Overview: A Guide to Private Home Buying
It is important for us to note that the following advice is a reflection of our privacy subject matter expertise, and that we are not lawyers. Before taking any of the steps proposed below, we recommend contacting a lawyer specializing in asset protection to assist you in legally anonymizing your property purchase/existing ownership. Important elements to consider would be legality as well as how changing ownership from direct personal ownership to indirect ownership via a Trust or LLC might impact taxes, tax breaks, etc.
The standard framework for a private property purchase is to purchase property under an LLC with a registered agent (to keep your name off the records), a double LLC, or a trust and LLC configuration.
The non-negotiable element, in our opinion as privacy and security SMEs, is to ensure that your name is off the filing/incorporation records for the LLC and the trust. One way to navigate this is to use a registered agent, or incorporate an LLC in a place like Nevis without mandatory reporting, then use that LLC as the parent of other LLCs. There are also many U.S. states that have favorable privacy laws for LLCs, such as Wyoming, where they aren’t required to disclose the owners of that LLC.
Here are some examples of how that can look:
LLC + a registered agent. Incorporate an LLC in a state like Wyoming where reporting laws are lax regarding having to disclose the owners or administrators of an LLC. Add a registered agent to the LLC to prevent your name being added to the
A Trust owned by an LLC with a registered agent. Setting up a trust for the purpose of asset protection owned by an LLC which has a registered agent as its incorporator is another way to set up layers of privacy around your purchases.
Land Trusts. Putting your existing property into a land trust can be a convenient way to anonymize your property after purchasing, as well. While it does create a trail as the property is transferred, it still removes your name from the listing. After having a lawyer assist in setting up the land trust, transfer the deed. You can also assign your interest in the trust to someone else such as an LLC with a registered agent so that you have protection from lawsuits that originate from that property.
The method which your Asset Protection Lawyer chooses to pursue is entirely dependent on them as well as your local laws related to this matter. We can assist in drafting language for the conversation with the appropriate legal counsel. As always, we’d love to continue to assist with this as your dedicated Cybersecurity and Privacy Concierge, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any additional questions.