Cost Segregation

A company's real estate holdings typically make up a substantial part of its assets. Cost segregation analyzes the individual components of a real estate portfolio, segregating the costs as personal property, land improvements or building assets. The accelerated depreciation resulting from the study markedly decreases income taxes and increases cash flow.

Real-estate investments best suited for a cost segregation study include all post-1986 real-estate construction, building acquisitions or improvements, new buildings under construction, the purchase or acquisition of existing property, existing buildings undergoing renovation or expansion, and office leasehold improvements and "fit-outs."

Reclassifying elements of a building from a thirty-nine year to a five year recovery period typically results in a NPV benefit of 21 cents for each reclassified dollar. Seven or fifteen year reclassification typically results in 19 and 11 cents NPV benefits, respectively. Actual NPV savings will vary depending on corporate discount and effective tax rates.