Opportunity zones are economically distressed areas that require an influx of cash or investment to revitalize the community. Opportunity zones aim to generate economic growth in these areas, resulting in more jobs. To this end, the government has incentivized investments in these areas to encourage investors. If you’re wondering whether opportunity zones may be an excellent addition to your portfolio, take the time to understand how it works. That will help you arrive at wiser investment decisions.
Is the Community Recognized?
It’s not enough to invest funds in poor communities. Make sure you check if those communities are recognized as opportunity zones. That’s where expert advice comes in. Look for a real estate investment firm that can provide critical information. That includes information on which communities are recognized as opportunity zones. Don’t get taken in by scams that ask you to invest in a low-income property because of the opportunity zones. Check if the property is recognized as an opportunity business zone before moving forward.
How are Opportunity Zones Created?
State governors can nominate communities that may be officially designated as opportunity zones. However, these nominations are limited. Most of the work falls to the secretary of the treasury, as they send the certification and nomination of an opportunity zone. That is because of the delegation of the IRS or Internal Revenue Service. If you want to learn more about the designation process, read through the information on the IRS site. Now that you know how an opportunity zone is created, the next thing to understand is an opportunity fund. You can’t purchase shares in the opportunity zone directly. You need to use an opportunity fund to invest money in the properties. No worries, though. The process is relatively simple. And with plenty of how-to guides and tutorials online, you should be more than all right.
How to Invest in Opportunity Zones?
You can allocate capital to any asset you want. If you’re interested in opportunity zones, check the fine print. Some want opportunity zones only for the short-term. Not everyone is willing to hold their investments for years. But reading the fine print will tell you that holding the investment for five years is the only way to get the 10 percent adjustment to the investment amount. In short, you get tax perks but only if you hold the investment long enough. If you’re not ready for the time commitment, you may want to consider other investment options and vehicles.
Where are Opportunity Zones Located?
In the United States, there are 8,764 opportunity zones, which is about 12 percent of all the census tracts. Many of the regions on the list are on the list because they’ve lacked investment funding for decades. If you’re wondering whether they are all in the urban or rural areas, a little over 23 percent of the properties are in rural areas. That means the rest are in urban areas, which can increase your chances of success in these regions, especially if you want to invest in urban communities.
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Here’s a quick summary of how the Opportunity Zone program works and what investors need to know:
The Opportunity Zone program was created by President Donald Trump in 2018 to help stimulate economic growth by encouraging investors to put their money into areas that are distressed or have less-than-average investment.
The Opportunity Zone Program is designed to provide special tax incentives for investors to purchase distressed properties, which have seen better days.
Opportunity Zones were created to encourage business owners to invest in areas that are struggling economically.
Investors that purchase these distressed properties are able to receive tax breaks.
It’s also important to note that the IRS has announced that the program will end after 2020.