DONOVAN LEGAL PLLC · RESERVE
RESERVE Dossier
DEAL BUILDER · PHASE I

Real Estate Deal Structuring & Economics Tool

Comprehensive deal-modeling environment for sophisticated practitioners. Configure deal type, capital stack, debt, distribution waterfall, governance, and state tax treatment; output investor IRR / MOIC / DPI / TVPI, sponsor promote, sensitivity, and a deal summary suitable for term-sheet circulation. All output is mechanical computation based on inputs and assumptions documented on this page. No part of this tool constitutes legal, tax, or accounting advice; engagement of the firm for review of any structure modeled here is required before reliance.

Step 1 — Deal Structure

Starter Scenarios

Select a representative deal structure to pre-populate the tool with realistic starting values. The values are common industry defaults; revise every field for your specific deal before generating documents.

Select the deal type. The tool adapts capital-stack defaults, governance options, debt treatment, and warnings based on the structure selected. Phase I models the economics of every structure. Phase IV will add the deep compliance engines (REIT income/asset/distribution tests, OZ 90% / 70% tests, TIC Rev. Proc. 2002-22 conditions, DST Rev. Rul. 2004-86 seven deadly sins).

Operating LLC — single-asset: Most common structure for a single-property real estate venture. Limited liability, flexible governance, pass-through taxation by default. No special compliance regime beyond §704(b) allocation rules. Best for sponsor + small group of LPs holding a single building or development.
Florida: Default for FL-resident principals and FL property. No state income tax. Annual report due May 1. Single-member LLC charging-order protection weakened post-Olmstead v. FTC, 44 So.3d 76 (Fla. 2010).
Used in headings, outputs, and saved deal files. Not legally binding.
Property location drives state apportionment and FIRPTA analysis (Phase III).

Governance

Manager-Managed concentrates authority in a designated manager (typical sponsor structure). Board adds a layer of committee governance. Sponsor as GP applies where the entity is an LP rather than an LLC.

Transfer & Exit Provisions

Step 2 — Capital Stack

Define member classes, capital contributions, and debt. The tool supports unlimited member classes with independent preferred return, profit share, loss share, voting rights, and transfer restrictions. Member debt is classified by §752 treatment: recourse, nonrecourse, or qualified nonrecourse financing under §465(b)(6).

Member Classes

Total Member Capital
$0
Number of Classes
0

Senior Construction / Acquisition Debt

Principal amount of the senior debt facility.
Approximates the construction draw curve. 75% is typical for an 18-month build.
Nonrecourse: Allocated to members in accordance with their share of partnership profits under the third tier of Reg §1.752-3(a)(3). Does not increase basis for at-risk purposes under §465.

Member Debt / Mezzanine

Total Senior Debt
$0
Total Member Debt
$0
Total Debt
$0
Total Capital Stack
$0
LTC %
0%
Equity %
0%

Step 3 — Project Budget

Build the project budget. Total project cost should reconcile to total capital stack. Variances indicate either an over- or under-funded position that may require capital calls or distribution of excess.

Acquisition & Development

For acquisition-and-renovate deals; leave at $0 for ground-up.
Materials, labor, subcontractor work. Include contingency line below separately if you want to track.
Recommend 5–10% of hard costs on CM-Agency structures (vs. 3–5% on GMP).
Architecture, engineering, permits, surveys, insurance, legal, accounting.
Computed below if you set debt rate and hold period in earlier steps. Override if you have a more precise estimate.

Project Timing & Exit

Anticipated gross sale price or stabilized value at exit.

Disposition Costs

FL doc stamps on deed are $0.70 per $100 (0.7%).
Total Project Cost
$0
Capital Stack
$0
Variance
$0

Step 4 — Distribution Waterfall

Configure how distributable cash flows to members. The engine supports American (deal-by-deal) and European (fund-level) waterfalls, multi-class preferred returns, tiered IRR or MOIC hurdles, catch-up provisions, and clawback. Each tier can use either IRR or MOIC as its trigger.

Waterfall Framework

Tier 1 — Preferred Return

Tier 2 — Return of Capital

Promote Tiers (Tier 3+)

Add as many promote tiers as needed. Each tier specifies an IRR or MOIC threshold and the split of distributions above the prior tier’s endpoint. A typical deal might use 80/20 to 15% IRR, 70/30 to 25% IRR, 60/40 above 25%.

Catch-Up Provision

Catch-up runs after the pref is paid and before normal promote tiers begin. Closes the gap between LP pref and sponsor's pro-rata share.

Clawback

Sponsor Compensation (Fees, paid before waterfall)

Step 5 — State & Tax Overlays

State income tax and federal tax overlays applied at the partnership and member level. Phase II will add full §704(b) targeted vs. substantial-economic-effect allocations; Phase III will add blocker structures, FIRPTA, and tax-exempt UBTI; Phase VI will refine §163(j), §461(l), and §199A treatment. Phase I provides directional output based on top marginal rates.

