Fee-Only Advisors
Fiduciary Standard
Full Compensation Disclosure
Registered Investment Advisor
Real Estate Investors · Silicon Valley & California

Your properties are
an asset. So is
a plan for them.

Real estate creates wealth — but without the right financial plan around it, it also creates tax exposure, concentration risk, and complexity that can quietly erode what you've built. Most financial advisors don't understand real estate well enough to give you useful guidance. We do.

Hooman Altafi holds both an RIA and a real estate broker license — giving him a genuinely integrated perspective on how real estate fits into your overall financial picture. We evaluate your properties the same way we evaluate any other asset: analytically, objectively, and with your total portfolio in mind.

Discuss Your Real Estate Portfolio Key planning areas ↓
25%
Max depreciation recapture rate
180
Days to complete a 1031 exchange
100%
Transparent compensation disclosure

Why We're Different

An advisor who actually understands both sides of your balance sheet.

Most wealth managers treat real estate as a line item — they note the value and move on. They don't understand 1031 exchanges, depreciation schedules, cost segregation studies, or how a mortgage decision interacts with your investment portfolio. Hooman Altafi's dual license as both an RIA and a real estate broker means your real estate isn't an afterthought. It's a core part of the plan.

RIA
Investment Side

Portfolio Integration

We analyze your real estate alongside your investment accounts — understanding correlation, concentration, cash flow, and how your properties affect your overall asset allocation and risk exposure.

RE
Real Estate Side

Property-Level Analysis

We understand cap rates, NOI, depreciation schedules, cost basis, and the mechanics of 1031 exchanges — not just in theory, but as a licensed real estate professional.

MTG
Financing Side

Mortgage Strategy

As a licensed mortgage broker, we evaluate how financing decisions — leverage, rate structure, cash-out refinancing — interact with your investment strategy and tax situation holistically.

Key Planning Areas

Where real estate meets financial planning.

Real estate investors face a set of financial planning challenges that are genuinely different from those of investors who hold only stocks and bonds. Here are the areas where thoughtful planning creates the most value.

Tax Strategy

1031 Exchange Planning

A 1031 exchange allows you to defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting sale proceeds into like-kind replacement properties. The rules are strict — 45 days to identify, 180 days to close — and mistakes are costly. We help you evaluate whether an exchange makes sense, identify suitable replacement properties analytically, and coordinate the process with your qualified intermediary and tax advisor.

Tax Strategy

Depreciation Recapture Management

Depreciation is one of real estate's most valuable tax benefits — but when you sell, the IRS recaptures it at up to 25%, higher than long-term capital gains rates. Planning ahead with 1031 exchanges, installment sales, opportunity zone investments, or charitable strategies can significantly reduce or defer recapture. Waiting until the sale to think about this is waiting too long.

Portfolio Strategy

Concentration Risk Management

Many California real estate investors have built significant wealth in a single asset class in a single geographic market. That concentration creates risk that isn't visible when prices are rising. We help you evaluate how much real estate exposure is appropriate given your total picture — and how to reduce concentration over time in a tax-efficient way.

Income Planning

Rental Income & Cash Flow Planning

Rental income is taxable — but depreciation, mortgage interest, and expenses can offset it significantly. We work with your CPA to ensure your real estate cash flows are structured as tax-efficiently as possible, and that your rental income is factored correctly into your retirement income plan.

Retirement

Transitioning Out of Real Estate in Retirement

Many real estate investors arrive at retirement with most of their wealth tied up in illiquid properties. Transitioning that wealth into a liquid, income-producing portfolio without triggering a catastrophic tax event requires years of planning. We help you build an exit roadmap that balances tax efficiency, timing, and income needs.

Estate Planning

Passing Real Estate to Heirs

Real estate held at death receives a stepped-up cost basis — eliminating embedded capital gains for your heirs. This makes the timing and structure of real estate transfers critically important in estate planning. We coordinate with your estate attorney to ensure your real estate holdings are structured to pass wealth efficiently across generations.

A Question Worth Asking

Is direct ownership still the right structure for you?

Direct real estate ownership offers control, leverage, and tax benefits — but it also comes with management burden, illiquidity, and concentration. As your portfolio grows, it's worth asking whether direct ownership continues to be the optimal structure, or whether transitioning some exposure to REITs, syndications, or other vehicles might better serve your goals. We help you think through this analytically — not based on what generates a transaction.

01

Direct Ownership — The Case For

Maximum control, leverage, depreciation benefits, and potential for outsized returns. Ability to add value through improvements. 1031 exchange eligibility. Step-up in basis at death. Best for hands-on investors with long time horizons and strong management infrastructure.

02

REITs — The Case For

Liquidity, diversification, professional management, and dividend income — without the tenant calls at midnight. Publicly traded REITs can be bought and sold daily and fit cleanly into a tax-advantaged account. Best for investors who want real estate exposure without operational involvement.

03

Syndications & Private Funds — The Middle Ground

Institutional-quality real estate exposure through pooled vehicles — without the day-to-day management of direct ownership. Potentially higher returns than public REITs with more control than a REIT fund. Requires accredited investor status and carries illiquidity. Careful sponsor selection is critical.

The Alta Advantage

Full transparency on how we are compensated.

We believe you deserve to know exactly how your advisor is compensated — on every service, every transaction, every recommendation. We disclose our compensation structure clearly and upfront, before any engagement, so you always know where we stand. That transparency is the foundation of the advisory relationship we build with every client.

01

Real Estate Advisory With Full Disclosure

As a licensed real estate broker, Hooman Altafi brings genuine real estate expertise to your financial plan. Our compensation structure on any real estate transaction is disclosed clearly and upfront — before any engagement begins.

02

Mortgage Strategy With Transparent Compensation

As a licensed mortgage broker, we help you evaluate financing decisions in the context of your overall financial plan. Our compensation on any mortgage transaction is disclosed clearly before you proceed.

03

We're Paid to Give You the Right Answer

Our 0.50% annual AUM fee means our compensation grows when your total wealth grows — regardless of whether that growth comes from real estate, investments, or anything else. We have every reason to give you honest advice.

Get Started

Let's build a plan that accounts
for everything you own.

Schedule a consultation with Hooman Altafi to discuss how your real estate fits into your overall financial plan — with full transparency on how we are compensated at every step.

Ready to Start the Conversation →