Real Estate Accounting - Purchase Property (Part 1)

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Learn how to record a journal entry for the purchase of property! This simple video demonstrates how to translate data from your closing statement to your accounting books.

[@Incomedigs]

Check out my End-to-End Quickbooks Training. www.incomedigs.com/reab ($50 off w/ code KZbin50)

[@patrickjay6434]

Excellent, lovely clear explanation. Looking forward to future videos

[@maxdabrit]

Very helpful, clear and concise. Thank you

[@aaronbruno-lewis5514]

Thanks for the video. This was very helpful.

[@socialteam2579]

Well demonstrated and it really explains how this should be done and organized.

[@Incomedigs]

Thank You for watching!

[@judi3427]

Thank youuu, this’s video really helped me

[@SHINE88]

Good video. I may make a switch with my accounting software. Have been playing around with quickbooks. I will check out your other videos.

[@Incomedigs]

Excellent! Also feel free to check out our end to end course: incomedigs.com/reab

[@Vangeli1827]

Thanks for making your videos, they are very helpful! How would this differ from a primary residence converted to a rental property? What would those journal entries look like to start your business?

[@DJSouthFlorida]

Thanks Bro. Very helpful!

[@timholm1205]

Great video! Thanks!

[@joimepangilinan6515]

Thank you!

[@sarahjacobs7796]

I have watched several videos and having a hard time figuring out how to properly record my companies scenario. At times we've owned over 300 separate properties - totally vacant land that was purchased cash. Currently, we own around 60 parcels. Should I be categorizing the address under Class? or Customer? From another video it seemed like I should do customer. But I do not see that as an option on the Journal Entry form. Hope this makes sense!

[@terrymek]

Great video. However I have a concern, IAS 16 requires initial recognition at cost including other fees paid to professionals. In this case what do you think about survey and recording fees?

[@meghannelson4577]

Hello, thanks for making the video! Wondering, don't you have to account for the land and building separately, since the land portion doesn't depreciate? If not, could you speak on why not?Thanks so much!

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Meghan...thanks for watching! Yes! In future videos we address this exact question. You should have separate accounts for Land and Buildings. We go through depreciation planning in great detail in our end to end course: incomedigs.com/reab

[@azimkarim3307]

Hi Income Digs. I am using quickbooks online - how do I record a tenant's rent, less miscellaneous repairs. Rent is $1850. Expense was $417 which tenant paid. The tenant sent in a cheque for $1433 ($1850- $417)

[@thediydaddy2649]

I like that software

[@sheerav.6275]

Your clip was very helpful, thank you! Confused as to why adding value to an asset is a DEBIT and deducting from checking is a CREDIT. Would it also work the other way around?

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Sheera....I agree that these terms can seem intuitively reversed. However, this is a basic foundational accounting rule. Check out this quick article: www.accountingtools.com/articles/2017/5/17/debits-and-credits This shows you what type of accounts get Debited/ Credited to Increase/ Decrease.

[@kanthimamaneema3612]

Thank you for the video, it is very helpful. I couldn't find the video for accounting rental property with mortgage. Please share me a link. Thanks in advance.

[@Incomedigs]

Hi there! This video shows a similar closing process with a mortgage: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5mZkGl8jZaKaZo We also discuss this in great detail in our end to end course: Real Estate Accounting Bootcamp: www.incomedigs.com/reab2

[@vecinaso]

awesome

[@AmericanConcrete]

Great Video! New to QB. Would like to make a journal entry...how do you account for an EMD? My total was actually 1k higher than the actual cash I brought to close. Would I put the number due prior to the EMD being applied where you placed your $103, 449? I apologize if I am unclear.

[@AmericanConcrete]

I just watched the next video and my question was answered.

[@arielargentina2387]

hi very helpull . i made te reconcile of bank account previusly so i entered the amount payed for property to the fixed asset property account , so when i made the journal entry to record all the details of HUD like you teach us i duplicate the values on balance sheet.What i should do with the amount payed on wire transfer on the next purchase when reconcile bank account to avoid this ?

