Question

Taylor is negotiating to buy some land. Under the first option, Taylor will give Ella $150,000 and assume her mortgage on the land for $100,000. Under the second option, Taylor will give Ella $250,000 and she will immediately pay off the mortgage. Taylor wants his basis for the land to be as high as possible. Given this objective, which option should Taylor select

Answer 1

The cost basis for the land is equal under both options.

Step-by-step explanation:

If Taylor pays Ella $150,000 in cash and assumes the mortgage of $100,000, the cost basis of the land will be $250,000 (= $150,000 + $100,000). If he decides to pay Ella the full amount of $250,000, that will also be the cost basis of the land.

The only real difference is that if Taylor decides to assume the mortgage, he will need a smaller initial cash flow ($150,000).