In 1982 Marilyn brought us equity sharing, a creative way to buy and sell real estate for optimum profit and tax deductions.

Equity sharing is basically another name for co-ownership. It takes one property, more than one owner and blends them to maximize profit and tax deductions. This form of co-ownership has varying structures. In the traditional equity share, Party 1 (the Investor) provides the down payment while Party 2 (the Occupier) lives in the property and pays its expenses. At the end of an agreed term they split the equity. The equity share's greatest advantage to the Occupier is to confer home ownership long before s/he could save up a down payment. The Investor's greatest advantage is to earn a portion of the home's appreciation without paying its expenses.

The equity share Investor may wear many hats: a family member, a third party Investor, a seller. In the challenging 2008 market, when sellers are forced to slash prices, the equity share seller becomes a marketing magnet when he offers to fund the down payment. From the loan he and the Occupier obtain, the seller cashes out with at least 80% of value and turns the property and its expenses over to the Occupier. The down payment amount left in the property as equity is converted to his investment property. By cashing out and moving on to another property yet continuing to share in the appreciation of his home receiving generous tax breaks, he gets the best of both worlds.

There are many versions of equity sharing: the Traditional Transaction, the Co-Occupier (no investor; more than one occupier) and the Joint Venture (No occupier; more than one investor). Visit our Equity Sharing sub-pages for Transaction Samples, Products for sale, Summaries, Checklists, and more.

The Law Office of Marilyn Sullivan provides a full range of equity sharing services. As the national expert on equity sharing and the author of two books on the subject, Marilyn and her staff offer the most complete and up-to-date information on this popular co-ownership option. They also believe in full service, meaning they are set up to do it all for you or give you the tools (below) and advice to implement your transaction yourself. The tax laws which apply to equity sharing are Federal laws, thereby making equity sharing pertain to transactions nationwide. As the national provider of equity share services, they are set up to provide long-distance consultations by e-mail at low rates.

Do It Yourself Tools

The Law Office of Marilyn Sullivan also makes the tools they use available to you. Just click on the Products link to order:

The Equity Share Coach: A tutorial on how to put your transaction together beginning with finding a property through closing and entering into the correct agreement with your co-owner. The Preliminary Commitment, also available, is the document you and your co-owner sign before you find a property. It gives you the peace of mind that all parties are in basic agreement on terms although the property has not yet been purchased.

The Documents. The ever-popular Equity Sharing Agreement is now available to you so you can prepare your own transaction. The formats of these documents include the traditional equity share with investor and occupier (occupier lives in property; investor puts up down payment), co-occupiers (all live in property), and joint venturers (all are investors). These many formats allow any co-purchase transaction to fit the equity share model. Go to our page "Summary" on the left under "Equity Sharing" for more information on each of these models. E-mail us to find out which form you need if you are unsure.

For Calculating the Numbers. The Equity Sharing Calculator that calculates the ownership interests the co-owners should receive based upon the contributions they plan to make, along with their tax deductions and potential profit, is now available to you as well.

Marilyn's Authoritative Book. Go to the "Products" page and order Marilyn's book, "The New Home Buying Strategy".

Legal Guidance. Marilyn Sullivan also personally provides legal guidance as you prepare your own transaction -- just e-mail her at ms@msullivan.com with any questions as you go along, include your credit card information and she'll get back to you by e-mail within a few hours, charging you only for the time to review and respond to your e-mail at $29 per 6 minutes. She will also review completed transaction documents purchased through this site or through www.HomeEquityShare.com for a low flat fee of $450.00. Click on the link to "Fees" under "Equity Sharing".

Finding Partners. We used to provide a page for you to find a partner or sign up but now www.HomeEquityShare.com has a site that does it better.