Do I need a tax planner

[Trina P.]

My husband and I are close to purchasing our first property out of state. We wanted to hire a CPA who can give us guidance and answer questions--about business structuring, tax savings, etc.--before we purchase our first property. 

We have come to find there is a big difference between a tax planning and a tax preparing. We found a tax planner locally who is charging $3800 for the first year and $800 each year after.

So here is my question, do we really need a tax planner at this point? Or is this more of an expense for someone who has a lot of properties to manage?