Estate Taxes Selling expenses

[alyle99]

I am working on a 1041 and I am confused on how to handle selling expenses of a house sold after death by the estate. It was sold shortly after death so there would have be no appreciation. According to the IRS, “Selling expenses (such as broker fees, survey fees, or transfer steps) are deductible if the sale is necessary in order to pay debts, expenses, administration or taxes, to preserve the estate, or to effect distribution.”  The estate has sufficient assets to pay expenses, but would the selling expenses still be deductible since they affected distribution?

Also below is a sample settlement statement. Would the Sales price and Cost be $307,803.34 and the expenses I can deduct be the Brokers commission of $20,220? I can not find anything in the code or a pub that specifically says what I can do. Is there an IRC or pub that discusses this circumstance?

Item		DR	CR
Sales Price			337,000.00
Brokers Commissions		20,200.00
Estimate final bill to City		400.00
Estimated final bill to utilities		875.00
Pro rata taxes		245.05
Escrow fees		895.05
Title Charges Home owners policy		1,184.56
County Transfer Tax		5,397.00
Due to Seller		307,803.34
Total		337,000.00	337,000.00

[BobKamman]

All of the items on the settlement statement would be selling costs on Schedule D except for the utility bills (actual amounts once determined) and pro-rated real estate taxes.  Those would be deducted on the 1041 itself.  This assumes that the sale was necessary "to effect distribution."  If there is just one beneficiary, conceivably IRS could argue that the property could be distributed in kind, but I have never heard of them taking time to make that argument.  

[alyle99]

So is the sales price and cost $307,803? None of the other items would be added to the basis? By effect distribution does that mean that since there were multiple heirs the house was sold so the asset could be distributed?

[BobKamman]

@alyle99 

So is the sales price and cost $307,803?

No, the sales price and basis before selling costs are $337,000.  The sales price should match the amount reported to IRS on the 1099-S.

None of the other items would be added to the basis?

Selling costs are added to basis.  

By effect distribution does that mean that since there were multiple heirs the house was sold so the asset could be distributed?

Yes.

[alyle99]

Sorry. I am still confused on your answer.

On schedule D:?

Sales Price= 337k

Cost= 337k

For my deductions:?

Brokerage fees, taxes, etc (everything but utilities)

[Accountant-Man]

Cost is 337 plus commissions and other selling costs, but not utilities and not real estate taxes.