How Are Businesses Using Build-to-Suit Exchanges?

Let’s say you own a small business in an area that used to be industrial but has since become gentrified over the past several decades (for example, near the Wedge Co-Op in Minneapolis). Your business may not fit that neighborhood any longer. The structure may also be too small for your growing business. Many such businesses (light industrial, semi-manufacturing businesses) are moving out of Minneapolis proper and going to northern suburbs like Ramsey, St. Cloud and the like.

These businesses are buying land in these areas and building new facilities that are more expansive and built to allow them to do more business. They’re selling high in Minneapolis, taking their tax-deferred dollars to an area where their buying power is better, and building new facilities that allow them to be more productive.

A build-to-suit is a great tool to have at your disposal if you want to defer the capital gains tax on the sale and also build the replacement property to your specifications.

1031 Exchange Help

At CPEC1031, LLC we offer assistance to taxpayers conducting like-kind exchanges of real estate under section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. We can help you make informed decisions about your 1031 exchange and make sure you are able to defer 100% of your capital gains tax burden. With over two decades of experience, our qualified intermediaries are well-equipped to handle all aspects of your like-kind exchange from start to finish. Reach out today to set up a time to chat with one of our team members and get started with your next 1031 exchange.

• Start Your 1031 Exchange: If you have questions about 1031 exchanges, feel free to call me at 612-643-1031.

Defer the tax. Maximize your gain.

© 2025 Copyright Jeffrey R. Peterson All Rights Reserved

Inter-Family Related Party 1031 Exchanges

The 1031 exchange related party rules were imposed to prevent mega corporations from engaging in abusive basis shifting. But the IRS applied these rules across the board, even to small Mom & Pop 1031 exchanges.

Related Party Exchange Example

There was a taxpayer who identified three properties (the third property being his mother’s home). For various reasons, the first two identified properties became unavailable so his last available option was to acquire the third identified property (his mother’s home). The taxpayer deferred his taxes on the exchange and the mother didn’t pay any taxes either since it was her primary residence. This was the perfect storm for the IRS – a related party transaction in which nobody paid any taxes. They assumed it was a scheme to avoid the imposition of tax. The IRS went after the taxpayer and ultimately won, which totally muddied the waters in terms of what is and is not permissible.

Historically, the IRS has been pretty tough on smaller investors like this. But more recently, the IRS has issued a number of private letter rulings that seem much more lenient for smaller investors.

Find a 1031 Exchange Company Near You

Find a 1031 exchange company near you to get started on the road to tax deferral under section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. CPEC1031, LLC employs skilled qualified intermediaries with more than two decades of experience in the 1031 exchange industry. We are here to guide you through the like-kind exchange process and make sure you are able to defer 100% of your capital gains taxes. To learn more and set up a time to chat with one of our team members, reach out today!

• Start Your 1031 Exchange: If you have questions about 1031 exchanges, feel free to call me at 612-643-1031.

Defer the tax. Maximize your gain.

© 2025 Copyright Jeffrey R. Peterson All Rights Reserved

Keeping Things Separate in a Like-Kind Exchange Transaction

If you want to sell an industrial building and exchange it for an apartment building in a 1031 transaction, can you reside in one of the units of your replacement property apartment building?

This is a bit of a gray area. Theoretically, you can mix the use of the 1031 exchange replacement property. However, in general it’s not a good idea to get cute with the IRS by “crossing the streams” like this. It’s much safer (from a 1031 exchange perspective) to keep your 1031 exchange separate from your personal residence.

Let’s say a taxpayer wants to buy a farm with 78 tillable acres and a farmhouse that they want to live in. You can use 1031 monies and non-1031 monies to buy the whole thing, but it would be better and cleaner if you could break these into two separate transactions: a 1031 exchange for the tillable acres, and a separate straight forward purchase of the farmhouse. That keeps all the monies separate and distinct and leaves no room for confusion when it comes time to report it to the IRS. 

Set Up Your 1031 Exchange for Success

Set your 1031 exchange up for success by contacting a 1031 exchange intermediary to discuss the details of your next exchange. CPEC1031, LLC has been working on 1031 exchanges of all types for more than two decades. Our team is on hand to assist you through every stage of your 1031 exchange transaction. Reach out today to set up a time to chat about your upcoming 1031 exchange of investment real estate.

• Start Your 1031 Exchange: If you have questions about 1031 exchanges, feel free to call me at 612-643-1031.

Defer the tax. Maximize your gain.

© 2025 Copyright Jeffrey R. Peterson All Rights Reserved

Determining Value in a 1031 Exchange

Let’s say you have a property with a five-year lease that contains a right of first refusal to buy it. Within that lease it says on day one you can buy the property for $2 million but by the time you sell the property it’s worth $2.5 million. What establishes value for 1031 exchange purposes? Is it the amount that the taxpayer paid for the property or the higher, future valuation?

We did a deal in which the taxpayer bought their replacement property in downtown Minneapolis and they needed to buy a more expensive property. So as part of the transaction, we held it in a parking arrangement while doing a construction exchange and ultimately attached that building to the skyway system. The costs to construct the skybridge were not much but then the client hired an appraiser to establish a value that was even higher than what they paid out for the actual cost for constructing improvements.

The IRS would likely prefer to have the lower number used (the amount that was actually paid for improvements) but a judge might side with the higher value since it truly did enhance the value of the property after making this exchange.

1031 Exchange Professionals

If you have questions about determining value in your 1031 exchange, don’t hesitate to reach out to a 1031 exchange professional at CPEC1031, LLC. Our qualified intermediaries have more than twenty years of experience facilitating like-kind exchanges of real estate. We know the 1031 exchange process inside and out and can help you make the most informed decisions possible.

• Start Your 1031 Exchange: If you have questions about 1031 exchanges, feel free to call me at 612-643-1031.

Defer the tax. Maximize your gain.

© 2025 Copyright Jeffrey R. Peterson All Rights Reserved

Do You Need a Certificate of Occupancy in a 1031 Construction Exchange?

In a 1031 construction exchange, do you need to have a certificate of occupancy before the end of your 1031 exchange period?

The short answer is no. You do not need to have a certificate of occupancy. Whatever exists as real estate, exists as real estate – that’s all that matters from the 1031 exchange perspective.

When a qualified intermediary parks a property on behalf of a taxpayer in a 1031 exchange, they often form one or more single-purpose LLCs in which to park the property in question. To transfer that property to the taxpayer, all the intermediary needs to do is re-assign the LLC membership interest to the taxpayer. For tax purposes, this is as good as deeding the property to the taxpayer. The good news is, you don’t have to go to the county recorder, show a certificate of occupancy, or anything similar.

The Contract for Deed Option

We’ve had people come to us on day 178 of their 180 day exchange period and inform us that the developer hasn’t completed the planned construction on the replacement property. In this situation, we can get a contract for deed, get the equitable title of whatever construction is completed transferred to the vendee. Even though you can’t record a deed, the contract for deed will suffice.

Find out if You Qualify for 1031 Exchange

Find out if you qualify for 1031 exchange treatment today by contacting the intermediaries at CPEC1031, LLC. Our team has been working with taxpayers throughout the United States on like-kind exchanges of all shapes and sizes for over two decades. Let us guide you through your next 1031 exchange and start deferring your capital gains taxes when you sell qualifying investment property. Contact us today at our Minneapolis office to learn more and get your 1031 exchange up and running.

• Start Your 1031 Exchange: If you have questions about 1031 exchanges, feel free to call me at 612-643-1031.

Defer the tax. Maximize your gain.

© 2025 Copyright Jeffrey R. Peterson All Rights Reserved