Hello Bigger Pockets Community ! I am currently a buy and hold investor, currently house hacking in Virginia Beach! As tax season is upon us I am looking for a CPA in the local area. I am looking for one with real estate experience or who has worked with investors in the past or currently are. If you all have any recommendations that would be greatly appreciated!

Highly recommend Small Business Specialists based out of Virginia Beach. They're knowledgeable in real estate and are IRS enrolled agents, not just accountants. 

Originally posted by @Glenn F. :

Highly recommend Small Business Specialists based out of Virginia Beach. They're knowledgeable in real estate and are IRS enrolled agents, not just accountants. 

Make sure you still vet someone who is an Enrolled Agent.

Unlike the CPA credential an EA isn't required to have a college education, or any prior experience working in tax. They have to pass a test that is statistically much higher pass rate than the CPA. 

So the bar for that credential is fairly low. 

Now that being said there are some AMAZING Enrolled Agents- I know enrolled agents who will put CPA's to shame all day. But just know that there are also lots of people who spend a month studying, take an exam, and open a tax business with 0 experience. 

I’ve been very happy with Ted Colna with Zukerman & Assoc CPA firm. BP won’t. Let me post their phone number but you can google them.

Also @Paul Allen at PIM Tax is an investor and CPA. 

Originally posted by @Sean Rooks :

Also @Paul Allen at PIM Tax is an investor and CPA. 

Thanks Sean, but to be accurate, I am a CFP® and an Enrolled Agent, not a CPA.

To expand on @Natalie Kolodij 's point, the credential is just a reference point. CPA's have more education and a harder test than Enrolled Agents (although NOBODY with zero experience is passing the EA exam after a month of study). If you hire a CPA, you tend to pay for that extra schooling and testing. You may need it, but you might not. If you're an investor with a couple of properties you probably don't. If you've got a larger enterprise like @Patti Robertson , you need a CPA. 

That said, I have amended more than a handful of tax returns prepared by CPAs because they were wrong. I am currently working with some folks whose CPA cost them more than $50K in additional taxes over the past 3 years. 

The dirty little secret in the tax professional world is that nobody is good at every kind of tax return. It's like the law. Johnny Cochran - brilliant criminal defense attorney. I wouldn't have hired him for a patent dispute. Yet, most tax professionals don't advertise their specialty, their niche. Nor do they turn away clients they should turn away. I find this professionally irresponsible, and a poor business practice. I specialize in military families who are landlords. I had a gentleman call me earlier this year who had RSUs and ESOs (restricted stock units and employee stock options), which get special tax treatment (calling for special strategies). I am not familiar with them, so I told him I couldn't prepare his tax return. Not only was this (IMO) professionally responsible, but in the time it would take me to research his situation to do a credible job for him I could be helping 3 or 4 military families who are squarely in my wheelhouse. That's more revenue for me.

My $0.02

Best of Luck with Your Real Estate Investing!