Investor Tools
Bookkeeping Tool (Excel)
If you have a smaller portfolio of rentals, you likely don't need fancy software to keep your books. We created this bookkeeping tool for our clients at The Real Estate CPA many years ago and it has served our clients well. It holds four properties (if you need more, just save a copy) and will auto-flow into an annual and monthly P&L.
Closing Cost Analyzer (Excel)
When you buy a new rental property, you need to know what your "building" basis is for depreciation purposes. To get this number, you must review your Closing Disclosure form and sift through closing costs and credits that you paid and received at closing. Our tool helps you do this quickly.
Real Estate Professional Time Log (Excel)
If you're claiming REPS, you need a way to track your time. Excel is a basic way to do this, and we've provided you with a template here. Convert it to a GSheet and you'll be able to access it on your phone while you're out and about.
Real Estate Professional Status Audit Issues (PDF)
Brandon Hall, a tax professional and managing partner at The Real Estate CPA, ran a workshop on real estate professional status. Specifically, he educated the group on audit protection. This PDF download is the outline of the workshop and includes steps the IRS will take to audit you (which means you can learn how to defend yourself!).