A sale plan that starts from your tax year, not the listing calendar
When you sell interacts with everything else on your return. The plan covers the federal exclusion, the sequencing against other gains, and what the sale does to the estate picture.
What the plan covers
- Section 121 qualification. The federal exclusion shields $250K (single) or $500K (married) of gain when the ownership and use tests are met. We confirm eligibility and, where a move is planned, protect it.
- Sequencing. Scheduling the home sale relative to stock sales so the exempt gain and the taxable gains land in the right years for the household as a whole.
- Improvement spending. Pre-sale work weighed against likely price effect, with contractor-grade estimates rather than guesses.
- The estate picture. For homes above $3M, what the sale does to exposure under the 2025 rules, coordinated with your attorney.
One thing stated plainly: a home sale owes Washington nothing regardless of timing. The federal side and the rest of the household balance sheet are where timing has value.
This is not tax or legal advice. Aditya Kasturi is a licensed real estate broker, not a CPA, attorney, or financial advisor. Figures are illustrative, based on Washington and federal law as understood at the time of writing, and laws change. Confirm any strategy on this page with your CPA and, where relevant, your estate planning attorney before acting.
Common questions
Does Washington tax my home sale at all?
No. Real estate sales are exempt from the state capital gains excise tax at any price. Federal rules still apply, which is where the planning happens.
We've owned for 20 years and the gain is far above $500K. Now what?
The excess above the federal exclusion is taxable federally, which makes basis documentation, improvement records, and sale timing worth real money. Your CPA and I work that file together before listing.
Start with your numbers
Tell me where you are in the decision and I'll come back with real figures, not a pitch.
Selling in the next two years?
The tax planning works best before the listing date is chosen.
Book a Tax-Impact Property Review