Donate Real Estate to Valley of the Sacred Heart

Donating real estate to the Valley of the Sacred Heart is a meaningful way to make a lasting impact while receiving valuable tax benefits. By gifting property, you may avoid capital gains taxes, reduce your estate tax burden, and potentially receive a charitable deduction—all while supporting our students. Your property becomes a powerful gift that helps sustain faith, community, and outreach for future generations.

  • Looking for a meaningful way to support Valley of the Sacred Heart while preserving your financial peace of mind? A gift of real estate can make a lasting impact. Your property becomes a powerful resource that helps sustain our work and mission far into the future. And it offers you valuable benefits: a potential federal income tax charitable deduction, no capital gains tax on appreciated property held longer than one year, and freedom from the burdens of upkeep, property taxes, and insurance.

    Best of all, the process is simple. You can deed your property directly to Valley of the Sacred Heart or work with your attorney to add a brief provision to your will or trust.

  • Options to consider:

    1) An Outright Gift: When you make a gift today of real estate you have owned longer than one year, you qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction equal to the property's full fair market value. This deduction lets you reduce the cost of making the gift and frees cash that otherwise would have been used to pay taxes. By donating the property to us, you also eliminate capital gains tax on its appreciation.

    2) A Gift in your Will or Living Trust: A gift of real estate through your will or living trust gives you the freedom to adjust your plans at any time, while still offering a meaningful way to make an even greater impact than might be possible during your lifetime. With just a sentence or two in your estate plan, you can ensure that your support for VSH continues to make a difference for generations to come.

    3) A Retained Life Estate: If you’re interested in the tax advantages of giving real estate to VSH but want to remain in your home for life, there’s a thoughtful option to consider. You can transfer your personal residence or farm to VSH while keeping the right to live in—or even rent out—the property for the rest of your lifetime. You would continue to cover property taxes, maintenance, and insurance, just as you do now.

    Because this future gift is irrevocable, you may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction for a portion of your home’s value, even though VSH wouldn’t take possession until after your lifetime. It’s a meaningful way to support a mission you care about while maintaining the comfort and security of your home.

    4) A Bargain Sale: Thinking about selling your property to us for less than its full market value? A bargain sale might be a perfect fit. With a bargain sale, you sell your property to our organization at a reduced price, and the difference between the property’s value and the sale price becomes a meaningful gift to us.

    This option can be especially beneficial if your property has appreciated over time. It’s also the only giving method that allows you to receive a lump sum of cash and a charitable income tax deduction (when you itemize)—all at once. It’s a practical and generous way to support our work while meeting your own financial goals.

    5) A Charitabe Remainder Unitrust: You can donate many types of appreciated real estate you’ve owned for more than a year—as long as it’s free of any mortgage—and receive an income stream in return, either for life or for a period of up to 20 years. Eligible properties can include a residence (as long as it’s vacant when contributed), undeveloped land, a farm, or commercial real estate.

    6)‍ ‍A Charitable Lead Trust: This gift is a thoughtful way to support VSH while also passing appreciated real estate to your family in a tax-efficient way. Many donors choose to fund a charitable lead trust with property that generates income and is likely to grow in value over time—creating a lasting impact for both your loved ones and the mission of VSH.

    7) An Endowed Gift of Real Estate/ In Memoriam: A gift of real estate can be a lasting way to honor a loved one. When you make an endowed gift of real estate, your contribution becomes part of VSH’s endowment, where it is invested to generate ongoing support. Each year, a distribution is made for the purpose you choose, while the principal remains intact—allowing your gift to make a difference in perpetuity.

  • Real estate can be a wonderful asset to use with certain types of charitable remainder trusts. Your estate planning attorney, who will prepare the trust for you, can walk you through the options and help you decide which approach best supports your goals as well as the mission of Valley of the Sacred Heart.

    Next Steps:

    1. Contact Chris Simpson at 530-574-0804 or csimpson@cavsh.org to discuss the possibility of gifting real estate to VSH.

    2. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor to make sure this gift fits your goals.

    3. If you include VSH in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

    Legal Name: Valley of the Sacred Heart
    Address: 210 Peters Ave., Dixon, CA 95620
    Federal Tax ID Number: 88-2629532