“And when he goes to sell the buildings, he will have to recapture all the depreciation he is now claiming over their useful life.”
No, he won’t. You don’t actually “sell” a property, you do a Section 1031 exchange and fold your equity into another, more expensive (and, thus, more productive) property. There’s no tax, though the basis of your new property is that of your old property (including the depreciation taken) plus any new equity that you might throw into it.
Real estate investors only pay tax when they WANT to pay tax.
You dont actually sell a property, you do a Section 1031 exchange and fold your equity into another, Yes, that's why I said sell. When you sell you need t to recapture the depreciation, not on a 1031 exchange. Of course you don't have to do a 1031 exchange, it is an option.