The Quietest Exit Most South Florida Estate Owners Have Never Heard Of

Delaware Statutory Trusts and the Tax-Deferral Conversation Changing $30M+ Closings

For many owners of South Florida’s most significant waterfront estates, the moment arrives when the house has served its purpose. The children are grown, the boats are smaller, and the idea of another hurricane season feels heavier than the last. Yet the thought of writing a seven- or eight-figure tax check keeps the for-sale sign permanently in the drawer. That is where the Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) 1031 exchange has quietly changed everything.

Instead of selling and paying up to 35 % in combined federal and state capital gains, depreciation recapture, and net investment income tax, you direct the proceeds from your closing into fractional ownership of institutional-grade real estate—multifamily portfolios, grocery-anchored retail centers, or medical office buildings managed by names like Blackstone, Starwood, Inland, or NexPoint. The IRS treats your beneficial interest exactly like direct ownership, so the exchange is seamless and the tax is deferred—often permanently, because your heirs receive a full step-up in basis at your death.

You trade one concentrated, high-maintenance asset on Hillsboro Mile or Manalapan for diversified, triple-net monthly income with none of the headaches. No more property-tax bills in six figures, no more midnight calls about the generator, and no more worrying whether the next storm surge will rearrange the seawall. At Sea Crown Estates, we include DST planning as a standard part of every eight-figure off-market closing. We earn nothing from the DST sponsors, so the options we present are the same institutional offerings the largest Palm Beach family offices receive—only we deliver them before your property ever leaves the Vault.

If the idea of exiting gracefully, preserving the full pretax value of decades of appreciation, and handing your family liquidity instead of a deed sounds like the right final chapter, let’s talk. The conversation itself disappears the moment we hang up.

Important Disclaimer Gail Kennell and Sea Crown Estates are licensed Florida real estate brokers, not tax attorneys or CPAs. Nothing in this article constitutes tax or legal advice. All 1031 exchange and Delaware Statutory Trust strategies must be reviewed and approved by your own qualified tax and legal advisors before implementation.

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Gail Kennell Principal Broker, Sea Crown Estates  WhatsApp  (954) 410-0162 #WeDoGone