CPAs & Tax Advisors for Real Estate Investors

Trusted tax & accounting services for real estate investors

Request a Free Consultation

Help Real Estate Investors Achieve Maximum Tax Savings

Dealing with tax as a real estate investor could be complicated, time-consuming, and easy to make mistakes. Let our real estate tax specialists help you minimize your tax liability so that you can focus on maximizing your real estate investment gains!

Tax Planning for Real Estate Investors

Proactive tax strategies designed to legally minimize taxes and maximize after-tax returns on real estate investments.

Real Estate Tax Preparation

Real Estate Tax Preparation                

Comprehensive tax filing for real estate investors in the U.S. and abroad. ITIN application for non-tax residents.

Bookkeeping & Tax Audit Defense

Bookkeeping Services for RE Investors

Accurate, real-estate-specific bookkeeping that keeps your finances organized, compliant, and optimized for tax efficiency.

Real Estate Entity Structure Optimization

RE Entity Structure Optimization        

Consultation and formation of the most tax-optimized entity structures for your real estate investment portfolio.

Tax Audit Defense                                   

Our tax professionals represent you ensuring full compliance while protecting your interests throughout the audit process.

Real Estate Investment Advisory & Execution

RE Investment Advisory & Execution 


We provide guidance on acquiring and managing tax-efficient RE investment properties, maximizing investment returns while minimizing tax liabilities.

Request a Free Consultation

Who We Help

Real Estate Investors with High-Income Jobs

RE investors seeking to offset high income with real estate tax losses.

Short-Term Rental & Airbnb Hosts

Short-term rental owners leveraging the STR loophole for maximum active income offsets.

Real Estate Professional Investors

Professional RE investors seeking advanced tax-saving and bookkeeping services for their comprehensive real estate portfolios.

Foreign/ International Investors

Foreign investors with investment properties in the U.S.

Why Us

  • Expertise in Both Tax & Real Estate

    Expertise in Both Tax & Real Estate

    We have 30+ years of expertise in both tax and real estate businesses. We bring insights that traditional CPA firms simply don’t have. 

  • Free Tax Planning for Tax Filing Clients

    Free Tax Planning for Tax Filing Clients

    We include tax planning at no extra cost for our tax filing clients, because better planning leads to better tax outcomes and smarter investment decisions.

  • End-to-end Services

    End-to-end Services

    We offer end-to-end services that integrate tax, bookkeeping, property acquisition, and property management—supporting every stage of your real estate investment.

  • Premium Service, Affordable Price

    We deliver professional, responsive, and friendly services with an affordable price—without hidden fees or unnecessary complexity. 

How it Works

  • Request Your Free Initial Consultation

    Talk with our top Real Estate Tax Specialist for free for us to understand your needs and answer your questions. This initial consultation is free.

  • Choose The Engagement That Fits Your Needs

    We offer various tax saving services from tax preparation to tax consulting to tax planning. You are fully flexible to choose the way you want to engage with us.

  • Year-Round Support


    Optimizing tax payment for real estate investment is an ongoing effort. We are available to you year-round for support as you go along your real estate investment journey.

Short-Term Rentals vs. Long-Term Rentals, Which One is for you?

This video from one of our webinars dives into the differences between short-term and long-term real estate investments. Discover how the tax code can impact your investment decisions and learn best practices for both types of rentals.

  • Short-Term Rentals vs. Long-Term Rentals

  • Essentials of short-term and long-term real estate investments

  • What is the Best for you?

  • Sharing Real-Life Best Practices

  • Q&A

What Our Clients Say

  • I've been using the services of Zhou Agency for property investment and tax for the past couple of years. The firm’s ability to offer both services was fantastic as I was new to Chicago; they helped me with my first major investment in the area. Their team was thorough, resourceful, and easy to work with. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for property investment & tax preparation services.

    MH Ngai, Vice President, Digital Transformation, Chicago, IL

  • Justine and her team have been helping me for years of tax service. when I moved from Chicago to California 5 years ago, they even helped me find a major mistake my other California accountant had made regarding my rental property income tax and saved me over 1k tax! I would highly recommend Justine and her team’s service for their patience, expertise, and positivity!

    Chenxi Hu, Architect, San Francisco, CA

  • Justine is absolutely wonderful to work with and she has been helping me with my personal and rental property tax planning and preparation for many years. She is very responsive, thorough, and extremely knowledgeable in all tax aspects, and always provides prudent advice and guidance to make well-informed decisions.

    Sann M. Naing, Rental Property Owner, Seattle, WA

  • "Outstanding" is the word I would use to describe the quality of the tax service I have received from Justine Zhou (Zhou Agency). I am a real estate investor. Justine helped me solve my tax issues with her rich experience and knowledge. I am so happy to find Justine. Also, the whole team is very professional and provides good service, I will recommend Zhou Agency to all my friends.

    Jenny Dong, Real Estate Investor, Portland, OR

  • I have been using Zhou Agency for my personal, business tax filing and real estate investment for the past 19 years! Thanks to their expertise and accountability, I never need to worry about my tax return in the U.S. no matter which city I live. I also benefit tremendously from their free annual tax planning & property investment advisory services!

    Jane Tang, Real Estate Investor, Dallas, TX & Beijing, China

  • Justine is an extremely professional and knowledgeable tax & property investment advisor. During the past several years, she provided us with tremendous valuable advice on tax planning, mortgage financing, kids education fund, asset allocation, especially real estate investment. We really benefit a lot from working with her and her team. I would highly recommend Zhou Agency.

    Nengfeng Zhou, Senior quantitative analytics consultant, Charlotte, NC

 
 

Schedule Your Free Initial Consultation

Enjoy maximum tax savings for your real estate investment with our real estate CPAs. Get started for free - talk to an expert today!

  • Real estate is one of the most intricate areas of the tax code. Real estate taxation involves unique rules, loopholes,entity structuring, and timing strategies that most general accountants don’t have the expertise in or actively plan for. A Real Estate CPA knows the nuances and can go beyond filing returns by proactively guiding you through strategies to maximize the after-tax yields for your real estate investment.

  • You may qualify if your short-term rental meets specific IRS criteria, including average rental periods and material participation requirements. When structured correctly, STRs can allow real estate losses to offset active income. We evaluate both property usage and your personal involvement to determine eligibility and optimize the structure.

  • Yes—under the right conditions. Bonus depreciation can offset W-2 income if the losses are considered active, typically through Real Estate Professional Status or qualifying short-term rental activity. Proper planning, documentation, and execution are critical for this strategy to withstand IRS scrutiny.

  • Often, yes. Cost segregation can be highly effective even for smaller portfolios when the property value, holding period, and tax bracket align. We analyze the cost-benefit case by case to ensure the tax savings outweigh the study and compliance costs.

  • In most cases, no. Rental income is generally better suited for LLCs or partnerships due to depreciation and passive income rules. S-Corps can create tax inefficiencies and limit flexibility. Entity choice should be driven by your investment strategy, income mix, and long-term tax planning—not by generic rules.

  • A 1031 Exchange allows investors to defer capital gains taxes while repositioning or scaling their portfolio. Used strategically, it preserves capital, accelerates portfolio growth, and compounds returns over time. The key is planning early—before the property is listed for sale.

  • When real estate activity becomes a meaningful part of your time and income strategy. Real Estate Professional Status can unlock powerful tax benefits, but it requires strict time tracking, participation standards, and long-term planning. We help clients assess readiness and structure their activities to qualify compliantly.

FAQs