Trump’s tax plan is being discussed in real estate circles as a reset—one that opens new opportunities in certain areas while quietly closing the door on others. This tax bill (the “One Big Beautiful Bill”) includes several tax provisions that can directly affect your year-end results, especially if you build, renovate, or rely on accelerated depreciation as part of your 2026 real estate tax strategy.

This matters right now because portions of the bill begin to sunset in early 2026, which creates a limited planning window. If you wait until deadlines are close, you may lose options that depend on construction start dates, placed-in-service timing, or when improvements are made.

Below is a clear breakdown of what changed, what is set to expire, and what it could mean for your bottom line—so you can take advantage of the remaining window for tax planning for real estate investors.

If you want the full conversation and examples, watch the original video here.

What Tax Provisions In The Big Beautiful Bill Matter Most For Real Estate Investors?

Four provisions stand out:

• Two energy incentives are scheduled to sunset in the first half of 2026
  
• A new category—Qualified Production Property—appears for production-focused facilities
  
• 100% Bonus Depreciation returns and reshapes Cost Segregation decisions
  
• Timing rules, especially when a property is placed in service, determine eligibility and results

Together, these changes affect real estate investor tax benefits and the planning decisions behind how they reduce taxes on real estate investments.

What Energy Incentives Are Being Phased Out In 2026?

The bill sharply reduces energy-related tax incentives by putting them on a clock. They remain available for a limited period, but will be sunsetting.

The key date investors need to know is June 30, 2026. If construction starts before that date, eligibility for the two major programs covered remains; if construction begins after that date, eligibility for those incentives ends.

While these provisions primarily affect builders and longer development timelines, their ripple effects can still reach everyday investors. As incentives disappear, project pricing, renovation decisions, and deal structure shift—ultimately influencing tax deductions for rental property owners through what developers build, upgrade, and bring to market.

This matters because losing a credit or deduction changes real estate tax planning strategies at the underwriting stage—not just at tax time.

What Is The 45L Credit & Who Can Use It?

The 45L credit is an incentive designed to encourage more housing supply by rewarding energy-efficient new construction.

It applies to ground-up builds, not major renovations. That distinction matters because the credit rewards the creation of new units rather than upgrades to existing ones. When a project qualifies, the per-unit value can be significant—and since it’s a credit rather than a deduction, it can directly reduce federal income tax and improve overall real estate tax savings for eligible builders.

A key issue is awareness. Many taxpayers miss 45L not because they are ineligible, but because the requirements are technical and often overlooked during routine tax filings.

What Is The 179D Deduction & When Does It Apply?

179D functions as a commercial incentive that rewards energy-efficient design in larger buildings. It can apply to commercial property and also to multi-family buildings that meet the discussed story threshold.

Scale matters because the benefit increases with square footage, making larger properties more likely to see meaningful results, while smaller properties often struggle to justify the process and certification requirements.

If you are investing in real estate at the commercial level, this is the type of provision that can change deal economics—especially when timelines put you on the right side of the 2026 sunset.

What Is Qualified Production Property & Why It Matters?

Qualified Production Property (QPP) is a new category created to encourage more manufacturing and production jobs in the U.S. The tax incentive is aimed at investors and developers who build—or convert—real estate into facilities that are used to produce goods, creating a potentially significant real estate investment tax deduction when the project qualifies.

When you buy or build a typical commercial building, you depreciate most of the cost over a long schedule. QPP changes that for qualifying production facilities by allowing you to expense many costs tied to the production function immediately instead of recovering them over time. By expensing those costs up front, you reduce the property’s tax basis and leave less of the project on the books to depreciate in future years.

In plain terms, if a facility clearly supports a manufacturing process, QPP may let you deduct a much larger portion of the project up front—potentially including components tied directly to the production environment, not just equipment.

Qualification hinges on how clearly you define and support the production activity. Documentation and clear characterization of the facility’s use will matter, especially when state and local tax rules overlap with federal tax treatment. But investors are still waiting for detailed federal guidance on the legislation passed. 

How Does 100% Bonus Depreciation Affect Residential Investors?

The return of 100% Bonus Depreciation is one of the most widely applicable changes for everyday investors—particularly those buying residential rental property, such as single-family homes, duplexes, and small multifamily units.

Bonus depreciation becomes especially powerful when paired with Cost Segregation, as it accelerates depreciation into year one rather than spreading it over multiple years. In practice, that can create meaningful real estate tax write-offs and enhance the tax benefits of owning rental property by helping reduce your taxable income sooner—often improving cash flow and freeing up capital for future acquisitions or improvements.

That is why many investors view accelerated depreciation as one of the best tax strategies for real estate investors, especially in years when taxable income is high.

Why Does “Property Placed In Service” Matter Under This Bill?

Timing determines tax treatment. “Property placed in service” directly determines which Bonus Depreciation rules apply and whether certain costs qualify based on when you incur them.

One practical real estate tax tip is to separate the purchase timeline from the improvement timeline. Acquisition timing and improvement timing can produce very different outcomes. Even if you acquired a property under older rules, later improvements can receive different treatment based on how you classify those costs and when you place the upgraded property into service.

For investors who renovate, this tax code concept directly affects how you calculate deductions and when you can claim them.

How Should Investors Think About Long-Term Outcomes & Future Taxes?

Many investors learn this the hard way: Deductions taken today can change tomorrow’s tax outcome.

Depreciation and expensing decisions affect long-term capital gains at sale and can determine whether part of the gain is taxed as ordinary income through depreciation recapture, based on asset classification and the rules that apply at disposition.

That is why exit planning matters. Many investors look for ways to defer capital gains taxes, and while this video does not go deep into 1031 Exchanges, it remains a common framework investors use when thinking through how deductions, basis reductions, and sale timing interact.

The broader point is to evaluate today’s deductions and tomorrow’s additional taxes together—because both directly affect the bottom line.

What Should Real Estate Investors Do Next?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The bill’s opportunities and limitations will fall differently depending on your property mix, renovation activity, and income profile.

A sound approach starts by reviewing:

• How operating expenses interact with your broader strategy
  
• How standard deductions and other personal factors fit into the overall picture
  
• Whether your documentation and timing support the outcomes you expect

For investors focused on reducing taxes on real estate, the key is aligning planning decisions with the realities of tax filings and compliance—so you capture legitimate benefits without building your strategy on assumptions.

That is why many investors choose to schedule a free 45-minute Strategy Session with a tax specialist. This one-on-one session reviews your holdings, identifies where these rules apply, and determines whether the remaining planning windows still work in your favor.

That is how you arrive at the best tax strategies for real estate investments: Match the right tool to the right timeline—and the timeline to the rules.