Appropriate Business Organizations to Own Real Estate

By Matthew A. Quick For those that have real estate that they wish to be owned by an entity (a good idea for the sake of liability, tax and succession planning), the most beneficial entities to consider are generally neither S Corporations, nor C Corporations. Only a Partnerships or LLCs have the benefit of making a 754 Election, which provides a step up in basis upon the death of an owner. A step up in basis reduces the taxable gain on a future sale, thus reducing the eventual tax.