California Central Valley farmland

How We Work

The Quarterback
Model

Most farm families end up unintentionally quarterbacking their own team — their CPA, attorney, broker, qualified intermediary, and real estate partners, each moving on their own timeline and rarely talking to each other. We take that weight off the family.

Fiduciary coordination Flat advisory fee No commissions, ever

The Problem We Solve

You Should Not Have to Be
Your Own General Contractor

When a farming family decides to evaluate a major transition — a sale, an estate transfer, a 1031 exchange, a strategic partial sale — they usually discover quickly that there is no one person responsible for holding it all together. The CPA handles taxes. The attorney handles trusts and contracts. The ag broker handles the sale. The qualified intermediary handles 1031 compliance. The real estate partner handles replacement property. The family handles everything else — including the unspoken job of making sure these professionals actually know what the others are doing.

The cost of this gap is real. Deadlines get missed because no one owns them. Tax optimization opportunities disappear because they were someone else's job to flag. Estate documents and 1031 exchanges operate in parallel rather than in concert. Decisions get made in isolation that would have been made differently if the full picture were in one place.

Our role is to hold the center. We coordinate the team around a single family plan. We translate between specialists. We keep the calendar and track the deliverables. We flag the conflicts nobody else is positioned to see. The family gets to focus on what they actually need to decide — not on project-managing a team of professionals they barely know how to coordinate.

The Five Phases

How the Work
Actually Unfolds

Every family's situation is different, and no two engagements move at the same pace. But the structure of the work tends to follow the same five phases — each with a defined goal, a defined output, and a clear place for the family's input.

01

Phase One · No Obligation, No Cost

Discovery & Family Goals

A structured first conversation — typically ninety minutes, held in person or by video. The goal is not to pitch, diagnose, or recommend anything. The goal is to understand: what the land is, what the family structure looks like, what the outside pressures are, what the family actually wants the next decade to look like.

What we cover

  • Acreage, crops, water situation, debt
  • Entity and ownership structure
  • Existing CPA, attorney, and advisors
  • Family member roles and generational goals
  • Timeline pressures and external offers

What the family leaves with

A clearer picture of the actual question being answered, a sense of the realistic paths forward, and a candid answer to whether working together would add value — including, sometimes, that the family's existing situation is fine as-is.

02

Phase Two · Engagement Begins

Tax & Exit Analysis

Once a written advisory agreement is in place, we build the full financial picture. Working with the family's CPA (or a specialist we bring in when needed), we substantiate basis, review depreciation schedules, model federal and California tax exposure under multiple scenarios, and quantify what is actually at stake. This is the work that turns "we should probably think about this" into "here are the specific numbers that change the decision."

What we coordinate

  • Basis substantiation and depreciation review
  • Federal and California tax modeling
  • Williamson Act contract evaluation
  • Water rights and easement classification
  • Entity alignment and same-taxpayer analysis

What the family leaves with

A written analysis of the family's tax exposure across multiple paths — sell and pay, 1031 exchange, installment sale, partial strategies, continuing to hold — with the numbers attached to each.

03

Phase Three

Strategy Design

This is the deliberative phase. With the numbers in hand, the family chooses a direction — continuing to hold, full sale, partial sale, 1031 exchange, blended strategy, charitable structure, or some combination. We walk through the trade-offs, pressure-test assumptions, coordinate with the estate attorney on document implications, and stress-test the plan against the "what could go wrong" scenarios.

What the work looks like

  • Scenario modeling across family goals
  • Trust, entity, and estate coordination
  • Replacement property category planning
  • Tax bracket and timing strategy
  • Family alignment conversations

What the family leaves with

A written plan with named strategy, named sequence, named responsibilities, and named deadlines. Not a recommendation — a plan the family has chosen, understands, and is ready to execute.

