Buying or building?
Review ownership, financing, basis, project costs, and your exit plan before the deal is set.
See the review ↗California real estate investor tax planning
Before the deal.
See the whole
financial picture.
A property decision changes more than your tax return. JH Group CPA helps you compare tax, cash flow, debt, ownership, and timing before you buy, refinance, sell, or transfer real estate.
The intro call confirms fit, timing, and scope. Detailed document review, calculations, and recommendations require a paid engagement.
Plan while choices remainOne property decision.
Five connected questions.
Five connected questions.
CPA-led planningBefore-the-transaction reviewWritten next stepsAlhambra & Irvine
Start with your decision
Your next move.
A coordinated review.
For rental owners, investors, developers, partnerships, and families facing a meaningful property or portfolio decision.
Improving or refinancing?
Connect property performance, debt payments, reserves, depreciation, and the tax questions.
Explore planning guides ↗Selling or transferring?
Look beyond the price. Compare tax, debt payoff, cash available, ownership, and timing.
Prepare for the conversation ↗The investor decision lens
Five questions.
One financial picture.
Real estate tax planning connects the property decision with your broader finances. A deduction, refinance, or exchange needs to fit the cash, debt, ownership, and long-term plan.
Meet Jeff Huang, CPA, MBA ↗Tax · What changes on the return?
Basis, depreciation, gains, losses, and federal and California tax.
Cash flow · What stays available?
After-tax proceeds, reserves, operating needs, and transaction costs.
Debt · What will you owe?
Loan terms, payoff amounts, debt service, and lender requirements.
Ownership · Who owns what?
Entity, title, partners, family goals, and attorney coordination.
Timing · What must happen first?
Contracts, closing, elections, records, and responsibilities.
Go deeper on your decision
Choose your
planning path.
Use these focused guides to prepare questions. A guide helps frame the discussion; your records determine the advice.
Rental property strategy
Depreciation, repairs, ownership, and sale planning.
Cost segregation
Study costs, deduction usability, and future sale consequences.
1031 exchange planning
Exchange structure, replacement property, debt, and timing.
Passive activity losses
Participation, limits, and losses carried forward.
Real estate professional status
Qualification, participation, time records, and documentation.
Short-term rentals
Length of stay, services, personal use, and reporting.
Sale & depreciation recapture
Adjusted basis, taxable gain, and after-tax proceeds.
California property tax
Ownership changes, reassessment, and family transfers.
Unsure where to start?
The Hey Real Estate CPA Decision Navigator helps organize the questions before your intro call.
Watch before you sign
Five tax checks.
Before one big move.
Jeff Huang explains the tax, cash-flow, debt, ownership, and timing questions to review before a property transaction.
Existing JH Group CPA video · Published August 12, 2026
Watch on YouTube ↗Read the full checklist ↗
What working together looks like
From a property question
to a practical next step.
Confirm the decision.
Share the property, ownership, deadline, and what you want to do. We confirm fit and scope.
Compare the options.
After engagement, we review records and compare tax, cash, debt, ownership, and timing.
Clarify the next steps.
Receive findings, conditions, responsibilities, and coordination points for the agreed review.
A tax benefit needs
a full review.
A projected deduction may be limited by passive activity or at-risk rules. An exchange or transfer has its own conditions. Review the records and sequence before committing. IRS loss-limit guidance.
Prepare for a useful conversation
Bring the decision.
Then the right records.
Start with what you are considering and when. After engagement, the review may need these records.
Send confidential documents through TaxDome when requested. Do not put tax IDs, account numbers, tenant details, or financial files in the public inquiry form.
- Property and ownership summary, including partners or trusts
- Purchase and sale closing statements, basis, and improvement records
- Tax returns, depreciation schedules, and loss carryovers
- Loan balances, payoff estimates, proposed terms, and cash-flow records
- Contracts, project budgets, expected dates, and the decision you face
Before you begin
Questions worth
asking early.
The right answer starts with the property, the people, and the documents.
Call (626) 943-2888 ↗When should I involve a CPA?
Before a contract, closing, major project, refinance, or ownership change limits your options. Tell us any dates already set so we can assess the review scope.
Can rental losses offset my salary?
Not automatically. Rental losses can be restricted by passive activity and at-risk rules. Participation, income, ownership, and other facts affect the answer. See IRS Publication 925.
Is cost segregation always worthwhile?
No. The review needs to consider study costs, the ability to use deductions, your holding period, and future sale consequences. A larger early deduction is only one part of the decision.
Should I put the property in an LLC?
That requires a coordinated review of title, tax treatment, financing, liability, and ownership goals. We address the tax questions and coordinate legal questions with your attorney.
How should I compare a sale with a 1031 exchange?
Compare the cash you need, debt, replacement-property goals, tax consequences, and exchange requirements before closing. A qualifying exchange may defer gain; it is not a promise of permanently tax-free proceeds. IRS exchange guidance.
How does California affect a family transfer?
Income tax and property-tax rules need separate review. Proposition 19 exclusions have conditions and do not cover every family property transfer. Coordinate the tax and legal review before changing title. California BOE guidance.
What does the intro call include?
The call confirms fit, timing, and scope. Detailed document review, calculations, recommendations, and implementation guidance require a paid engagement. Fees depend on the agreed work and complexity.
Before your next property decision
Know the tradeoffs.
Plan the next move.
Tell us the property, the decision, and your timing.
Request an Intro Call
Prefer to call? (626) 943-2888