Louis Owns a Condominium in New Orleans Which Has Been

question 155

Essay

Louis owns a condominium in New Orleans which has been his principal residence for 12 years. He wants to be near Lake Ponchartrain since he enjoys water activities. Therefore, he sells the condominium. His original intent was to purchase a house in New Orleans near the lake. However, the cost of such properties far exceeded his sales proceeds. He was able to purchase a house on the lake in Covington, which is located across the causeway. He invested all of his sales proceeds in the Covington house. After two months of commuting over an hour to and from work each day, he decides to rent an efficiency apartment in New Orleans near his office. He spends the weekends and vacations at his home in Covington.
a. Does Louis qualify for exclusion of gain under § 121?
b. Does his Covington house qualify as his principal residence?

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Definitions:

Administrative Expenses

Expenses that are not directly tied to the production of goods or services, such as salaries of office workers, rent, and utilities.

Tenant-Days

A measure used in the hospitality or rental industry, referring to the total number of days that units are occupied by tenants.

Activity Variance

The difference between the budgeted cost and actual cost attributed to changes in the level of activity.

Net Operating Income

Income generated from a company's everyday business operations, excluding deductions for interest and taxes.