Real Estate Bookkeeping
Catch Up Bookkeeping for Investors: A Step-by-Step Plan
Months or years behind? A catch up bookkeeping plan for real estate investors: what to gather, the order of work, and the mistakes to avoid.
Real estate accounting, explained
Plain-English guides for property managers, landlords, investors, and agents, with worked examples and checklists you can use today.
Articles
Real Estate Bookkeeping
Rental Property
Landlord Taxes: How Rental Income Is Taxed and What to Record
Landlord taxes in plain English: what counts as rental income, common deductions, depreciation, Schedule E, and a sample year for a duplex.
Rental Property
Massachusetts Security Deposit Law: A Landlord Checklist
Massachusetts security deposit law for landlords: limits, receipts, the bank account, interest, the 30-day return, plus a bookkeeping checklist and ledger.
Property Management
Property Management Accounting: How It Works, Month by Month
How property management accounting works: trust vs. operating books, daily bookkeeping, the monthly close, and a sample owner statement that adds up.
Property Management
Property Management Chart of Accounts: Operating and Trust Template
A sample property management chart of accounts, split into operating and trust books, with owner ledger accounts and how each line maps to owner statements.
Real Estate Accounting
Real Estate Accounting: A Plain-English Guide With a Worked Example
What real estate accounting involves, how it differs from ordinary small-business books, and a worked 3-property example with numbers that add up.
Real Estate Accounting
Real Estate CPA: What They Do, How to Choose One, and What to Bring
What a real estate CPA does, how the role differs from a bookkeeper and a real estate accountant, questions to ask before hiring, and the records to bring.
Trust Accounting
Real Estate Trust Accounting: Rules, Reconciliation, and a Monthly Checklist
Real estate trust accounting explained: whose money is in a trust account, how commingling happens, how to reconcile monthly, and a compliance checklist.
Realtors & Agents
Realtor Deductions for Taxes: A Checklist for Agents
Realtor deductions for taxes: common agent write-offs by category, the records the IRS expects, self-employment and estimated tax, and a monthly routine.
Rental Property
Rental Property Depreciation: How It Works, With a Worked Example
How rental property depreciation works: 27.5 years, the mid-month convention, land vs building basis, improvements, recapture, and a worked example.
Trust Accounting
Security Deposit Accounting: Journal Entries and a Worked Example
Security deposit accounting for property managers and landlords: journal entries to receive, hold, apply, and refund a deposit, with a worked example.
Trust Accounting
Three-Way Reconciliation: Monthly Steps and an Example
How to do a three-way reconciliation each month: the three balances, step-by-step procedure, a worked example that ties, red flags, and records to keep.
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