04

Phase Four · Where We Earn Our Keep

Execution Coordination

This is the phase most families underestimate. A farmland transition involves a half-dozen professionals operating on different timelines under time-sensitive deadlines. The 45-day identification clock does not pause because the qualified intermediary is waiting for the attorney, or because the ag broker is waiting for the CPA. We hold the project calendar, translate between specialists, flag conflicts, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

What we coordinate

  • Agricultural real estate brokers on the sell side
  • CPAs for tax filings, Form 593, Form 3840
  • Estate and real estate attorneys
  • Qualified intermediaries for 1031 compliance
  • Real estate partners for replacement property

What the family leaves with

A completed transaction executed cleanly. Taxes properly reported. Replacement property in place if applicable. Estate documents updated. No deadline missed because no one owned it.

05

Phase Five · Long-Term

Ongoing Stewardship

The work does not end at closing. Plans need to be revisited as circumstances change — kids graduate, water allocations move, health shifts, markets turn, tax law updates. For families in 1031 replacement property, annual FTB 3840 filings must continue. For families who chose to hold the farm, estate plans need periodic review. For families with new investment portfolios, ongoing management and rebalancing is part of the work. This is where the multi-year relationship actually lives.

What ongoing work includes

  • Annual plan review and updates
  • Investment portfolio management where applicable
  • Continued coordination with CPA and attorney
  • FTB 3840 compliance for out-of-state 1031s
  • Family conversations as the next generation grows

What the family has

A long-term relationship with an adviser who knows the family, the land, the plan, and the history — and who continues to coordinate the full team as life unfolds.

The Team We Coordinate

Every Role,
Working from the Same Plan

Avidity Capital does not replace your CPA or attorney. We coordinate the full professional team around a single family plan — bringing in additional specialists only where needed, always in writing, always independent of compensation.

CPA / Tax Advisor

Tax planning, filing, depreciation review, installment sale analysis, Form 593 and Form 3840 compliance.

Estate & Real Estate Attorneys

Trust structuring, entity formation, purchase and sale agreements, Williamson Act matters, water rights counsel.

Agricultural Real Estate Brokers

Property valuation, listing strategy, buyer qualification, and negotiation on the sell side of the transaction.

Qualified Intermediaries

1031 exchange compliance, segregated escrow for sale proceeds, identification and closing deadline management.

Real Estate Partners

Specialists by asset class — direct real estate, triple-net commercial, multifamily, industrial — for replacement property evaluation when applicable.

Insurance & Risk Professionals

Life insurance for estate liquidity planning, property and casualty transitions, and liability structures as the family's assets change shape.

We coordinate with the professionals your family already trusts wherever possible. When additional specialists are needed, we introduce qualified professionals — and we do not accept referral fees from any partner. Our independence from partner compensation is what makes the recommendations honest.

How We're Different

Coordination Only Works
When Incentives Are Clean

The Quarterback Model has become a popular phrase in the advisory world. It is easy to say. It is harder to mean. Most firms that describe themselves as coordinators also earn commissions on the products they coordinate families into — which quietly shapes which paths get evaluated and which do not.

Avidity Capital is structurally different. We are a fiduciary Registered Investment Adviser. We charge clients a flat advisory fee paid directly, in writing. We do not receive commissions, referral fees, revenue-sharing, or any form of compensation from real estate sponsors, DST issuers, qualified intermediaries, broker-dealers, insurance companies, or any third party with whom we might coordinate a client's business.

This is not a marketing claim. It is how the firm is structured. It is also what allows us to genuinely recommend "keep the farm" or "do nothing right now" when those are the right answers — recommendations that pay us nothing.

Our Commitments, Plainly Stated

  • We charge a flat advisory fee. Disclosed in writing at the start of every engagement.
  • We accept no commissions or referral fees. From sponsors, issuers, intermediaries, or partners — ever.
  • We are a fiduciary. Legally obligated to act in the client's best interest.
  • We coordinate with your existing team. We do not replace relationships you already trust.
  • We will tell you when not to act. Including when the right answer is to do nothing at all.

Equally Important

What We
Don't Do

Most firms tell you what they offer. We think it's equally useful to be clear about what we don't.

  • We don't sell commissioned products.

    No annuities, no life insurance placements for commission, no loaded mutual funds, no DST placements that pay us. If a product is right for the family, we help identify it — and someone independent of our firm handles the transaction.

  • We don't pressure families toward a transaction.

    Our compensation is not tied to whether the family sells, exchanges, or does nothing. If the analysis shows the family is better off holding, our recommendation is to hold. We have told many families exactly that.

