammer a nail, paint a board, install a sink, or carry a shingle if they are not either an owner or a legal US citizen or US resident with a green card.If your buddy is working and living inthe US with a TN, H1, O1, P1, L1 or any other visa but a green card, they cam NOT help you either.And, if you are intending to rent the trailer out 'EVER', 'you' can NOT hammer a nail, sweep the front steps or clean the toilet.Assuming you are buying this trailer on its own lot, when you go to sell, you will owe the US income tax on the profit.If it is your only pioece of real estate at that time, you will not owe Canada any tax because you can claim it as your personal residence if you have not bought another place. -------------------However, I would far prefer that you stretched your resources to buy something in Canada to live in and combine your present rent and the payments you would have to make for the trailer to buy your home in Canada. If you can't afford a one bedroom, buy a studio.  Go down to Ikea onteh Lougheed highway and look at how much they can put into a small space.  Interestingly, I read the other day that Ikea has now sold enough furniture in North america that 10% of all children are conceived in an Ikea Bed.  Now that is information worth knowing.Good luck ----------------------------------------
 
- size=3>xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Thanks for the reply and information David.  I'll explore a Louisiana tax laws a little further.  Interested in New Orleans and a few vacant lots (after the flood) that we saw on our last visit.
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david ingram replies
 
-YOU CAN FIND THE RULES FROM THE REALTOR SIDE IN LOUISIANA AT: http://www.lrec.state.la.us/default.htm
 
Greg Samuels at 604-742-4242 is a Vancouver lawyer who is licenced to practice in Louisiana and is from New Orleans. Louisiana Law is based upon the Napoleonic code and has different nuances than most of the other states.
 
Be careful.  Louisiana is full of tax lien sales at the moment.  Most of them a dangerous thing to buy.http://www.rogueinvestor.com/Tax_Sales/Louisiana/index_tax_sales_louisiana.html -----------------------------
David Ingram wrote:
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It is very unlikely that blind or unexpected email to me will be answered.  I receive anywhere from 100 to 700  unsolicited emails a day and usually answer anywhere from 2 to 20 if they are not from existing clients.  Existing clients are advised to put their 'name and PAYING CUSTOMER' in the subject and get answered first.  I also refuse to be a slave to email and do not look at it every day and have never ever looked at it when i am out of town. 

However, I regularly search for the words"PAYING CUSTOMER" and always answer them first if they did not get spammed out. As an example, as I write this on June 28th, since June 16th (12 days), my 'spammed out' box has 7,118 unread messages, my deleted box has 2630 I have actually looked at and deleted and I have answerd 63 email questions I have answered for clients and strangers.  I have also put aside 446 messages that I am maybe going to try and answer because they look interesting.

 
Therefore, if an email is not answered in 24 to 36 hours, it is lost in space.  You can try and resend it but if important, you will have to phone to make an appointment.  Gillian Bryan generally accepts appointment requests for me between 10:30 AM and 4:00 PM Monday to Friday VANCOUVER (Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles) time at (604) 980-0321

David Ingram's US / Canada Services
US / Canada / Mexico tax, Immigration and working Visa Specialists
US / Canada Real Estate Specialists
My Home office is at:
4466 Prospect Road
North Vancouver,  BC, CANADA, V7N 3L7
Cell (604) 657-8451 -
(604) 980-0321 Fax (604) 980-0325

Calls welcomed from 10 AM to 9 PM 7 days a week  Vancouver (LA) time -  (please do not fax or phone outside of those hours as this is a home office)
 
 
Disclaimer:  This question has been answered without detailed information or consultation and is to be regarded only as general comment.   Nothing in this message is or should be construed as advice in any particular circumstances. No contract exists between the reader and the author and any and all non-contractual duties are expressly denied. All readers should obtain formal advice from a competent and appropriately qualified legal practitioner or tax specialist for expert help, assistance, preparation, or consultation  in connection with personal or business affairs such as at www.centa.com. If you forward this message, this disclaimer must be included."
 
David Ingram gives expert income tax & immigration help to non-resident Americans & Canadians from New York to California to Mexico  family, estate, income trust trusts Cross border, dual citizen - out of country investments are all handled with competence & authority.
 
Phone consultations are $400 for 15 minutes to 50 minutes (professional hour). Please note that GST is added if product remains in Canada or is to be returned to Canada or a phone consultation is in Canada.
 
This is not intended to be definitive but in general I am quoting $800 to $2,800 for a dual country tax return.
 
$800 would be one T4 slip one W2 slip one or two interest slips and you lived in one country only - no self employment or rentals or capital gains - you did not move into or out of the country in this year.
 
$1,000 would be the same with one rental
 
$1,200 would be the same with one business no rental
 
$1,200 would be the minimum with a move in or out of the country. These are complicated because of the back and forth foreign tax credits. - The IRS says a foreign tax credit takes 1 hour and 53 minutes.
 
$1,500 would be the minimum with a rental or two in the country you do not live in or a rental and a business and foreign tax credits  no move in or out

$1,600 would be for two people with income from two countries

$2,800 would be all of the above and you moved in and out of the country.
 
This is just a guideline for US / Canadian returns
 
We will still prepare Canadian only (lives in Canada, no US connection period) with two or three slips and no capital gains, etc. for $150.00 up.
 
With a Rental for $350
 
A Business for $350 - Rental and business likely $450
And an American only (lives in the US with no Canadian income or filing period) with about the same things in the same range with a little bit more if there is a state return.
 
Moving in or out of the country or part year earnings in the US will ALWAYS be $800 and up.
 
TDF 90-22.1 forms are $50 for the first and $25.00 each after that when part of a tax return.
 
8891 forms are generally $50.00 to $100.00 each.
 
18 RRSPs would be $900.00 - (maybe amalgamate a couple)
 
Capital gains *sales)  are likely $50.00 for the first and $20.00 each after that.
 
Just a guideline not etched in stone. 
 
This from "ask an income trusts tax and immigration expert" from www.centa.com or www.jurock.com or www.featureweb.com. David Ingram deals on a daily basis with expatriate tax returns with multi jurisdictional cross and trans border expatriate problems  for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, United Kingdom, Kuwait, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, China, New Zealand, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, Georgia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Scotland, Ireland, Hawaii, Florida, Montana, Morocco, Israel, Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mali, Bangkok, Greenland, Iceland, Cuba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados, St Vincent, Grenada,, Virgin Islands, US, UK, GB, and any of the 43 states with state tax returns, etc. Rockwall, Dallas, San Antonio Houston, Denmark, Finland, Sweden Norway Bulgaria Croatia Income Tax and Immigration Tips, Income Tax  Immigration Wizard Antarctica Rwanda Guru  Consultant Specialist Section 216(4) 216(1) NR6 NR-6 NR 6 Non-Resident Real Estate tax specialist expert preparer expatriate anti money laundering money seasoning FINTRAC E677 E667 105 106 TDF-90 Reporting $10,000 cross border transactions Grand Cayman Aruba Zimbabwe South Africa Namibia help USA US Income Tax Convention

David Ingram expert income tax and immigration help and preparation of US Canada Mexico non-resident and cross border returns with rental dividend wages self-employed and royalty foreign tax credits family estate trust trusts income tax convention treaty

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