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Ariel...thanks for watching! All you do is make the HUD ahead of time...proactively prior to the wire transfer hitting your bank feed. You should have a Credit to your bank account in the amt of the wire you are issuing for the purchase. When that transaction comes into your bank account acount, you would simply "match" it to the journal entry.

[@chaddunn2033]

How do I add an asset ( rental house) to my books if it was paid for in cash before I started keeping records on Quickbooks? I have three Paid for properties that I want to add to my balance sheet.

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Chad...thanks for watching! I suggest creating a single journal entry for these properties. Debit the purchase amt to a Fixed Assets account and Credit an equity account (e.g. Open Balance Equity). You can add as much detail as you want...but you can keep it as simple as just the purchase price to fixed assets credited against an equity account.

[@brianrbenton]

Great video. I need help bringing existing properties into quickbooks online and I just purchased a rental with seller financing. Please help.

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Brian...thanks for watching! My first suggestion would be to check out our end to end QBO for Real Estate Investors course: www.incomedigs.com/reab Within this course, we cover a huge range of topics...including seller financing, adding properties to QBO, etc. In addition to the core course content, you'll have access to the Community and to live Q&A Sessions where I answer your questions directly. In short...a property purchased with Seller Financing is not much different from a property purchased with conventional financing. In both situations, the loan will hit your books as a Liability. The benefit of seller financing is the ease of the transactions and the lower closing costs. We cover financing properties quite a bit in the course. Hope to see you there!

[@patrickr8438]

Not an accountant, but I don't think you can expense anything except the taxes and interest from closing --- i.e., your title insurance, legal fees, recording fees, etc. are accounted for as an adjustment to basis.

[@Incomedigs]

Patrick Rowe great comment! That might be the case...and I would suggest you definitely review your strategy with a CPA. There are many different approaches to closing costs.

[@cassandrabuss9534]

I noticed that you added Names at the end of this video and noted that you might be pulling reports by vendor - I'm struggling with having Names carry through to report when used in journal entries... is there a QBO setting I might be missing? Thanks!

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Cassandra...you bring up a very annoying issue that many people are dealing with. The "Name", as far as QBO is concerned, is often interchanged between "Vendor" and "Customer". When you add a transaction such as an "Expenses", you will see the Vendor at the top left and then you have the ability to add the "Customer" within each line item of the transaction. Within a journal entry..you only get one, and it seems that QBO treats this as a Customer...not a vendor. In which case, my comment about pulling the report by vendor is incorrect. In general, I recommend using Expenses/ Checks for every day transactions so that you can accurately track the vendor. If you needed the info for items that are entered via journal, you may have to separate them out into different transactions. This is an issue with QBO that we have brought up with them over the past several weeks. So far...no sign of a fix.

[@cassandrabuss9534]

@@Incomedigs Thanks so much for your reply! At least I know it's not me :)

[@laker6993]

You mentioned you can manage your notifications to remind you to input a class before you save your work. I was looking for this and couldn't find it in preferences & settings but no dice. Where can I find this?

[@Incomedigs]

Hey Ryan...thanks for watching! First...go to your "Accounts and Settings". Then, click on "Advanced". There is a section called "categories" where you would turn on Class tracking. When you click into this, you'll have the option to turn on/ off the warning. See quick demo: www.loom.com/share/a4080b0f7fe1470db37b93b315a52fa1

[@laker6993]

@@Incomedigs Thank you so much!

[@duledjurasevicgmail]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! A quick question. How would you record Credit to Purchaser (e.g. prorated Property Taxes)? Is is sort of Income account? How would you name it? Apology if it's covered in later videos. I didn't have a chance to see them all yet.

[@Incomedigs]

Hi! Just use the "Property Tax" account from your chart of accounts and Credit the account. Its the equivalent of a "negative expense" or a refund

[@duledjurasevicgmail]

@@Incomedigs Thanks man! God Bless You!

[@CJGrenier]

What was that site you suggested to edit / re categorize multiple items in a bulk process? It was like $9/month?

[@Incomedigs]

Hey Chris...here it is! www.saasant.com/app-saasant-transactions-quickbooks-online.html

[@kwasserott]

hi - i guess i don't understand how this JE booking to an expense account will end up in the property basis. everything i've read says that title closing costs need to be added to the basis and depreciated. also, the loan costs are supposed to be amortized.