Property State (for sourcing & apportionment)

Federal Tax Overlays

Member Tax Profile (assumed for IRR computation)

State Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) & Multi-State

A PTET election shifts state income tax from the member to the partnership, federally deductible (avoiding the $10,000 SALT cap). Available in most states with state income tax. Mechanics vary — some are mandatory once elected, some are annual elections, some have specific tax periods. The RESERVE member dossier should ensure proper documentation prior to election.
For deals operating in multiple states. Real estate income is generally sourced to the state of property location, but operating income from services, management fees, and similar may apportion under each state’s formula.
Nonresident members may trigger state withholding obligations on the partnership. Most states require withholding at the state top rate or a fixed nonresident rate.
Composite returns allow the partnership to file a single return on behalf of all nonresident members, simplifying compliance. Available in most states but with eligibility restrictions and rate implications.
Year-by-year detail tracks each member’s capital account and outside basis through each year of the hold period. Useful for documenting allocations through annual returns and for partnership audit defense.

Step 6 — Tax Allocations

Configure the partnership’s allocation methodology under § 704(b) and § 704(c). The engine runs all three § 704(c) methods (traditional, traditional with curative, remedial) in parallel for comparison. Capital account roll-forward is computed for each member class. Mandatory adjustments under § 743(b) for substantial built-in loss and § 734(b) for substantial built-in loss on distributions are flagged automatically.

§ 704(b) — Allocation Method

Targeted Capital Account Method: Modern default for real estate partnerships. Allocations are made to drive capital account balances to the amounts each partner would receive on a hypothetical liquidation following the partnership’s distribution waterfall. Implicitly satisfies the partner-by-partner economic effect test through the qualified income offset. Does not require a deficit restoration obligation. Reg. § 1.704-1(b)(2) safe harbor not formally claimed but allocations respected if economic effect is preserved.
Full maintenance tracks book and tax capital separately with revaluations under Reg. § 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f). Required for SEE methods.
Required by Reg. § 1.704-2 when partnership has nonrecourse debt. Reverses prior nonrecourse deductions on debt paydown.

§ 704(c) — Built-In Gain or Loss on Contributed Property

§ 704(c) applies when contributed property has a book value different from its tax basis. The contributing partner generally bears the tax burden of pre-contribution appreciation. Common in roll-up transactions, UPREIT contributions under § 721, and family-owned property contributions.

§ 754 Election & Basis Adjustments

A § 754 election triggers basis adjustments under § 743(b) (transfers) and § 734(b) (distributions). Permanent unless revoked with Commissioner consent (Reg. § 1.754-1(c)). Note that § 743(b) is mandatory on transfers if there is a substantial built-in loss; § 734(b) is mandatory on distributions causing substantial built-in loss.
If yes, the engine will surface the § 743(b) adjustment a transferee would receive.

Special Allocations

Step 7 — Investor Tax Profiles, Blockers & Cross-Border

Specify the tax profile of each investor class and insert blocker entities where structural protection is needed. The engine analyzes FIRPTA exposure (USRPI determination, § 1445 withholding, § 1446(f) partnership-interest withholding, § 897(l) qualified foreign pension fund exemption, § 897(h)(1) domestically-controlled QIE exception), UBTI exposure for U.S. tax-exempts (§ 514 unrelated debt-financed income, § 514(c)(9) qualified organizations exception with the fractions rule), and the tax leakage of alternative blocker structures. Structural recommendations are generated from the resulting investor matrix.

Investor Tax Profiles — By Member Class

Blocker Entities

Insert blocker entities to interpose between specific investors and the main SPV. Common patterns: (1) domestic C-corp blocker for U.S. tax-exempt investors to convert UBTI into corporate-level income; (2) foreign corporation blocker (Cayman, BVI, Bermuda) for foreign investors to avoid ECI filing obligations; (3) REIT blocker for mixed pools, addressing both UBTI and certain FIRPTA exposures; (4) treaty blocker (Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland) to reduce withholding on distributions to qualifying foreign holders subject to LOB; (5) double-blocker stacking foreign + domestic blockers for foreign investors in fund structures.

FIRPTA Configuration

USRPI under § 897(c) includes: (1) any interest in real property located in the U.S. or U.S. Virgin Islands, including improvements thereto; (2) interests in domestic corporations that are USRPHCs; and (3) certain partnership and trust interests where look-through applies.
Under § 897(c)(2), a domestic corporation is a USRPHC if 50% or more of the FMV of its real property and trade or business assets are USRPIs. The cleansing rule under § 897(c)(1)(B) requires that no USRPIs be held at the date of disposition AND that all USRPIs held during the prior 5 years be disposed of in fully-taxable transactions.
§ 897(h)(1): foreign person’s gain on disposition of stock in a domestically-controlled QIE is generally NOT treated as gain from a USRPI. Under TCJA-era guidance and post-2024 final regulations, the 50% test looks through certain entities (including foreign-owned domestic C-corps in some cases).
If 0, the engine uses the exit_price from Step 3. Used to compute § 1445 (15% of gross proceeds for direct USRPI sale) and § 1446(f) (10% of amount realized for partnership-interest transfer).

