Prepare your real estate tax planning conversation
Acquisitions, rental operations, depreciation, and dispositions belong in the same conversation. Build a clearer picture of your portfolio before making the next tax decision.
Start with the decision, the people, and the timing
Write a short summary of the question you need to resolve. Identify the owners, entities, or properties involved and any transaction date already under discussion. Separate the outcome you want from the treatment you assume will produce it. That gives the adviser room to compare alternatives.
Bring the records that establish the facts
- Property-by-property ownership, purchase dates, and closing records
- Current depreciation schedules, prior studies, and improvement invoices
- Rental calendars, management agreements, and participation records
- Financing, planned dispositions, and suspended-loss information
Use a document index rather than pasting sensitive information into a general inquiry. Keep original source files and note which schedule or statement supports each figure. If a record is missing, explain the gap and identify who can provide it. Ask AE for the appropriate secure intake process before transmitting returns or financial documents.
Work through the review in order
Map each property
Separate the owner, use, financing, and reporting history of every asset.
Model the portfolio decision
Evaluate timing and limitation rules alongside operating cash and holding plans.
Coordinate the professionals
Align the study provider, return preparer, bookkeeper, and transaction advisers.
Confirm the work and the responsibilities
A recommendation, a calculation, a signed election, and a completed filing are different milestones. Ask which deliverables are included, which professional implements them, and what completion evidence you should retain. Clarify any separate work for payroll, bookkeeping, engineering, legal advice, or return preparation.
Leave with an actionable follow-up
Agree on the unresolved questions, documents still needed, responsible people, and the next review date. A useful preparation file should let the next professional understand the facts without reconstructing the conversation. Revisit the file when ownership, operating use, income, or a planned transaction changes.