Non Real Estate Related Blog - Iowa Political Campaigns - 12/31/07 03:36 PM
As an Iowan, I think I owe it to the rest of you to try to give you some idea of what's happening in this state with everybody and his brother (or sister) trying to become the presidential nominee for their particular party. Let me give you a summary of the situation - IT'S NUTS!!
The caucus is this Thursday night, and after that we can all go back to being normal, boring Iowans, and the national media can forget about us. This morning, our house received no fewer than three phone calls before noon, all from very nice people purporting to … (9 comments)

"Home Prices Fall by Record 6.7%" - What Do You Think? - 12/27/07 09:24 PM
The headline in the Des Moines Register Business section today says, "Home prices fall by a record 6.7%." That's in October year-over-year terms, according to the article. The story also notes that October was the 23rd consecutive month during which prices either fell or grew more slowly than they did in the previous month. 
According to this article, the previous record decline was 6.3% in April of 1991. On another sunny note, an economist named Patrick Newport with an outfit called Global Insight says that home prices could fall another 10% over the next 12-18 months.  
Okay, so that wasn't … (5 comments)

Happy Holidays - 12/26/07 04:52 PM
I feel like I'm just getting started here at activerain, but I wanted to wish anyone who reads this a very Merry Christmas (a day late), a Happy New Year, and happy holidays regardless of what you happen to celebrate. Special wishes to anyone who is spending the holidays away from home serving in the military or in public service of any sort. Be safe and come home soon. 
Here's wishing a wonderful 2008 to all regardless of the market conditions. Remember the words of someone who's on the radio quite a lot: something along the lines of "There may be a … (6 comments)

Iowa Farmland Sees Its Greatest Increase in Value Since 1976 - 12/19/07 05:22 PM
According to the Des Moines Register, Iowa farmland prices set a record this year for the fifth year in a row. The average price of farmland in Iowa is now $3,908 per acre. This is based upon an annual survey conducted and released by the Iowa State University Extension.
Here’s the big news - $3,908 per acre is a 22% increase over last year’s average, which is the largest one-year increase since 1976. Pretty sweet ROI, huh?
Why would this be, in this era of slow real estate markets? Two reasons, according to the survey respondents:
Higher corn and soybean prices … (6 comments)

Update on the Farm Bill and Its Impact on Section 1031 - 12/19/07 04:59 PM
A little over a month ago, I wrote a blog about Section 12504 of the Farm Bill that was under consideration by the Senate at the time. (You can read it here.) The focus of the blog was the general impact on Section 1031 that a particular subsection of the bill might have. The gist of the whole thing was that the proposal sought to redefine the concept of "like-kind" property, which until now has had a very broad definition when it comes to real estate.  (You can exchange raw land for an apartment building, three rental houses for an industrial … (30 comments)

Dealer Property Issues—Property Held for Sale - 12/17/07 05:03 PM
There is often confusion when it comes to defining what property qualifies for an exchange. Sometimes it is easier to describe situations that do not qualify. Real estate that is owned as “stock in trade or other property primarily for sale” cannot be exchanged. This type of property is deemed to be that of a dealer, which is held for sale to customers during the ordinary course of business. This type of sale is taxed as ordinary income.
SUBSTANTIATING THE INVESTMENT INTENT
The defining factor for qualification for a §1031 exchange is the taxpayer’s “intent” at the time of purchase. Was … (4 comments)

The Anatomy of a Simple Exchange Transaction - 12/11/07 07:28 PM
One of the most common questions I get asked is something along the lines of "Can you just explain to me how an exchange actually works?" Just as no two real estate sales are identical, no two exchanges are the same. What this blog attempts to do, however, is present the steps of a typical delayed exchange transaction in a simplified format. A basic exchange is actually a fairly simple process, but many, many considerations must be made in order to ensure that the exchange is done properly to qualify for tax deferral.
THE FIRST STEP
The first step of a … (6 comments)