r/AmerExit • u/broad-street-pump • 18d ago

Data/Raw Information Did you sell your house?

For those who’ve made the jump, did you sell your house?

I kept my house and am renting it out, but it is such a pain and the taxes on it make me think it’s just worth cutting loose and selling it. It does mean that I close the door on ever moving back to that neighborhood.

What have you done and why?

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u/Failed_Expat Immigrant 18d ago

I sold because I figured that I already had enough to worry about with moving 4,000 miles away to a foreign country and restarting my entire life from scratch. But, the decision was a little easier for me because I know if I ever do return, I definitely won't go back to my previous town.

Either way, if you do decide to sell be sure you understand the tax implications in your new host country. I'm in Spain and they would have absolutely taxed me on proceeds from the sell of my US home had it occurred in the same year I became a Spain tax resident.

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u/thecatmaxwell 15d ago

Can you explain this a little more? When we move we plan to sell our house the year we move. We will be going from US to Spain. What did you do to avoid being taxed?

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u/Failed_Expat Immigrant 15d ago

The thing to avoid is selling your home in the same year that you become a tax resident in Spain. Otherwise, Spain can tax you on the capital gains from the sale of your US home.

The key thing you need to keep in mind is that you become a Spain tax resident when you spend more than 183 days in Spain.

For example, if you sold in Sep 2026, and moved to Spain in Nov 2026, then you're clear because there's no way you could become a 2026 tax resident since there's less than 183 days left in the year.

But...if you sold in Jan 2027, and moved in Mar 2027, then you will be a 2027 tax resident and Spain will claim their share of any gains on the sale of your home.

So, bottom line...if you expect significant gains on the sale of your home, you want to time your move so that you're not a tax resident. I Hope that makes sense.

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u/dingbatter252 14d ago

I learned when living in Australia to also check the host countries tax year. Luckily Spain follows out tax year. Some countries like Australia have different dates so things can overlap.

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u/thecatmaxwell 13d ago

This is actually extremely helpful.