As real estate investors we often hear about how we need a “team”. You know, the contractors, lawyers, accountants, real estate agents etc. that we need to do this business.
How do you find good team members? The best way is referrals from other successful real estate investors. This is the age old problem of which comes first the chicken or the egg. The bigger your network the easier it is to find these people. The problem is when you are new, you don’t have a big network and you don’t know who to trust.
One important member of your team is a good CPA. It is key to get an accountant that understands real estate investing. This is one team member that I am very happy to recommend. My CPA is Jeffrey Stoller from Goodwich, Stoller and Associates. He has done a great job for me. He knows real estate and has many real estate clients. He understands, real estate investing, the strategies we use, and how to structure our businesses to minimize taxes.
If that was all he did, he would be a good accountant. But the reason I am writing this is the outstanding service I have gotten from him and his staff. In person he is always patient with my questions (and I ask a lot of questions!) and he responds quickly to my e-mails.
Recently I applied for an equity line on one of my properties. The bank wanted tax returns. I called Jeff’s office to get copies. The receptioninst Alice Reinhold got them out to me in 2 minutes via e-mail. As the bank kept asking for more info, this process was repeated three times over a period of days. The last time was on April 15th. With a smile in her voice, on the busiest day of the year, Alice got that e-mail out while I was still on the phone.
In Today’s world where poor service is the norm, I just had to give credit where it was due.
You can reach them online at Goodwich Stoller and Associates or (410) 747-3520
Happy investing,
Ned
PS: update click here to see more good service from my accountant
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3 responses so far ↓
1 N. Stephen Schatz (1 comments.) // Apr 21, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I will give Jeffrey a call. I have been looking for a good accountant that understand real estate investing. Referrals are the way to go. This is how I have assembled my team so far.
2 Ned // Apr 22, 2008 at 2:58 am
Stephen,
Jeff is a good guy. Tell him I sent you.
Ned
3 Chelle (2 comments.) // May 17, 2008 at 4:20 pm
It is hard to find people you can trust, especially in the real estate business. And good service is always a plus!