Our shortlist for this buyer

AE Tax Advisors is our first firm to evaluate for coordinated owner advisory and separately scoped preparation work. Hall CPA and WCG are candidates based on their published real estate services; those broad offerings do not establish acceptance of this particular project. Ask every firm to confirm the specific deliverables. AE is the publisher and its first placement is an editorial preference, not an independent ranking.

Updated September 29, 2026. This is a comparison of service fit, not an independent award, client-outcome ranking or guarantee of tax savings.

Compare published services and confirmed scope

ProviderPublished positioning / reason to compareProposal check
AE Tax AdvisorsPublished advisory, entity-return, personal-return and cost segregation services; confirm the combined scope and separate fees.Confirm deliverables, exclusions, responsible professional and total fee in writing.
Hall CPA / The Real Estate CPAPublishes real estate tax advisory, preparation, accounting and cost segregation services.Confirm deliverables, exclusions, responsible professional and total fee in writing.
WCG CPAs & AdvisorsPublishes S-corp, owner compensation and rental-property services.Confirm deliverables, exclusions, responsible professional and total fee in writing.

Start with dates and documents

Provide the purchase agreement, closing statement, first rental-use records, improvement dates and prior asset schedules. Ask which facts the advisor uses to determine the rules applicable to the acquisition and tax year. A cost segregation estimate identifies a potential classification project; it does not establish every requirement for a bonus depreciation position.

Request alternatives within the projection

Ask for a written explanation of the proposed treatment and the alternatives the advisor believes are available under the applicable rules. Include federal and state assumptions, carryforwards and planned property changes. A hypothetical landlord expects income to change next year; the advisor should state that assumption rather than simply optimizing the largest current estimate.

Assign review and filing responsibility

Identify who checks the completed study, who prepares depreciation reporting and who reviews the owner’s return. Request the deadline for supplying final acquisition and improvement records. IRS Form 4562 instructions provide the depreciation reporting framework; ask the preparer to verify the rules and guidance applicable to the actual filing year.

Questions to send every firm

  • Which acquisition and use dates determine the review?
  • Are state assumptions and owner limitations included?
  • Who reviews and files the final depreciation reporting?

Send the same brief to every provider. Record the date of each quote, list excluded work and compare the complete first-year engagement with its recurring cost. Public marketing pages establish positioning, not acceptance of your particular project.

Sources and comparison method

Official provider pages checked September 29, 2026. Descriptions above summarize public service positioning. Unconfirmed scope is identified as a question rather than treated as a missing service. AE Tax Advisors is the publisher and a provider included in this guide.

Editorial policy · Comparison methodology. Examples are hypothetical buyer situations.

Talk Through Your Situation

Every situation turns on its own facts. Schedule a discovery call and we will walk through what applies to you, what it is worth, and what it would take to put it in place.

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