Has anyone used a Registered Agent when forming their LLC? If so what company did you use? For privacy I do not want our names used.

Hi,

I am in the same boat here in California.  Does anyone have any recommendations for a Registered Agent?

For privacy, you name will still be listed in the member/manager section unless your LLC is in one of the anonymous state (WY, NV, NM...).

There are many registered agent company, and they almost all providing the same service. Some will also, for an additional cost, do remailing and let you use that address as principal office.

The average cost for a basic registered agent is usually between $45 and $100/year. Just shop around and look for the best price. I am not convinced that there is any difference in quality between providers for the basic service that they offer.

I wasted money on this "service" for years before officially changing it to myself. Whew!

Originally posted by @Max T. :

I wasted money on this "service" for years before officially changing it to myself. Whew!

 If you are able to receive service at your address during business hours, 5 days a week then sure its cheaper. However, for most of us, we don't have staff manning the address and you definitely don't want to put your home address either for privacy and safety reasons..

Originally posted by @Mike S. :

Originally posted by @Max Tanenbaum:

I wasted money on this "service" for years before officially changing it to myself. Whew!

 If you are able to receive service at your address during business hours, 5 days a week then sure its cheaper. However, for most of us, we don't have staff manning the address and you definitely don't want to put your home address either for privacy and safety reasons..

 I have a mailbox.

And I'm not scared of people knowing my address.

But to each his own...

Originally posted by @Max T. :

Originally posted by @Mike S.:

Originally posted by @Max Tanenbaum:

I wasted money on this "service" for years before officially changing it to myself. Whew!

 If you are able to receive service at your address during business hours, 5 days a week then sure its cheaper. However, for most of us, we don't have staff manning the address and you definitely don't want to put your home address either for privacy and safety reasons..

 I have a mailbox.

And I'm not scared of people knowing my address.

But to each his own...

 In most State a mailbox would not be enough as you need a person to receive service of legal documents..

Hi Kelly,

  I would use the service offered through Corporate Direct, which is Garrett Sutton's company. He is part of Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad advisors group. The cost will be about $125/year. They have agents in all 50 States.

However, there are really only two States you should consider incorporating in - Nevada or Wyoming. So unless you live in either of these two States, you will be required to have a registered agent. These States have the best laws and corporate protections for business owners and real estate investors. And it's a simple process to request to do business in your State as an Out-of-State business.

I would also suggest you pick up a copy of Garrett's book: "How to Use LLC's and LP's" - it's awesome and breaks everything down for you. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/How-Limited-Liability-Compa...

Asset protection is such an important component of starting and running a business, especially one such as real estate investing. Not only for the liability issues and corporate protections, but for tax reasons as well. Although it may be a dry subject, it's well worth reading up on your options.

Hope this helps....

I use my attorney as our registered agent. A couple hundred bucks a year. Cost of doing business.