Boutique CPA Firm · Glendale · Burbank · Pasadena · Los Angeles Serving clients in all 50 states

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Real Estate CPA in Los Angeles

Tax and accounting for developers, investors, brokers, and agents: transaction structuring, 1031 exchanges, and Real Estate Professional status.

A property closing packet open on a table beside rolled blueprints and keys

The Right Real Estate Tax Advisor Can Open Doors

Real estate remains one of the most reliable ways to build wealth, and one of the most tax-advantaged when the advantages are actually used. Success turns on variables that deserve planning: the type of property, the timing of the acquisition, the development approach, and how each parcel is utilized and eventually sold.

Dozens of real estate companies across California, including Los Angeles and Orange counties and beyond, work with GT.

Developers, investors, brokers, and agents come to us because real estate tax law rewards the prepared: depreciation strategy, passive activity planning, and exchange structuring are worth far more before a transaction than after it.

45 / 180
Days Section 1031 identification and closing deadlines on a like-kind exchange.
§1031
Like-kind exchanges Consulting and calculations, including exchange-versus-pay-the-tax scenarios.

Our Real Estate Tax Services Include:

  • Transaction structuring
  • IRC Section 1031 like-kind exchange consulting and calculations
  • Real Estate Professional status & grouping strategies
  • Passive activity rules
  • Tax planning & compliance
  • State & local taxes
  • Tax-efficient entity structuring for real estate activities

Real estate work often pairs with tax planning & consulting for multi-year projections, and with entity formation when a new holding or development structure is called for.

Real Estate Tax Questions

What does a real estate CPA do that a general accountant does not?
Real estate taxation is its own discipline: depreciation and cost segregation, passive activity limitations, Real Estate Professional status, 1031 exchanges, and entity structures that change the answer on every one of those. A real estate CPA plans transactions around those rules before you sign; a general accountant usually meets them at filing time, after the options have closed.

How does a 1031 exchange work?
IRC Section 1031 lets you defer capital gains tax when you sell investment or business real estate and reinvest the proceeds in like-kind property, subject to strict identification and closing deadlines (45 and 180 days) and rules about debt and boot. We handle the consulting and the calculations, including scenarios comparing an exchange against paying the tax, so you can decide with real numbers.

What is Real Estate Professional status and why does it matter?
Qualifying as a Real Estate Professional under the tax code lets rental losses offset ordinary income rather than being trapped by passive activity rules. Qualification depends on documented hours and material participation, and grouping elections can make or break it. We evaluate whether you qualify, and structure your records so the position holds up.

Which entity should hold my rental properties?
It depends on liability exposure, financing, the number of owners, and your exit plans. LLCs are common, but the right structure varies by activity (rentals, flips, development, brokerage). We structure entities so each real estate activity is taxed efficiently and your personal assets stay protected.

Get in Touch with Our Real Estate Tax Experts

Planning an acquisition, a sale, or an exchange? The earlier we look at it, the more options you keep.

Prefer to talk? Call 818-570-0071 or email info@gttaxcpa.com.