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Kristy! You could deal with this by adding a sub-account to your fixed asset...something like "Closing Costs". You can then depreciate it appropriately every year with your taxes. The above video is just an example. Every situation will be different. So certainly reach out to your accountant/ tax preparer for guidance. If you need help implementing that guidance, we're happy to help!

[@jasonmalabute]

I agree with Kristy 100%

[@bettypettibone261]

What if the money comes from the owners personal account or other business account to purchase the property, how would you record the transaction?

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Betty, Thanks for the question! If the funds are coming from an outside source (e.g. personal account or another business), you would need to account for that with some sort of "equity" or "loan" from that outside entity. For example, if the funds came from your personal Bank Account, you could Credit "Owner Contributions" instead of crediting one of your business bank accounts. If the funds came from an external business, maybe you are treating that transaction as a loan from one business to the other. In this case, you would Credit a Liability Account instead of your Bank Account....does that make sense?

[@alizenkirk8280]

What if I have several properties already and want to now set them up properly for 2021? Do I just take their balances and enter them as they are now?

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Aliza, Thanks for watching! You can use a journal entry to "move" the properties into the correct categories. I would suggest making this entry as of 12/31/2020. Your last tax return would be a great source of info for the current balance of your property. You may not have added closing costs to your basis...this is fine! Just Debit your Property/ Land/ Closing Costs/ CapEx accounts according to your tax return. You can offset these with an Open Balance Equity Credit.

[@homerescalante684]

How do you handle the negative balance on property taxes, if you end the year with that negative balance?

[@Incomedigs]

Hi There! Are you referring to a negative balance on your Tax & Insurance Escrow account? You would just allow that to show negative. Not a big deal to ave a negative current asset. It will replenish and get back above 0 after a few monthly payments.

[@supladita2281]

what will I use to entry in QB the properties I bought and fix them then resell them

[@Incomedigs]

Supladita, while you own the property, the purchase price and your improvements should be stored in an asset account. As you spend money fixing the property, these expenses get attributed to say a "123 Main St Cap Ex" account. When you sell, you create a journal entry to clear that account. This video demonstrates how to account for the sale of a property: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIiwZqp5l81kgaM

[@supladita2281]

Income Digs how about if aside from buy and sell of houses, I also have Airbnb how will I get a profit and loss for each property? thank you so much for giving me understanding.

[@Incomedigs]

Supladita Talaga make sure your bank account/ credit cards are connected. Create revenue accounts for "rental income" and the various expense accounts for your rental. As payments come in from airbnb, mark them to the rental income account. Also mark your expenses accordingly. Use classes or "customers" to track the income/expenses to a particular property

[@supladita2281]

Income Digs thank you so much... hope to have more videos on ur channel...it helps us alot.😊 keep it up!

[@yolandacruz6121]

What if I have a credit for earnest money, a credit for closing costs and a credit for prorated taxes?

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Yolanda, Thanks for watching! 1. Ernest money - Prior to purchasing, you would Credit your checking account and Debit an "Other current asset" that tracks your funds in escrow. I call this "Purchase Escrow". Then, when I close on the purchase, I Credit this account and the total amt. due to closing decreases 2. Closing Costs - I would Credit this to your "Professional Services" account...or, if tracking your closing costs as assets, you can just deduct from that as well. 3. Taxes - Use your expenses/ COGS account...I have one called "Property Taxes"

[@cutiepiebaby7898]

Sir tally me kaise real-estate ki accounting krenge

[@Imankz745]

How do record a purchase of land that is meant to be split for sales as lots? we are not building anything on it. Any thoughts?

[@Incomedigs]

Hi! Thanks for watching! I would record the purchase as 1 big fixed asset. Then, as the lots are split...you can create sub-accounts to track the value of each.

[@PaytonDeflorio]

Do you have a video of this process but with a mortgage on the property?

[@PaytonDeflorio]

Nevermind.. found it.

[@Incomedigs]

@@PaytonDeflorio Great! Let me know if you need anything else!

