Interviewing potential accountants. What questions to ask?

[David Morris]

Hi everyone!  I am new to real estate investing  (have bought many homes in the past but never for investing) but not new to business.  I currently am a business owner and have had an accountant for years but with the introduction of real estate investing to my income, I am thinking it is time to start looking for an accountant that is geared in that direction.  My question is pretty basic, what questions should I be asking when doing the initial consultation?  I would be grateful if some of the more experience folks here would give me a list of questions I should be asking and what sort of answers I should be looking for.  I know this sounds kind of dumb but I really am kind of lost when it comes to RE accounting, taxes and all that stuff!

My interests at this point are buy and hold (rentals) with the occasional renovation and flip.  Thanks in advance for any help!