Most operators don’t choose messy books. They just get busy and delay it till it's too difficult to catch up. You’re running projects, managing tenants, paying contractors, buying materials, moving money between accounts. Bookkeeping becomes a “later” problem… until tax season hits, a lender asks for
One of the most searched questions in real estate bookkeeping is: “Should I expense this… or capitalize it?” And the honest answer is: It depends on your investment strategy. Real estate accounting is not one-size-fits-all. The same expense, like installing carpet, can be treated completely differently depending on whether you’
If you really want to see whether your systems work, try managing 140 rental units. That’s what Collin Scott does. He’s an investor, property manager, and licensed agent who’s handled everything from single-family rentals to 30–40 unit complexes. And listening to him talk about property management
Some mornings remind you that nothing goes “perfect.” Phones glitch. Calendars shift. You end up resetting your device in a Starbucks parking lot just to make the meeting. And honestly, that’s a good metaphor for business and real estate. Because you can build something great, but if you can’
When I first started in real estate, I had the same problem most investors have. I was commingling funds so badly that I couldn’t tell what was personal, what was business, and what was tied to a specific project. A Home Depot run here. A Zelle payment to a
I sat down with Cristina Franco from Opt-In Lending. Cristina isn’t just in lending. She’s spent decades as a real estate operator, landlord, and now works in pre-litigation mediation dealing with probate, divorce, inheritance disputes, and the real mess investors eventually face. Her message was simple and blunt:
Finding deals for a real estate project is difficult.. But so is managing the back operations of a real estate project and figuring out what a project actually cost you. Most people don’t even want to deal with tracking every dollar. I'll do it later kind of
For most business owners, especially those just getting started, keeping clean financial records is an afterthought. You’re focused on deals, income, and growth, not spreadsheets or receipts. But sooner or later, disorganized books catch up with you. Mixing personal and business funds, paying expenses from the wrong account, or
In real estate, your numbers should tell the story of your business, what’s working, what’s not, and where you’re heading. But if your bookkeeping is behind or scattered across spreadsheets, it’s not just a paperwork issue. It’s a business problem that limits your growth, hides
When Claudia first came to the U.S. from Venezuela, she never thought real estate would be the thing that changed her life. Back home, her mom was a lawyer, respected, hardworking but even with that, she couldn’t afford to buy a home or a car. Hyperinflation made ownership
When you own real estate, whether it’s a single rental or a portfolio of multifamily properties, you’re not just holding an asset; you’re holding responsibility. When you’re the one in charge, managing, and operating a property, you’ve got a duty to protect it and it&
In real estate investing, we’re not chasing the hottest deal on the block or the quickest flip for the biggest win. Sure, those happen, but if that’s your whole business plan, the risks add up fast. Many investors who built on hype have already burned out, went under