The Brink Report

Austin Real Estate News & Advice

The Section 121 Capital Gains Exclusion: What Sellers of Long-Held Northwest Austin Homes Should Know

The Section 121 Capital Gains Exclusion: What Sellers of Long-Held Northwest Austin Homes Should Know

James Brinkman
Published on: 05/09/2026

If you have owned a Northwest Austin home for decades, your gain can run past the Section 121 exclusion. How the $250K/$500K home-sale exclusion works, the single-filer and surviving-spouse trap, basis, and the Texas no-state-tax angle.

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The Texas Over-65 School Tax Ceiling and How It Ports to a New Home When You Downsize

The Texas Over-65 School Tax Ceiling and How It Ports to a New Home When You Downsize

James Brinkman
Published on: 03/09/2026

The Texas over-65 school tax ceiling transfers when you sell and downsize, but as a percentage, not a dollar amount. How the freeze works, how to port it with Form 50-272, and why downsizing usually lowers your frozen school bill in Northwest Austin.

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