Landmark CPA Group

Check out my latest "Ted Talks Tax" post where I discuss what the best tax strategy is for real estate investors!

“Ted, what’s the best tax strategy for a real estate investor?”

I get that question all the time.

It sounds like a good question. It isn’t.

A married couple earning $900,000 from W-2 jobs has one set of problems. A real estate broker with variable income has another. An investor who just sold a property for a large gain has a completely different problem.

One may need a short-term rental and a cost segregation study. Another may need a retirement plan. The third may need a 1031 exchange—or may decide that paying the tax is actually the right answer.

Same tax code. Three completely different plans.

After 36 years of doing this, I’ve become deeply suspicious of anyone selling one strategy as the answer for everyone. Tax planning doesn’t work that way.

💡 My Ted Take:

The best tax strategy isn’t the one getting the most attention online. It’s the one that fits your income, your investments, your tax bracket, and what you’re actually trying to accomplish.

Before you ask, “How much will this save me?” ask, “What problem is this solving for me?”

That one question can save you from making a very expensive mistake.

Follow Ted Talks Tax for more straight talk about real-estate tax planning.

This is my book: Year-Round Tax Planning.

I wrote this after watching too many real estate investors do everything right—
and still write unnecessary checks to the IRS.

Not because they were careless.
Because no one showed them how timing quietly drives tax outcomes.

This book exists to close that gap.

👉 Download my book for FREE:
https://landmarkcpagroup.com/year-round-tax-planning-download/

February Is When Smart Investors Start Winning on Taxes

Most investors wait until March or April to think about taxes.

That’s already too late.

February is where the real tax planning happens:
• Your prior-year numbers are mostly known
• Your income trajectory for 2026 is taking shape
• You still have time to adjust strategy
• Nothing has been locked in yet

This is the month to ask:
“What do I want my tax bill to look like this year?”

Because once the year is over, your options shrink fast.

Investor Tip:
If you want a lower tax bill in 2026, February is the month to start acting.

Read this if you want to understand what a Short-Term Rental (STR) really is — and why its tax treatment can be very different from traditional rentals 👇

If you want to learn about the various types of real estate investors and the tax strategies, let me discuss how my "Year-Round Tax Planning" Program can help every investor type.

Watch this:

Types of Investors & Real Estate Professionals Ted Lanzaro discusses the various types of real estate investors and the tax strategies he uses as part of his year-round tax planning program for each inves...

Read this if you want to know what Cost Segregation is all about 👇

Most real estate investors think selling is the finish line.

In reality, it’s just a fork in the road.

One path leads to a big tax bill and starting over with less capital.
The other keeps your money working, growing, and compounding.

The difference isn’t luck.
It isn’t market timing.

It’s understanding how the tax rules shape your options before you sell.

The smartest real estate moves usually happen long before the listing goes live.

One of the most common things I hear from real estate investors is:

“I didn’t know that mattered.”

They’re usually talking about timing.

Timing when a property is placed in service.
Timing when a renovation is completed.
Timing when depreciation is accelerated.

None of these changes the deal.
But they can dramatically change the tax outcome.

Taxes aren’t just about what you do in real estate.
They’re about when you do it.

The Difference Between Filing Taxes and Controlling Taxes

Most people think a CPA’s job is to file returns.

That’s filing.

Controlling taxes is different.

Controlling taxes means:
• Understanding how income will be taxed before it’s earned
• Planning exits before properties are sold
• Coordinating depreciation, losses, and gains
• Making decisions with the end in mind

Filing reports the past.
Planning shapes the future.

Bottom Line:
The goal isn’t a perfect tax return — it’s a smaller tax bill.

Here’s something the IRS never says explicitly — but enforces constantly:

Not all real estate work counts.

Talking with your CPA?
Analyzing returns?
Attending a conference?

Important… but usually non-qualifying for Real Estate Professional Status.

REPS isn’t about investor-level thinking.
It’s about operational involvement.

In tax law, doing the work matters.
Proving the work matters more.