Industry Expertise

Real Estate
Bookkeeping

Scope of Work & Integrations. Real Estate is broad — it spans Rental Property Owners, Property Management Companies, Fix & Flip Investors, Real Estate Agents/Brokers, and Commercial Real Estate.

Part 1 — Scope of Work

Comprehensive bookkeeping tasks designed specifically for your real estate operations.

A. Standard Bookkeeping

Categorization

Rent, commissions, and operational expenses from bank & payment gateways sorted into correct accounts.

Reconciliation

Monthly bank and credit card reconciliation ensuring zero discrepancies.

A/R & A/P

Invoicing, vendor bills, payment tracking, aging reports.

Payroll & Contractors

Employee payroll bookkeeping plus 1099 contractor payment tracking.

Financial Statements

P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement.

Month/Year-End Close

Journal entries, cleanup/catch-up, fixed asset tracking, CPA-ready books.

B. Property, Rental & PM Accounting

Property-Level Bookkeeping

Track income and expenses separately for every property to see which ones actually perform.

Rent Tracking & Roll Rec.

Reconcile monthly rent, late/pet/parking fees against the rent roll and bank deposits.

Security Deposit Liability

Track deposits as a liability (not revenue); record deductions and refunds correctly at move-out.

Property Management Accounting

Manage tenant rent, owner funds, vendor payments, Reimbursable Receivables/Liabilities and management fees separately.

Owner Statements

Prepare monthly owner statements and record owner payable/distribution correctly.

Trust & Three-Way Reconciliation

Match bank balance ↔ accounting register ↔ owner/tenant ledgers — the signature PM control.

Property Expense Tracking

Repairs, utilities, landscaping, HOA, insurance, and property tax tracked per property.

Mortgage & Loan Accounting

Split monthly payments into principal, interest, and escrow; reconcile mortgage statements.

Repair vs. Capital Improvement

Correctly classify each expense as a deductible repair or a capitalized improvement.

Fixed Asset & Depreciation

Building, equipment, and improvement depreciation schedules.

Short-Term Rental (Airbnb)

Reconcile gross bookings minus platform fees, cleaning fees, and refunds to the bank payout.

Vacancy/Occupancy Reporting

Track occupied vs. vacant units, vacancy days, and lost rental income.

Property Budget vs. Actual

Compare budgeted rent/expenses to actual by property to flag variances.

C. Investor, Agent & Commercial Accounting

Acquisition & Closing Statement

Map purchase price, land, closing costs, loan, escrow, and prepaids from the settlement statement.

Property Sale Accounting

Calculate sale price, selling costs, loan payoff, accumulated depreciation, basis, and gain/loss.

Fix & Flip Project Costing

Total Project Cost (purchase + renovation + holding) vs. Sale Price = Project Profit.

Renovation Cost Tracking

Contractor labor, materials, permits, and trades tracked per flip/renovation project.

Holding Cost Tracking

Mortgage interest, utilities, insurance, and taxes incurred while a property is held for renovation.

Commission & Broker Split

Gross commission − broker split − referral fee = net commission, per settlement statement.

Agent Expense Tracking

MLS, marketing, photography, mileage, client gifts, license fees, and CRM/software.

Commercial Real Estate

Tenant rent, CAM, property tax, insurance, and tenant improvements per lease.

CAM Reconciliation

Compare estimated CAM collected from tenants to actual year-end CAM expense.

Straight-Line & Percentage Rent

Level out escalating lease rent per accounting rules; track sales-based additional rent.

1099 Contractor Tracking

W-9 collection, contractor payments, and year-end 1099 reporting for vendors/trades.

Service Package Flow

The step-by-step lifecycle of managing your real estate financials securely and accurately.

Setup/Cleanup
Chart of Accounts & Property/Class Structure
Monthly Bookkeeping
Rent/Commission/Trust Reconciliation
Property or Project-Level P&L
Owner/Agent Statements
Budget vs. Actual & Portfolio Reporting
Tax/CPA Handoff (1099s, Depreciation, Sale Schedules)

Part 2 — Software Integrations

Connecting the best tools to streamline your real estate business operations.

Tier 1 — Highly Useful
DoorLoop
Property, tenant, and owner management with a direct one-way QBO sync — properties map to customers/classes.
Rent Manager
Established residential/commercial PM platform for tenant, owner, and property accounting.
RentRedi
Rent collection and tenant management, popular with small landlords/rental investors.
Stripe
Online rent, application, and fee payments — syncs fees, refunds, and payouts to QBO.
Bill.com / Melio
AP automation for vendor bills — plumbers, electricians, contractors, maintenance companies.
Tier 2 — Useful
Buildium
Widely used PM software — no direct QBO integration; requires manual mapping/journal entries.
AppFolio
Mid/large PM companies — largely self-contained accounting rather than a QBO connector.
Propertyware
Single-family property management accounting workflow.
CRM/Commission Platforms
Agent/broker-specific tools for tracking deals and commission splits.

Integration Flow by Business Size

Business Size Recommended Integration Flow
Small
RentRedi (Rent Collection, Individual Landlord/Agent) ➔ Stripe (Payments) ➔ QuickBooks Online
Medium
DoorLoop (Property/Tenant/Owner Management) ➔ StripeBill.com (Vendor AP) ➔ QuickBooks Online
Large
Rent Manager, AppFolio, or Buildium (Trust Accounting, Large Portfolio) ➔ Bill.comQuickBooks Online (Three-Way Reconciliation)