3 Alternatives to QuickBooks for Real Estate Investors

The most common pieces of software for Real Estate management are Appfolio, Buildium, and Yardi.

All of these programs are geared towards property management. Which brings up the question, “Are you looking for accounting software or property management software?”

If you’re looking for property management software, I would recommend looking into one of these programs. If you’re looking at accounting software, I would recommend QuickBooks, until you outgrow it. There’s quite a bit of customization you can do as it relates to accounting. Another accounting program to consider is MRI.

As for House Flippers, BRRRR, and Syndications, QuickBooks might still be your best bet. These investment styles aren’t heavy in property management, but will have plenty of record keeping to do.

QuickBooks Desktop is a better fit for House Flippers and BRRRR investors. This is due to the customization ability of the software. It can track estimated and actual costs during the remodeling phase. The online version is able to handle Wholesalers and Syndications just fine.

Below are a few other things to think about when you’re looking at software.

Wholesalers

Wholesalers have pretty straightforward accounting. So I think QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books, or Wave are all good options.

Excel or Google Sheets could also be a good option since wholesalers need basic record keeping, not fancy features.

Real Estate Syndications

Those that are running a real estate syndication might want to consider QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Zoho Books. Wave may not have enough functionality for the reporting needs of a syndication.

House Flippers and BRRRR Investors

Again, I recommend QuickBooks Desktop due to its customization features. Primarily this type of investor needs tracking of the estimated versus actual costs during the remodeling phase.

QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Zoho could possibly meet your needs, but the estimating feature in these programs isn’t linked in the same manner as QuickBooks Desktop. This reduces their ability to produce the reports you need to review estimated and actual costs during remodeling. All three lack the customization you may require for your accounting needs.

Income Property

For Income Property it boils down to preference. QuickBooks Desktop can be customized in a lot of ways if you’re looking for accounting software. Appfolio, Buildium, and Yardi may meet your property management needs while hitting a lot of marks in the accounting area.

It’s worth your time to try these programs out to determine which option may be the best fit for your business.