UBTI Configuration

§ 514(c) defines acquisition indebtedness broadly. Real estate construction and acquisition loans almost always qualify. UDFI is computed as: average acquisition indebtedness / average adjusted basis × net income from the property.
Estimate of the debt-to-basis ratio over the hold period. Used as the UDFI percentage for tax-exempt investors not protected by § 514(c)(9) or a blocker. Default 60% reflects typical levered RE.

Step 8 — Specialized Compliance

Compliance dashboards for structure-specific regimes. The applicable module is determined by the deal type selected in Step 1. REIT structures run the full battery under § 856 et seq. (100-shareholder rule, 5/50 closely-held test, 75% and 95% gross income tests, 75% asset test, TRS 20% limit, 5% securities and 10% voting/value rules, 90% distribution requirement). Opportunity Zone structures run the QOF 90% asset test and the QOZB 70% tangible property test with active-conduct, working-capital-safe-harbor, substantial improvement, original use, and sin-business analyses. TIC structures run Rev. Proc. 2002-22 conditions. DST structures run the Rev. Rul. 2004-86 seven deadly sins.

Step 9 — Results & Output

Computed deal economics. Sensitivity table flexes exit price and hold period to show how returns shift. Save the configuration as a JSON file to reload later or to share with co-counsel; export a deal summary for term-sheet circulation.

Deal Verdict
Awaiting Inputs

Sources & Uses

Source Amount Use Amount

Returns by Class

Class Capital Contributed Total Distributions Profit MOIC IRR

Waterfall Trace

Tier Description Total Distribution To LPs To Sponsor Remaining Pool

Sponsor Fees

Fee Basis Amount

Sensitivity — LP IRR Across Sale Price & Hold

The center cell reflects current inputs. Adjacent cells flex sale price by ±5% and ±10%, hold period by ±3 and ±6 months. Cells colored by IRR thresholds.

§ 704(c) — Three-Method Comparison

FIRPTA Analysis

UBTI Analysis — U.S. Tax-Exempt Investors

Blocker Tax Leakage

Specialized Compliance Dashboard

Structural Recommendations

Capital Account Roll-Forward

Roll-forward shows each member class’s § 704(b) book capital account and outside tax basis at three snapshots: opening (post-contribution), interim (mid-hold), and closing (post-disposition). Adjustments under § 743(b), § 734(b), and special allocations are flagged.
Member Class Opening Cap Acct Cumulative Allocations Distributions Closing Cap Acct Outside Basis

§ 754 / § 743(b) / § 734(b) Analysis

Structure Diagram

Drag any node to reposition. Double-click to edit label. Click and press Delete to remove.

Structural Notes & Warnings

Step 10 — Deal Document Package

Generate the full deal document stack under Regulation D private placement exemption. All three levels are private placement — the distinction is the degree of disclosure, the breadth of investor pool, and whether general solicitation is permitted. Output is a single comprehensive HTML document with each component back-to-back, marked DRAFT · PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL, ready for your review and customization before execution.

Securities Compliance Level

Entity Structure

Configure the full deal entity structure. Each entity in the tree has its own state of formation and state-specific legal provisions in the generated documents. Exactly one entity must be designated as the Issuer — the one receiving subscription agreements from investors. Other entities (Holdco, Sponsor, Trust, Blocker, Feeder) may be added at any depth, with parent-entity references to express the ownership chain.

Authorized Signatories

Individuals authorized to sign the offering and deal documents on behalf of the Issuer and/or Sponsor. Typical: the Manager principal(s) (LLC), General Partner (LP), or designated officer (corp). Each signature block in the generated documents will list one signatory.

Investor List

Each investor receives a personalized Subscription Agreement and Accredited Investor Questionnaire in the final package. Capital commitments here should aggregate to (and match) the member class commitments from Step 2. Each investor must be assigned to one of the member classes you configured.

Document Generation Options

Embeds the Phase V Deal Memo content (executive summary, capital stack, waterfall, capital account roll-forward, FIRPTA/UBTI analysis, compliance dashboard, structural diagram, recommendations) as an Exhibit to the package.
Combined HTML opens in a new tab. Use browser print to PDF for distribution. Per-investor option produces one combined master document but with each investor’s Sub Agreement and AI Questionnaire repeated, ready to detach.

Output opens in a new browser tab. Use the browser’s Print → Save as PDF to convert. All documents are templates for your review and customization under your engagement letter; nothing is filed or transmitted automatically.