Houlette v. Commissioner

48 T.C. 350, 1967 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 88
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 20, 1967
DocketDocket No. 4795-63
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 48 T.C. 350 (Houlette v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Houlette v. Commissioner, 48 T.C. 350, 1967 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 88 (tax 1967).

Opinion

Hoyt, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners’ income tax for tbe year 1961 in tbe amount of $340.25. Tbe parties have reached agreement as to tbe correct disposition of certain casualty loss and travel expense issues which were raised by the petition. The single issue remaining for decision is whether the purchase by petitioners of a house in Manitowoc, Wis., followed by the sale of a house owned by them in Portland, Oreg., qualifies for treatment under section 1034,I.R.C. 1954,1 so that the gain realized on the sale of the Portland house will not be recognized in 1961.

EINDINGS OE EAOT

All of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Petitioners are Richard T. and Virginia E. Ploulette, husband and wife. For the taxable year 1961 they filed a joint Federal income tax return with the district director of internal revenue at Milwaukee, Wis. Richard T. Houlette is a lieutenant commander in the TJ.S. Coast Guard presently stationed in Baltimore, Md. He has been a member of the Coast Guard continuously since 1950. At the time of his petition to this Court, Richard was stationed at the TJ.S. Coast Guard Reserve Training Center in Yorktown, Va., and the petitioners resided in Government quarters at the TJ.S. Coast Guard Reserve Training Center at Yorktown. All references hereinafter made to petitioner in the singular shall refer to Richard.

On March 1, 1952, petitioner was assigned by the Coast Guard to duty in Portland, Oreg. In April of 1954 petitioner and his wife purchased a house and lot located at 822 NE. 112th Avenue in Portland at an original cost of $14,150. They lived in this house from April of 1954 to July 1, 1955. In March of 1955, petitioner had been notified that he would be transferred to duty in Alaska, effective in July 1955.

When petitioner and his wife were notified of their pending transfer from Portland to Alaska, they attempted to sell the home which they had purchased in Portland in April of 1954. Prior to July 1, 1955, when petitioners departed Portland for Alaska, they attempted and made reasonable efforts to sell their Portland house without the assistance of a real estate agent. In spite of these efforts to sell their house, the Houlettes did not find a purchaser who would buy without their incurring a loss on the sale. Accordingly, they rented out the property under a 2-year lease commencing July 1, 1955.

Following petitioner’s transfer from Portland on July 1, 1955, petitioner and his wife lived in quarters furnished by the Government at Juneau, Alaska. They continued to live in Juneau until the completion of petitioner’s tour of duty there in June of 1958. The July 1955 lease of their Portland house had been for a 2-year term. At its expiration on July 1, 1957, the lease was extended for another 1-year period.

In June of 1958, petitioner was transferred by the Coast Guard from Juneau to Astoria, Oreg. At this point, the 1-year extension of the original lease on the Portland house was about to expire and the Houlettes again attempted unsuccessfully to sell the house. In this effort and after July 1, 1955, generally, the Portland property was managed by Bushey Rentals & Insurance of that city, a firm dealing in real property management, rentals, and sales. The 1-year extension of the original lease, which ran from July 1, 1957, through the end of June 1958, was also handled by the Bushey firm. This firm again made reasonable efforts to sell the Portland property during June of 1958 but the problem with selling the house lay in the continuing difficulty of obtaining a purchaser without incurring a loss on the sale. All subsequent unsuccessful efforts to sell were also made by the Bushey firm and to petitioner’s knowledge these subsequent efforts were reasonable but were unsuccessful because of the difficulty the seller met in securing a purchaser without incurring a loss on the sale.

Petitioner was stationed in Astoria, Oreg., from June 1958 until July 1960. In Astoria the Houlettes again lived in quarters furnished by the Government. Following the unsuccessful effort to sell in June of 1958 described above, they leased their house in Portland, for a 1-year term, under a lease commencing June 80, 1958. Subsequently, they rented the house under leases commencing June 30 of the years 1959 and 1960. During these years each time a tenant was due to vacate the Portland property, unsuccessful efforts were made by the Bushey firm to sell the house. The last-mentioned lease of the Portland house, which commenced June 30, 1960, gave possession to a couple named Fitz and was for a term of 2 years.

Upon the completion of his tour in Astoria, Oreg., in July of 1960, petitioner was transferred by the Coast Guard to Manitowoc, Wis. Upon arrival at this new station, petitioner and his wife lived in rented quarters for a brief period ending September 6,1960, at which time they purchased a residence located at 1106 Memorial Drive in Manitowoc. The cost of the Manitowoc house was $21,000.

On May 1, 1961, the Houlettes finally sold the house in Portland which they had owned since 1954. The date of sale was approximately 8 months after the purchase of the new house in Manitowoc. The sale was bandied by tbe Bnsbey firm in Portland. At tbe time of sale, tbe property was still subject to tbe lease of June 30,1960, but by mutual agreement between tbe Houlettes and tbeir tenants, tbe lease was terminated on tbe date of sale, May 1, 1961.

Petitioner realized a gain of $2,571.08 on tbe sale of tbe Portland bouse. Tbis gain is computed as follows:

Selling price-$15, 000.00
Selling expenses_ 606.45
Net selling price_ 14, 393.55
Cost basis_$15, 346. 75
Depreciation_ 3, 524. 28
Adjusted cost basis_ 11, 822.47
Gain on sale of property- 2, 571.08

On tbeir joint Federal income tax return for 1961, petitioner and his wife reported no gain from tbe sale of the Portland bouse. They attached a Form 2119, which is made available by tbe Commissioner as a convenience and in which taxpayers may set out pertinent facts and figures concerning tbe sale or exchange of personal residences. Clearly, in supplying tbe information called for by tbe Form 2119, the Houlettes anticipated that tbeir purchase of the Manitowoc bouse and tbeir sale of tbe Portland bouse were within tbe ambit of section 1034.

On July 12, 1963, respondent determined tbe $340.25 deficiency in income tax for 1961 hereinabove mentioned. Respondent, in giving tbe statutory notice, employed a short-form statement which included no explanations of tbe adjustments made. Tbe parties have stipulated that the determination of deficiency was based upon a report of audit examination dated May 10, 1963. Tbe report of examination included tbe following statement to tbe Houlettes:

It is held that the sale of the property located in Portland, Oreg., does not represent the sale of a personal residence and thus the gain would not be excludable under the provisions of Section 1034 of the Internal Revenue Gode. * * *

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Houlette v. Commissioner
48 T.C. 350 (U.S. Tax Court, 1967)

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Bluebook (online)
48 T.C. 350, 1967 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 88, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houlette-v-commissioner-tax-1967.