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The Federal Tax Code has significantly improved the American taxpayer's ability to profit by selling a principal residence. Prior to 1997, homeowners could take advantage of a tax benefit termed the "rollover", which granted exemption from capital gains taxes on the net profit from the sale of a home. Homeowners who used profits to purchase a bigger and better home did not have to pay tax. And homeowners over the age of 55 were given a once-in-a-lifetime exclusion from taxes on profits of up to $125,000 on the sale of their principal residence.

Compare those tax breaks with our current, streamlined and potentially more profitable arrangement that replaced both the rollover and the one-time exemption. If you are a married home-seller filing jointly, you may enjoy up to $500,000 in tax-free home sale profits, provided you have occupied the property as your principal residence during two of the last five years. Taxpayers who file singly get a $250,000 capital gains exclusion. Homeowners are eligible to exclude capital gains on the sale of a principal residence as often as once every two years.

The law allows capital gain exclusions whether you "buy up" to a more expensive home or "buy down" to a less expensive one. The tax-free dollars can be used in any way you want. Consult your tax advisor for detailed advice about your particular circumstance.

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The Danley - Golding Jones Team
Sotheby's International Realty
200 Clocktower Suite 100D
Carmel, CA 93923
831-601-5355
Fax: 831-855-0210
christinadanley@NUMBER1EXPERT.com

Christina has been a broker associate since 1987. She values her clients and makes their needs and their investment's potential the priority. She has listed and sold single-family homes and condominiums throughout the Monterey County area and specializes in Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Carmel, Carmel Valley and Monterey. Christina earned the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation, which distinguishes a higher level of education in real estate and a professional affiliation affording up-to-the-minute industry information and local market knowledge. She is the proud receiver of the John Leo Award, in recognition of top sales volume within the Monterey County Association of Realtors, for 1998. Her background includes 20 years of management in the hotel and restaurant business as well. She holds a lifetime limited service credential for California Community Colleges and was honored with the Papa Vince award for excellence in hospitality. Courtney was born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula. She attended local schools Santa Catalina Lower School and Robert Louis Stevenson Upper School. She has always been surrounded by real estate as her mother, Stacey Golding, worked for the Mitchell Group (now Sotheby's) and her husband is a commercial real estate agent. Courtney attended Santa Clara University, graduating Cum Laude with a major in finance and a minor in art history. She then spent the next 8 years in San Francisco working as a finance and accounting recruiter for a nationwide firm, Kforce Professional Staffing. She was a top producer for the company, consistently achieving platinum status.

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