[@PaytonDeflorio]

@@Incomedigs Thanks for the reply! Do you have any suggestions on how to setup Equipment rental in a similar way? I used your customer/sub customer technique for my properties, but I imagine that would get confusing for equipment?

[@Incomedigs]

@@PaytonDeflorio Do you need to tag the equipment to a property? For fixed assets, I would typically have those as "General" or "not specified"....just general to the business. Would that not work for your scenario?

[@PaytonDeflorio]

@@Incomedigs it's a separate business from real estate. I have a small equipment rental company. Is there a way I could talk to you off of here?

[@101yog101]

How can you categorise the purchase of building into "fixed asset"? Its your inventory. Isn't it?

[@Incomedigs]

Yogesh Verma Yes...that is true. But by accounting standards, Property/ Buildings would just about always be considered a “Fixed Asset’. That being said, I recommend you discuss with your accounting professional. There is no “one right way” for attributing transactions to various accounts. You need to ensure that you are reporting legally as well as meeting the reporting needs of your business.

[@101yog101]

Income Digs - thank you! for your reply. Since the business is of real estate and buying and selling of property is the core business - I suggest the same shall be categorised as inventory or may be added to cogs.

[@ryanremrich]

@@101yog101, it depends on what your business does, or the intent of the purchase. If you deal with buying and selling properties, and do not hold them long-term, then I would say it makes sense to keep it in inventory (current asset). Another good example would be if you build houses to then sell, the final product is a piece of inventory. However, if the property is purchased to hold and rent then it is considered an income producing asset (non-current or long-term). This should be debited to fixed assets (aka Property, Plant, & Equipment, PP&E). Fixed assets are depreciated over their useful life. TECHNICALLY, land does not depreciate. So in theory Income Digs should be allocating some portion of the property price to a LAND fixed asset account. The easiest way is to take the ratio of the assessed land/assessed property value and multiply it times the acquisition price. Per a 2017 US Tax Court Ruling, "The property tax assessor provides a value of land and improvements based on the municipality’s guidelines. While this may not reconcile with the acquisition cost, the ratio between the land and improvement values can be applied to the acquisition cost to provide corresponding values for federal income tax purposes." (Source: www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/court-rejects-taxpayers-land-vs-building-allocation).

[@raheem2217]

One question. In real estate business why purchase of property is capitalized? Since It is for resale it should be under Direct cost in P&L. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Raheem...yes, if flipping the property, you would potentially add to your P&L...or Inventory. In this case, we assume a Rental Property...a long term property would be added to the Fixed Assets. We cover this in detail in our comprehensive course: www.incomedigs.com/reab

[@raheem2217]

@@Incomedigs thank you for clarification

[@talithatanner5953]

what does the P&L look like?

[@Incomedigs]

Hi Talitha...thanks for the question. Most line items on a purchase transaction will end up on your balance sheet. However, those that are deducted instead of depreciated/ amortized (e.g. property tax, insurance) would end up as expenses on your P&L. You would have a negative Net Income on the purchase of property. However, as you begin renting out the property, your would gain revenue to balance out the top line.

[@jamesmiller3069]

I had the same question. I'm currently going through the same exercise but it's missing the money paid to the seller. Should that be in the p&l? In the example in this video, I believe the taxes and professional fees would show up as expenses. My question is should the 100k paid to the seller show up since that was an expense?

[@FishAndFirearm]

Income Diggs Go Bills

[@Incomedigs]

GO BILLS!

[@BGDotte]

SOME PARTS OF THE VIDEO IS BLURRED

[@terrysteven3528]

This is wrong. Per IRS Pub 551 (Basis of assets) closing costs must be capitalized. The following items are some of the settlement fees or closing costs you can include in the basis of your property. • Abstract fees (abstract of title fees). • Charges for installing utility services. • Legal fees (including title search and preparation of the sales contract and deed). • Recording fees. • Surveys. • Transfer taxes. • Owner's title insurance

[@Incomedigs]

Hi! Thanks for watching...and you are right. See updated video per comments: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3KYdH1-bdmFmKc

[@sellis9327]

This must be for a beginner as there is just too much talking to get to the entry

[@Incomedigs]

Thanks for watching!