From my experience, the most important thing when choosing bookkeeping help for real estate is to find someone who:Understands rental income and expenses, including Schedule E for taxesCan track each property separately (or each LLC, if you have multiple entities)Provides reports that make it easy for you or your CPA to see cash flow and profitabilityCommunicates clearly and responds promptlyEven if you go with a freelancer, virtual assistant, or full-service bookkeeper, those are the key things I’ve found make the biggest difference.

I moved from Portland Oregon to Columbus in 2020 to invest and now own 10+ rentals here, and the fundamentals are really solid—population growth, job growth, and massive developments like Intel, Amazon, Google, Honda, Microsoft, LG, and more moving in.

As in all things in life (like choosing a spouse)for instance, it's incumbent upon us to examine our individual personalities regarding whether a proposed partnership would be a good fit or a disaster in waiting.In 2007, when I lost more than $130,000 in the stock market,I learnt a permanent lesson that stuck with me till today.I discovered that I was a control freak.I needed to always know how my actions directly related to my results, and most often like to retain the ability to change my mind even if others would find such reversal a stupid idea.Seeing how much control I didn't have on how my stocks performed in 2008 despite all the information I had consumed for several months regarding value investing and how to analyze a company's fundamentals scarred me for life.It made a real estate investor out of me.The safety and assurance that I was taking sole responsibility for the calls i made and the risks I decided to take was a calming refuge.Having been a Pro-member on BiggerPockets for as long as I've been has its perks.It gives one a front row seat to see in slow motion the interesting evolution of the component parts that make up this mammoth industry.I watched in amusement as one member arrived as a total newbie in 2018 with a welcome post, voraciously consuming unsolicited counsel on the member forums for a few months and then posted a "success story" of his deals after 6 months.Within a year, he had his own podcast and is now buying large apartments as a syndicator pooling investors' money.To be clear, this is not a hate post.I certainly do not begrudge people "crushing it" in record time.Nonetheless, as a 'senior' member of this community who has seen this movie before,I do feel a lonely cautionary voice in the wilderness is needed at this point.We are in an environment of unprecedented cap rate compression and record low interest rates which is only headed in one direction after this is all over.Yes, make no mistake, the music will soon stop.That has very little to do with an upcoming election and is regardless of who wins the White House or who controls congress after November.If you've listened to Kevin Bupp and Rod Khleif, you know what happened to their portfolios in 2008.These were no amateurs, as a matter of fact, they had many years of investment experience when the music stopped.They both weathered the storm and came back stronger and that is why I remain a shameless fan of both men till today.Several others were not that lucky, and you will never hear their names.In this space today, there are investors and there are educators.The educators have taken over the habitat.That is why there are now more podcasts on real estate than I can get through in a working week.Real Estate education is so very lucrative now that it is possible to make way more money from podcasts and books than in actual real estate investment for some gifted marketers with smooth tongues and gifted content creators.We are in the information age after all, and youtube millionaires are now perhaps outpacing patient real estate buy and hold landlords in the passive income/ cash flow game.Belonging to a $25,000/year mastermind and attending a syndication bootcamp does not insulate anyone from catastrophe.

And the 100+ P/E is based on this.

Keep in mind, every deal is different and your mileage may vary.https://www.redfin.com/IN/Indianapolis/1515-E-Kessler-Blvd-Dr-46220/home/66981054 (random house, not mine)ARV / Sell Price$235,000We Calculate All CostsPurchase Price$152,75065%Closing Costs$2,000Rehab$30,0006 Months Carrying Costs$9,114Real Estate Selling Costs$14,1006%Other$0Other$0Total Rehab Costs$207,964Now We Calculate ProfitARV / Sell Price$235,000Total Rehab Costs$207,964Gross Profit$27,036IRS Tax$4,05515%Net Profit$22,981Per month profit$3,8306Loan Down Payment$30,55020%Loan Amount$122,20080%Loan Cost per rmonthPrincipal & Interest$8137%Prop Taxes$321Insurance$168HOA Fees$0Monthly Payment Costs$1,302Monthly Payment 1$1,302Monthly Payment 2$1,302Monthly Payment 3$1,302Monthly Payment 4$1,302Monthly Payment 5$1,302Monthly Payment 6$1,302Utilities for 6 months$1,302Total for 6 Months$9,114

If someone’s thinking about investing long-distance, I’d say the key is choosing a market with strong fundamentals and then building a solid local network to support you.

If you sell those, gains would generally be taxable, and depreciation recapture may also apply if any are held as rentals.I’d happy to walk you through how to structure it most efficiently when you're ready.Feel free to e-mail me or reach out anytime.

Not advertising a deal, just trying to understand what “market” looks like.Hypothetical (but based on a real situation):- Location: Central Los Angeles, Jefferson Park–type area- Asset: Existing 4-unit multifamily on a single parcel- Context: Within walking distance (~0.5 miles) of an E Line / K Line rail station, so it appears to fall into a transit-oriented development (TOD) pocket that should benefit from SB 79 upzoning (higher minimum density / height / FAR if standards are met)- Ownership: Held in a family trust tied to a probate / conservatorship, with a court-supervised mandate to (a) preserve the asset and (b) use it to support an elderly beneficiaryThe family side can realistically contribute **land only**; they don’t have the balance sheet or cash to run a full entitlement + construction process.

Trying to better understand how active investors prioritize when it comes to choosing funding sources.Definitely experience and ability to be creative e and get the deal done.

You’re spot on that Columbus and Dayton offer strong fundamentals with steady rent growth and great long-term upside.