If you’re still buying STRs without a cost segregation strategy, I have to ask…
Are you building a real estate business, or just collecting pretty properties for the ‘Gram?
Let’s be blunt: If you’re not using bonus depreciation and cost segregation to multiply your buying power and reinvest faster, you’re leaving tens (sometimes hundreds) of thousands of dollars on the table.
🤯 The Problem: Emotional Buying vs. Strategic Wealth Building
Look, I get it.
You scroll Instagram. You see someone in a robe with ocean views and a caption that says “My STR pays for this lifestyle.”
Cool.
But what they don’t post is their Schedule E. They’re not showing the tax return that proves they’re getting crushed by depreciation they never claimed — or cash-strapped because they paid taxes they didn’t need to
If you’re serious about scaling a real estate business, not just owning a couple cash cows, cost segregation is a non-negotiable.
🔍 What Is a Cost Segregation Study?
It’s a tax strategy that allows you to accelerate the depreciation of specific components of your rental property.
Instead of depreciating the full value over 27.5 years (like most CPAs do out of habit), a cost seg study breaks down the property into parts:
Appliances ✅
Flooring ✅
Cabinets ✅
HVAC ✅
Landscaping ✅
And more…
All of these items lose value faster, so they can be depreciated in 5, 7, or 15 years — not 27.5.
Result?
You front-load the depreciation — and wipe out a massive chunk of your taxable income in year one.
⚡ Let’s Talk Bonus Depreciation
Here’s where it gets wild.
Thanks to Section 168(k) of the tax code, you can take 80% of that accelerated depreciation up front (2025 phase-out level — still powerful). It’s called bonus depreciation, and it’s one of the most powerful wealth-building tools the IRS has ever handed to real estate investors.
🧮 Example:
You buy an STR for $500,000. A cost seg study might identify $150,000 in items eligible for 5/7/15-year depreciation. At 80% bonus depreciation, you could deduct $120,000 — this year.
That’s real money — money you can use to:
Eliminate taxes on rental income
Offset active income (if you qualify)
Reinvest into another property
Leverage into private capital deals
Boost cash flow and reserves
🔁 The Wealth Loop: Depreciate, Save, Reinvest
This is the play that gets skipped in every shiny STR course.
Cost segregation isn’t just about saving money. It’s about buying your next property faster using the money the IRS just handed back to you.
You know what that means?
Velocity.
This is how real investors scale. This is how you go from 1 STR to 3 within 18 months. This is how you build equity + cash flow + tax shelter in a tight, aggressive cycle.
🔎 Why Most Agents Don’t Know This Exists
Because they’re trained to sell houses, not help you scale a portfolio. They’re afraid to talk tax strategy. They don’t know the numbers behind the doors.
I’m not just a licensed agent. I’m an active investor.
I own properties. I use cost seg. I study the tax code with my CPA. I structure creative deals. I negotiate with this strategy in mind.
That’s the difference.
That’s why clients working with me don’t just buy homes — they build wealth.
👇 Bottom Line: If You’re Not Using Cost Seg, You’re Paying for Other People’s Education
Every month I talk to STR owners who are amazed to learn this even exists.
They could’ve wiped out $60k in taxes last year. They could’ve bought their next deal 6 months earlier. They could’ve had $200k more in depreciation locked in during 2022’s 100% bonus depreciation window. But they didn’t.
“I wish I knew this when I bought…”
Too late.
Unless you start now.
🛠️ Action Steps (Not Theory)
Ask your CPA if they know how to file a cost segregation-based return
(Spoiler: most don’t. I’ll refer you if needed.)
Book a call with me before your next STR or rental acquisition
We’ll reverse-engineer your exit and your tax plan before you sign anything.
Get a cost seg quote for your existing property.
Even if you bought last year — it’s not too late.
📲 Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Growing?
DM me “COST SEG” and I’ll send you:
A breakdown of how I helped an investor save $96,000 on a $610k STR
My vetted contacts for cost seg providers and investor-savvy CPAs
This isn’t just about saving money. It’s about buying time, scaling faster, and playing the tax game like the pros do.
The door’s open. Step through it like an investor who actually gets it.