Elements and Tips of Real Estate Accounting

The purpose of this article is to examine the main components of real estate accounting and to provide tips on how to utilize accounting processes in the real estate industry.

Real Estate Accounting What is it?

A real estate accounting company is concerned with arranging and analyzing its finances, as well as recording its financial transactions. It is the responsibility of the real estate industry’s accounting departments to manage and record transactions pertaining to the purchase, sale, and rental of properties. Knowing how to perform real estate accounting duties can save you time and money if you work as an accountant or a finance professional in a real estate or property management company.

How is Real Estate Accounting Used?

Accounting for real estate is commonly used by professionals who manage or operate real estate properties. Individual brokers and professionals who run agencies that employ multiple agents may be referred to as real estate businesses. Accounting techniques for real estate companies enable them to assess their financial performance and growth and to manage their taxes in a cost-effective manner. It is also important for real estate professionals to be familiar with accounting techniques associated with transactions, since they may be involved in large-scale transactions when helping clients to purchase or sell real estate.

Accounting for Real Estate What You Need to Know

Assets:

Assets are resources owned by a company or individual that can be converted into cash. Property managed by a property management accounting company is an example of an asset.

Liabilities:

An individual or company’s liabilities are the amounts they owe, such as mortgages. Liabilities that are current and those that are fixed need to be distinguished. It is important to note that current liabilities are debts due within a year, whereas fixed liabilities are debts due after a year.

Equity:

A company’s equity is equivalent to its assets less its liabilities, while in real estate, home equity refers to the difference between a house’s value and its mortgage debt. As a result of this calculation, the value of the company can be determined.

Income:

A company’s or individual’s income refers to the money they receive for their work or services. Property managers receive income from the rent payments they receive from their tenants, for example.

Expenses:

The goal when recording transactions for accounting purposes is to maintain a balance in your books. Accordingly, the total amount of your assets equals the total amount of your liabilities and equity. Accountants must have a basic understanding of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and their basic accounting functions. Accounting software programs make this process easy to complete and understand.

Tips for Real Estate Accounting

Choose an Accounting Method

It is important to determine which accounting method to use to track a company’s financial records before beginning to report them. Cash-basis and accrual-based accounting are the two types of accounting.

When you record transactions in an enterprise’s cash-basis accounting system, you record money exchanged between your company and a third party. You receive payment from someone else and make payment to them in these transactions.

A transaction is recorded in accrual accounting when a product or service is provided or received by you and another party. An invoice, for instance, would be recorded when the invoice is created or received.

It is important to note that both methods of accounting have their advantages, but the cash-basis method is typically more straightforward for small businesses, while accrual accounting is more useful for large businesses, as it outlines their existing business deals and expected payments in a detailed manner. Unless you request a change from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you are unable to change the method once you have chosen it.

Separate Your Expenses

Expenses associated with the real estate business should be deposited into a separate bank account. All business expenses can be managed in one place, separate from personal expenditures. With the help of this program, you will be able to track expenses and transactions related to the business, enabling you to assess your cash flow and growth. Furthermore, you can improve the accuracy of your bookkeeping by organizing financial information.

Organize Your Business

Organizing financial documents is essential to effectively managing real estate accounting or bookkeeping responsibilities. Organize and find documents effectively by using an effective filing system. In accordance with your preference, it is possible to maintain these documents either physically or digitally.

By utilizing digital files, it becomes easier to share documents, as others can access them from anywhere. Keeping these documents organized is crucial since management may need to refer to them at some point in the future. Among the many tasks they may need to accomplish are preparing their taxes or verifying their financial information. 

• Contracts and leases related to real estate
• Invoices
• Receipts
• Tax returns

Maintain Accurate Records

It is important for accountants to ensure the accuracy of business transactions in addition to recording them. Conduct a monthly reconciliation of the business bank account to accomplish this. It is necessary to conduct a bank reconciliation to ensure that the bank records and the business records are accurate.  Show money entering and leaving the business in the same amount.

When you perform the reconciliation, you may discover discrepancies as a result of accounting or banking errors, fraudulent charges, or delays in processing. If your bank has not yet processed a transaction, the balances may not be aligned. You may need your financial documents to correct discrepancies or verify gaps as a result of this process, so it is important to organize and save them.

Make Use of Digital Software to Increase Efficiency

Making your record-keeping processes more efficient can be achieved by incorporating digital software and applications. It is possible to access your accounts from a variety of devices thanks to the cloud-based nature of many programs. In addition to increasing security when storing important documents digitally, requires a passcode for accessing the documents. Accounting practices such as receipt tracking are essential to the operation of a business. Online applications provide the ability to scan receipts immediately.

Accounting tasks can also be simplified or automated by using software. If you do not have extensive experience with accounting, these resources can help you understand these responsibilities. Additionally, most software offers a way to ensure compliance with relevant tax law, although it is advisable to have an accountant review your work before submitting it. Researching the different accounting software available for real estate businesses can be helpful. You can also visit our social media page.

Utilize the services of a professional

A specialist professional may be able to provide you with additional assistance when performing real estate accounting for a business. Some accountants and firms exclusively perform the accounting for real estate and property management businesses. These professionals typically possess familiarity with all relevant rules and regulations established by local and state real estate commissions. A qualified professional can assist you in understanding how the rules might affect your business or accounting practices. Additional business advice is available from real estate accounting professionals, such as tips on effective financial management.