How to Record Prepaid Rent: A Guide for Savvy Landlords

A landlord standing in front of the door to a rental apartment accepting money from two young female college students he is renting an apartment to.

Managing rental income effectively requires understanding prepaid rent scenarios. When tenants pay their rent ahead of schedule, you as a landlord need to properly track and account for these advance payments. Proper accounting of prepaid rent helps you maintain accurate financial records and ensures compliance with tax regulations. Whether you receive one month or several…

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Real Estate Depreciation: A Tax Strategy for Property Investors

A mixed-use building with apartments and retail stores in a busy urban area with people walking by.

Real estate depreciation offers property investors a powerful tax advantage that can significantly reduce their annual tax burden. Tax depreciation on rental property allows you to deduct the cost of income-producing properties over time, potentially saving thousands in taxes each year. When you own commercial or residential rental property, the IRS recognizes that buildings and…

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Essential Landlord Bookkeeping Templates for Success

A desk with open landlord bookkeeping templates, calculator, and organized files

Managing rental properties demands organized financial records, and the right bookkeeping tools can transform this task from overwhelming to effortless. Free rental property worksheets provide essential templates for tracking income, expenses, and tenant information, helping you maintain accurate financial records and maximize tax deductions. You can streamline your property management with customizable Excel spreadsheets designed…

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Top 10 QuickBooks Features Every Landlord Should Know

A landlord using QuickBooks to manage rental income and expenses

Managing rental properties requires organized financial tracking and accurate bookkeeping. QuickBooks offers powerful tools that can streamline your property management accounting tasks and help maintain accurate records of your rental income and expenses. QuickBooks provides essential features for landlords including property-specific expense tracking, automated rent collection, and customized financial reporting, though it lacks some specialized…

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How to Set Up Your QuickBooks Chart of Accounts for Rentals

A cluttered desk with a computer screen displaying a QuickBooks chart of accounts for rentals, surrounded by scattered paperwork and a calculator

Managing rental properties requires organized financial tracking, and QuickBooks offers powerful tools to streamline your accounting processes. Setting up a proper chart of accounts in QuickBooks helps you track income, expenses, and profitability for each rental property while maintaining accurate financial records. Creating a rental property chart of accounts involves separating property owner accounts from…

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CMBS Default Rates: Historical Patterns and 2025 Outlook

A female real estate investor with red hair reading a graph showing increasing CMBS default rates over time and being shocked at the data.

Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) delinquency rates have reached concerning levels in early 2025, with rates climbing to 6.57% in December 2024. The office sector faces particular challenges, driving much of this increase. Your investment decisions in the CMBS market need to account for the significant variation in default risks across property types, with office properties…

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Commercial Real Estate Lease Expirations in 2025: Impact and Opportunities

An large office building in a downtown central business district with an abundant amount of space for lease.

The commercial real estate landscape is poised for a significant shift in 2025, with an unprecedented number of lease expirations on the horizon. Over 265 million square feet of commercial real estate leases across various property types are set to mature in 2025, presenting both challenges and opportunities for investors, landlords, and tenants alike. This…

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Trump Tariffs and Real Estate: Key Considerations for Investors

A skyline of city buildings with a mix of modern and traditional architecture, surrounded by shipping containers and cargo ships in a bustling port

President Trump’s recent tariff proposals have sent shockwaves through various industries, with the real estate sector bracing for potential impacts like out of control inflation. As an investor, you may be wondering how these trade policies could affect your property investments. The implementation of tariffs on imported goods, particularly from major trading partners like Canada,…

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Section 8 Investing Strategies in Affordable Housing

A person typing on a laptop with financial charts and graphs displayed on the screen, surrounded by books and papers on investing

Section 8 investing offers real estate investors a unique opportunity to provide affordable housing for families, couples, and individuals while securing reliable rental income. This government-assisted program, managed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), connects low-income tenants with property owners willing to rent their units at fair market rates. Investing in Section…

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Chatbot for Real Estate: Revolutionizing Property Transactions

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Chatbots are revolutionizing the real estate industry, offering a new way to engage with potential buyers and sellers. These AI-powered assistants provide instant responses to inquiries, helping agents save time and improve customer service. Real estate chatbots can answer questions about property listings, prices, and availability, schedule meetings, and collect contact details from online leads.…

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Maturity Wall CRE Loans and Surging Refinancing Challenges

A brick wall with vines, representing the maturity of commercial real estate loans

Commercial real estate investors and lenders are facing a significant challenge in the coming years. A substantial volume of CRE loans is set to mature, creating what industry experts refer to as a “maturity wall.” By 2024, approximately $210 billion of CRE debt will mature, with an additional $111 billion following in 2025. This impending…

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