  • We don't replace your existing advisors.

    Your CPA, your attorney, your banker — these relationships often span decades. Our job is to coordinate with them, translate between them, and fill specific gaps, not to poach their work or undermine them.

  • We don't make guarantees about future performance.

    Market outcomes are not ours to promise. Tax law is subject to change. Any advisor who guarantees a specific return or outcome is either misleading you or misinformed. We give you our best analysis of probabilities and trade-offs — not guarantees.

  • We don't give tax or legal advice.

    We coordinate closely with your CPA and attorney, and we have opinions and frameworks. But formal tax opinions and legal documents are the province of licensed professionals in those disciplines. We are a Registered Investment Adviser, not a law firm or CPA firm.

Keep Reading

See the Process
Applied

Case Study

The $28 Million Decision

A hypothetical Central Valley farm family walks through the full tax math of a sale, the alternatives, and the blended strategy they chose — roughly $10 million preserved through deliberate planning.

Read the case study
Guide

The California Farmland 1031 Exchange Guide

The five rules, the California-specific traps most articles miss, and the 12–24 month planning window that matters.

Read the guide

A Letter Series for Families

Eleven Questions to Ask
Before You Sell the Land

Short, plainspoken letters we wrote for our own families. Eleven questions on taxes, timing, family, and the land itself — written in plain language. We send the series once. No follow-ups unless you ask.

Send Me the Letters

Free. No commitment. Unsubscribe anytime.

Start With a Conversation

No Cost.
No Obligation.

A first conversation is a structured review of your family's situation and a discussion of whether working together would make sense. No engagement begins until a written advisory agreement is in place. If the answer is "your family is fine as-is," we will tell you that directly.

Schedule a Consultation

Common Questions

About
Working Together

What is the Quarterback Model?

The Quarterback Model is how Avidity Capital describes our role in coordinating the full team of professionals a farm family needs — CPAs, estate attorneys, qualified intermediaries, agricultural real estate brokers, and replacement property partners — around a single unified family plan. Rather than leaving the family to quarterback specialists who otherwise never speak to each other, we hold the center of the work.

Do I need to replace my current CPA or attorney?

Usually no. Most families have a CPA and often an attorney they have worked with for years. We coordinate with your existing team wherever possible. When a family does not have a specialist in a needed area — for example, a qualified intermediary, or an attorney familiar with Williamson Act cancellation — we can introduce trusted professionals with relevant experience.

How is Avidity Capital compensated?

We charge a flat advisory fee paid directly by our clients. We do not accept commissions, referral fees, or revenue-sharing from real estate sponsors, DST issuers, qualified intermediaries, broker-dealers, or any third party. Our compensation structure is disclosed in writing at the start of every engagement.

How long does the process take?

It varies. Ideally the planning phase begins 12 to 24 months before any sale. An outright transaction with coordination might take six to nine months from first conversation through closing and replacement property acquisition. Ongoing stewardship continues indefinitely — the plan is revisited as circumstances change.

What does the first conversation cost?

Nothing. An initial conversation is confidential, free, and no-obligation. It is a structured review of the family's situation and a discussion of whether working together would make sense. No engagement begins until a written advisory agreement is signed.

Important Disclosures

Educational Content Only. This page describes Avidity Capital's general process at a high level for educational purposes. Specific engagements are governed by the written advisory agreement between the firm and the client.

Not Tax or Legal Advice. Avidity Capital Inc. does not provide tax or legal advice. We coordinate with our clients' CPAs and attorneys on matters within those professionals' scopes of practice.

Registered Investment Adviser. Investment advisory services are offered through Avidity Capital Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser located in Hanford, California. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information, including Form ADV disclosures, is available at adviserinfo.sec.gov.

No Commissions. Avidity Capital Inc. does not accept commissions, referral fees, or revenue-sharing from real estate sponsors, DST issuers, qualified intermediaries, broker-dealers, insurance companies, or any third party. Clients are billed a flat advisory fee for services provided, disclosed in the written advisory agreement.

No Guarantee of Outcomes. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Coordination of a family's team does not guarantee any specific tax, investment, or transactional outcome.