Structure & taxes
Educational content. Every case is confirmed by licensed counsel and accountants on both sides before any capital moves.
Your money never passes through an account of ours or the builder's. It goes from your account in your country to the account of the company that is yours, in the United States, and the build is paid from there. You sign, you follow it, you own it.
Who gets paid, and in what order
The order is in the contract before you sign. The figures for a specific deal are presented one-on-one, after qualification — what is here is the mechanism, which holds for any build.
- 1The build is paid firstLand, construction, builder fee, contingency, taxes and insurance.
- 2Ponte Norte charges the management feeA fixed percentage of the construction cost, stated in the contract.
- 3The investor receives the preferred returnBefore Ponte Norte shares in anything left over.
- 4Whatever is left above that is split between investor and Ponte NorteThe split is in the contract, and does not change after signing.
Ponte Norte only shares in the result after the investor has received theirs.
The two ceilings
Before buying land, we calculate the highest price at which every party still gets paid — investor, builder and Ponte Norte. Above that price, we do not buy. The same holds for the construction budget.
What Ponte Norte does not do
- Does not guarantee a return.
- Does not publish projections.
- Does not put investor money into a build without a closed budget.
One company per property
The house is held in the company’s name, not a person’s. At exit, either the company is transferred or the property is sold and the company wound up. That keeps title clean and the exit simpler.
More than one investor
When two or three investors go into the same property, the business account requires the joint signature of all of them. Nobody moves money alone, ourselves included. Each investor takes part in the decisions — this is not a fund and not a passive investment.
The point almost nobody explains: US-situs assets can face estate tax of up to 40% above an exemption of only US$ 60,000 for non-residents. That is why the structure comes before the investment.
Owning a US company directly does not solve this on its own. There are structures that do, and they have to be decided before the investment, not after. It is the first thing we take to the attorney in your case.
Source of funds
The bank will ask for traceability — where the money came from, a property sale, a company distribution, whatever it was. This is not pointless bureaucracy: it is what protects the investor and the operation. Smaller banks decide on relationship and on the track record of whoever builds; large banks tend to be more demanding even at better rates.
The taxes in your country
What you declare changes completely depending on where you live. We do not give local tax advice and will not pretend otherwise. We coordinate with an accountant in your country and hand over the documents and statements he needs, in the format he asks for.
United States
| Event | Default treatment for a non-resident | Planning lever |
|---|---|---|
| Rental income | FDAP: 30% on gross rent, no deductions | §871(d): net-basis taxation, with depreciation |
| Operating profit through an LLC | ECI: withholding on the allocated profit | A structure that removes the personal position |
| Sale of the property | FIRPTA: 15% withheld on the gross price | Withholding certificate (Form 8288-B) |
| Death of the investor | Estate tax of 40% above a US$ 60,000 exemption | A structure decided before the investment |
| Tax documents | The company issues the annual statements of what was paid and withheld | W-8BEN on file from the start |
Your country of residence
| Item | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Income from a foreign investment | Taxed under the rules of the country where you live |
| Declaration of assets | Reported as your country requires, at the cost basis it recognises |
| Foreign asset reporting | Many countries require it above a threshold, with their own deadlines and penalties |
| Cost of the transfer | Your country may levy a tax or cost on the outbound transfer |
| Controlled foreign entity | Some countries tax the profits of a company you control abroad |
Glossary
The acronyms on this page, in plain words.
- LLC
- Limited Liability CompanyThe US company type used for each property: limited liability, with profit taxed at the owner.
- FDAP
- Fixed, Determinable, Annual or Periodical incomeHow the IRS treats a non-resident’s passive income: full rate on the gross amount, with no deductions.
- ECI
- Effectively Connected IncomeIncome tied to a US trade or business. Taxed on profit rather than on gross receipts — but it requires filing there.
- §871(d)
- Section 871(d) of the US tax codeThe election to be taxed on the property’s net income rather than on gross receipts. Once made, it is permanent.
- FIRPTA
- Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax ActThe law requiring part of the price to be withheld when a non-resident sells US real estate. The withholding is an advance, not a final tax.
- W-8BEN
- Form W-8BENThe declaration that the holder is not a US resident. Without it, withholding applies at the maximum rate.
- EIN
- Employer Identification NumberThe US company’s tax number with the IRS.
Who does what
What Ponte Norte does
Coordinates the structure, runs the build, measures, photographs and accounts for what it spent.
What depends on a third party
Company formation (attorney), bank account and credit (bank), taxes (licensed accountants in both countries).
What is yours
Signing, wiring the money from your own account, filing in your own country.
Some people need the structure first: a US company, the EIN, a bank account and a compliance calendar. That is a separate service, with published pricing.