Have You Thought About Leaving Your House To Charity?
The San Francisco Zoo thinks you should and they want to be the beneficiary

Aug 20 | archive | subscribe

There can be significant advantages to using property as a charitable gift and the San Francisco Zoo is just one Bay Area nonprofit that is asking it’s donors to support them by making a bequest of real estate.

Real estate and other planned gifts can have rewarding tax benefits and a profound impact on an organizations future. If the goal is to avoid capital gains tax on the sale of a home or other real estate, the Zoo says you can donate the property to them, or sell it to them at a bargain. The benefits, they say, include an income tax reduction plus reduction or elimination of capital gains tax.

One donor who took the Zoo up on their request says that after her husband died, her old house became a burden. “The house was too big, too old and even a bit lonely.” She said the gains were three fold. “I avoided a taxable capital gain, I get the income from the trust for life and the organization receives the remainder of the trust.”

Find out how the gift of real estate can have a significant impact over the years on an organization and even your own pocket book - perhaps more than you could have imagined. sfzoo.org