Yes. Meals on Wheels America’s national auction partner will resell the property and the proceeds of the auction sale will pay off the mortgage balance first, with the remainder going to Meals on Wheels America (after normal closing costs such as escrow, title fees, transfer tax, real estate commissions, etc.). Prior to the auction, we will determine if the likely value exceeds the mortgage balance, and we may have to reject any asset that does not have sufficient equity to result in cash proceeds to Meals on Wheels America.

If your property has a high value, you may elect to donate a portion of the equity to Meals on Wheels America (falling under a Bargain Sale-IRS Section 170). Consult your tax adviser.

Generally, any type of real property that has positive equity, clear title and no environmental issues may be donated. Common property types are land, second homes, rental property, commercial real estate and estates. We do not accept timeshares or mobile homes.

Yes! CARS has a national real estate auction platform and a national title company partner so we can quickly evaluate assets and convert them to cash without Meals on Wheels America ever having to own or operate the asset. Also, using the IRS Bargain Sale, real estate with mortgage debt and high-value assets may be accepted, with a portion of the equity going to Meals on Wheels America (and a portion in cash to donor). Donors don’t need to pay for anything and only need to fill out a seller disclosure and sign the deed at closing. Our national auction partner takes care of everything else!

Real estate donations are based on the full appraised value, not the sale price. Capital gains tax may also be avoided (excluding the mortgaged portion or cash received). The deduction can be carried forward up to five years following the year of sale.

In most cases, you may deduct the difference between the cash received and the fair market value based on an appraisal specifically completed to assess the value based on IRS gift appraisal guidelines. You may not deduct proceeds that were applied to pay off mortgages or back real estate taxes. Consult your tax adviser to determine your eligibility for a tax deduction for your specific donation.

For most donated properties, the process will be completed within 90 days, and for some, as quickly as 14 days. Our goal is to maximize the value of the property, so it may take longer to market the property and find the best way to sell it.

You do not have to pay any commissions. If your property is currently listed with a broker, Meals on Wheels America’s national auction partner will pay the commission/fee owed based on the list price, or tax assessor value if there is no list price. There are no closing costs to the donor, and all unpaid liens will be paid off at closing. The donor is generally not asked to pay anything out of pocket, and prepaid property taxes and assessments will be remitted back to the donor at closing.

In short, it depends on the transaction. If Meals on Wheels America’s national auction partner can’t achieve a resale sales price that results in a surplus, or if there are title or serious repair issues found, CARS may terminate the donation agreement.

Our national auction partner has the ability to process properties with environmental issues; however, only high-value assets will be considered due to the risk and complexity of such transactions. CARS has investors specialized in environmental cleanup and often issues indemnities to sellers via complex insurance placements.