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"bi‚fur‚cate: verb, meaning to divide into two parts." "Bifurcate" in real estate terms means to divide into two closings. Bifurcating your closing can result in some serious 1031 benefits for you. In the correct situation it can really supercharge your exchange.

Let's take a hypothetical situation and let me show you how this works: Let's say that you are selling a large piece of land for $10 million. This land is composed of two parcels: one 20 acre and one 30 acre for a total of 50 acres.One of the requirements for a 1031 exchange is that within 45 days you have to identify a list of properties you might buy. If your list has three properties or less, there are no limitations. However, if your list exceeds three properties, you are subject to the "200 Percent Rule" of Section 1031, which requires that the combined total purchase price of everything on your list can not exceed twice the selling price of the Old Property.

A 1031 exchange is a valuable tax shelter when you sell investment or business property. Instead of just selling, you take the money you had invested in your Old Property and reinvest in a New Property ("exchanging" the Old for the New) through a Qualified Intermediary (or Q.I.), following I.R.S. guidelines.

Pay attention to the term "New." To complete a 1031 exchange that will qualify under the rules, you have to acquire a property that is new to you -- meaning, you can't apply your sale proceeds to a property you already own, or even a property that you have owned any time in the past 18 months. This means you can't have an exchange if you ever own the Old and New Properties simultaneously.

A couple of months ago, you discovered a real diamond-in-the-rough -- a good house in serious disrepair. Upon closer inspection, you realize that all of the problems are merely cosmetic. With a little money and hard work, this ugly duckling can become a beautiful, and highly lucrative, swan.

So, you acquire the property, perform your work, and a couple of months later, you list the property for sale. Happily, you soon receive a full-price offer-- netting you a sizeable profit! Not so happily, you discover that short-term capital gains taxes will eat a huge chunk of your earnings! What to do?

Take heart - all is no lost. You may be able to do a 1031 Exchange. However, a "fix-and-flip" must be structured in exactly the right manner to potentially qualify for a 1031 Exchange. And, even then, performing a 1031 Exchange on a "fix-and-flip" is a risky proposition because of the very nature of the "flip," or quick resale.

Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code allows you to roll the gain from the sale of your Old Property to the purchase of your New Property -- and not pay any capital gains taxes! To do this, you have to jump through certain hoops.

We've talked in Part 1 about how your property has to be held for investment or business use, and that it can not be held for resale (like a developer or fix-&-flips). We talked in Part 2 about your requirement to identify and list potential replacement properties for your exchange within 45 days of the closing of your sale of the Old Property. In Part 3 we talked about the requirement that you purchase your replacement property within 180 days of the sale of your Old Property, and that you must buy at least one of the properties listed on your 45 Day List.