Newbie Business Structure

Newbie Business Structure

Investor · Oxnard, CA · Member since 2014 · 438 posts · 187 votes

Hi all. My business partner and I are new to RE investing and are in the process of gathering as much information as we can. One of the things we were told was that we should start off as either a LLC or S-corp (or maybe both depending on our strategy) sooner rather than later. Digging through a couple of the threads on BP, it seems like there is a general consensus that newbies should complete a few deals before worrying about setting up a corporate structure. My partner and I are fairly certain that we want to start off by wholesaling and rehabbing and then look for passive income opportunities as we grow our business. One issue that she is worried about is that she already owns a condo that she is renting out, and how that can be affected should a deal go awry and someone tries to take legal action. Bottom line is, how can we determine what we stand to lose if we don’t set up our corporate structure right away (whether it’s tax incentives, legal protection, etc.), and can we gain any tax benefits that we may have missed out on otherwise if we set up our corporate structure after completing a couple of deals? I’m still feeling my way around this website, so if there are any articles or documents on here that someone can point me to, that would more than suffice. There also seems to be an even split on whether people believe you should have an entity set up this structure for you, or if you should save the money and do it on your own. This seems like it will be such an important step in the process that it may be worth our while to shell out the money to make sure it’s done right. Thanks everyone.

Cornelius

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  • Specialist · Rockland, MA · Member since 2010 · 7k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    12y

    @Cornelius Charles

    Welcome. You need to build your team a good real estate CPA will advise you on the best legal entity and tax strategies. I will refer through a PM the best in the country. Time to build the foundation below.

    Check out the Start Here page http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthere

    Check out BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginner's Guide - A fantastic free book that walks through many of the key topics of real estate investing.

    Check out the free BiggerPockets Podcast - A weekly podcast with interviews and a ton of great advice. And you get the benefit of having 60 past ones to catch up on.

    Two Great reads, I bought both J. Scott The Book on Flipping Houses,The Book on Estimating ReHab Costshttp://www.biggerpockets.com/flippingbook

    Locate and attend 3 different local REIA club meetings great place to meet people gather resources and info. Here you will meet wholesalers who provide deals and all the cash buyers (rehabbers) you will need.

    Consider checking out HUD homes for small multi's owner occupied gets first crack.

    You might consider Niche or Specialized Housing like student housing. Rents can be 2-4 times more. Remember you don't have to own a property to control it.

    Download BP’s newest book here some good due diligence in Chapter 10. Real Estate Rewind Starting over

    http://www.biggerpockets.com/files/user/brandonatbp/file/real-estate-rewind-a-biggerpockets-community-book

    Good luck

    Paul

    @Cornelius Charles

  • Brandon TurnerPro Member
    Investor · Maui, HI · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    12y

    Hey @Cornelius Charles welcome to the site! It's great to have you here. Feel free to ask any questions in the forums. Seeya around!

  • J. MartinPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Oakland, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    12y

    Hello Cornelius. You came to the right place! I'm a buy/fix and hold investor in the Bay in CA. But you'll find a variety of all strategies here on the website. A few tips on the website and on meeting some fellow investors:


    Search for local meetups here or google a local REI club to network with other investors. On the site, the "Learn" link across the top navigation bar has lots of great info, and so do the forums. You can tag people by typing @ before you type their name, then clicking their name when it pops up at the bottom of the message box. You can click on the 'vote' button if you like someone's post or is helpful, and there are 'awards' to earn on your profile. Good luck on everything!

  • Denver, CO · Member since 2014 · 220 posts · 18 votes
    12y

    Welcome to BiggerPockets @Cornelius Charles!

    Glad to have you aboard!

  • Developer · San Diego, CA · Member since 2014 · 294 posts · 70 votes
    12y

    Hi @Cornelius Charles and welcome to the site. There's a wealth of information available here and hopefully you can benefit from it.

    I agree with you that setting up an entity is a very important decision. I think that when people warn you against creating an entity prematurely it's because they want you to know that you're serious first. Many people get an idea and think "oh that's easy... I can do that!" It would be a waste of time and money to start an entity and then not do anything with it. But if you're serious and judging by the fact that your partner already has a property being rented out you likely are, then I would recommend working on the entity formation sooner than later. Liability protection is important and without that entity you have none.

    Learn what you can about the different entity types and how they might fit into your unique situation and goals. Call an attorney for a free consultation if you think it would help. As far as hiring someone versus doing it yourself, I would say that's a personal decision. I formed my own entity. I saved money, but it took a lot more time because I had to really educate myself first. I bought a book from Nolo (it's a company that produces a bunch of easy to follow do it yourself legal books) that really helped.

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