Real Estate Investors Association of Greater Cincinnati

Tax expert and investor Scott Ellsworth is joining us to share his best advice for year-end tax planning: what you can still do this year to lower your 2025 tax bill, what’s changed thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill, and what you might be missing if you haven’t talked to your CPA in a while. Listen in here

Most investors treat taxes as something to worry about in April. They file, they pay, forget about it and then they get back to doing deals. Taxes are an afterthought, not the forethought, but the best investors I know think about taxes year-round. Tax strategies help guide their funding decisions — and nowhere is that more powerful than in how you use your retirement accounts.

The IRS Already Gave You a Framework

Congress designed retirement accounts to encourage savings. The contract is simple: you get tax deferral (Traditional IRA) or tax-free growth (Roth IRA), in exchange for leaving the money alone until retirement. But what most people don’t realize is that the investment options extend well beyond what Wall Street offers. With a self-directed IRA (SDIRA), you can invest in what you know — including real estate. You get to leverage your knowledge.

That means the property down the street, the private loan to a local rehabber, or even a share in a commercial partnership could all be held inside your IRA.

Why Real Estate Fits So Well

Real estate has always been attractive to investors for its tangible value, cash flow, and appreciation. Inside an IRA, those returns compound tax-advantaged. Rental income flows back to the IRA tax-deferred. Profits from a sale can be reinvested without immediate tax. And if you’re using a Roth, qualified distributions down the road could be completely tax-free.

For investors who already spend their weekends a ... Read More…

Do you realize that you can build your fortune through buying vacant land? 

              You’re saying:  “No way!!” 

              I am saying:  “Yes…WAY!” 

There are lots of great ways to make a lot of money in real estate, not the least of which is buying and selling vacant land. This is an effective way to do real estate deals with no hassle, no rehab, no insurance and no worries of vandalism and theft. Plus, there is virtually no competition for these properties since many investors are simply not going after this incredibly lucrative portion of the marketplace. I was actually in the real estate business for several years before I discovered this very profitable part of the market. In addition, in this current market buying and selling vacant land is another good strategy to continue making money in the real estate business. 

              If you live in an area that is particularly rural, then buying and selling vacant land is a more lucrative means of doing real estate deals. Since it can be more difficult to find homes to purchase in more rural areas, vacant land is definitely the way to go.  There are several different ways to find vacant land deals. 

One is to simply drive around and look for ... Read More…

Ask any really successful real estate entrepreneur what resource has made them the most money, and if they’re answering truthfully, they’re going to say, “The people I’ve met.”

In fact, if you’re not making it a priority to spend time creating, growing, and nurturing your network of colleagues and financial friends, you’re making a big mistake.

I’m not a natural networker—I would, on any given evening, rather be curled up in front of a fire with a good book than at the hottest party in town.

In fact, if you’re ever AT a party with me, and you’re looking for me, I’m probably the one behind the potted plant playing with the host’s cat.

But, at the same time, I am very aware of how many millions of dollars my network has earned me in the past 2+ decades, and I’ve seen the nearly tragic consequences that NOT having a network when you need one can have.

Early on in my career, it was more experienced real estate association members who served as my backstop, confirming (or, in some cases, totally trashing) my evaluation of deals I was considering buying . Without them, I’d have made a lot of mistakes that I didn’t make and passed up a lot of opportunities I didn’t pass up.

Later in my business, when I started wholesaling, I rarely had to advertise my deals at all. And  I don’t just sell 90% of the deals I wholesale to members of my local REIA; I sell them to memb ... Read More…

“Cash is King.” That statement is as true now in this market as ever. With cutthroat competition on any wholesale deal posted in the local Facebook group, the best deals are only available to cash buyers. As real estate investors we need access to cash quickly with low cost and flexibility in terms. The answer is Private Money. 

The term Private Money gets thrown around a lot lately muddying its true meaning. It is not the same as Hard Money where professional lenders charge large upfront fees and high interest rates for short term loans. It is also not personal money or access to personal equity like a line of credit. Private Money refers to individuals, often who we know personally, that loan us money for real estate deals. They are not equity partners but receive interest on their money which is secured by real estate - just like the bank. 

They could be your friends, family, or business associates. They may be members at your church or parents of your child’s soccer teammate. They typically have money placed in investments other than real estate such as the stock market, mutual funds, CDs, etc. They may even have their money in an IRA or old 401k from a past job. 

There are potential lenders in so many areas of our lives and frankly they are frustrated. They are frustrated by the risk involved in the stock market. Did anyone follow the GameStop stock manipulation? They are also frustrated by the low returns they get on other investmen ... Read More…

For whatever reason, a lot of real estate investor have this idea that a career path in real estate is strategy-based; we’re all supposed to start with wholesaling, move on to the bigger checks (and bigger complications) of retailing, then buy single family rentals, and then, we we’re really knowledgeable, wealthy and experienced, end up in apartments or notes.

In real life, there’s no such prescribed life cycle; lots of people start out in rentals, or even note-buying; I myself discovered wholesaling only after nearly 5 years in the lease/option business.

But there IS a path that we should all recognize and be on that has nothing to do with our age at entry, or our favorite asset class or exit strategy, and that’s the journey from trading our hours for (highly-taxed) dollars to having our lifestyles completely paid for by our assets.

This metamorphosis takes place in 3 stages, the terms for which were coined by the great Pete Fortunato.

     Starters are folks who are still learning and exploring the trade. They’re willing to do what it takes to get educated and to do the hard work of finding deals, which means that, in a sense, they’re still trading hours (spend finding, constructing, and managing properties) for dollars. If they’re smart, they’re doing all this work to set the stage for the next step in their evolution, where they can produce more of their income from more tax-efficient, less strenuo ... Read More…

For years, I ran my construction business as an owner-operator. Like many in the trades, I wore every hat—chasing work, managing projects, keeping the books, and making sure the bills got paid. While the business provided income, it was more of a job than a business that could stand on its own. At some point, I realized that if I stepped away, the business would stop. That realization was the spark that pushed me to redesign my business around a system I call the Biz Freedom Framework™—a five-part model that transitions businesses from owner-operator dependency to an employer-led, turnkey business.

Building a Business That Runs Without Me

The first step was Ownership—deciding what I truly wanted from the business. Ownership meant more than having my name on the LLC papers. It meant shaping a vision, documenting guiding principles, and holding myself accountable to building something that worked with or without me.

Next came Leadership. I had to stop being the only decision-maker. Leadership meant building a team that could take responsibility, delegate tasks, and carry out the company’s vision. This required investing in people, processes, and clear expectations.

The Get Work function was about creating a repeatable, professional way to bring in projects without me personally having to sell every job. Marketing systems, proposal templates, and a trained sales pipeline made sure the company could consistently attract and close the right oppo ... Read More…

For some investors, the real estate hunt eventually winds up not at open houses but on courthouse steps, or more recently, behind a laptop screen. In Texas, if a property owner doesn’t keep up with their taxes, the county can step in, foreclose, and auction the property to cover the debt. For anyone prepared, these sales sometimes offer a way to pick up real estate at prices that feel almost too good to be true.

That said, this isn’t a game of just raising your hand at the right moment. Winning in tax deed investing comes down to knowing the rules, managing the pitfalls, and leaning on strategies that have proven themselves over time. 

The Basics: How It Works in Texas 

Here’s the first thing: Texas is different. Some states sell tax liens. You buy the lien, sit tight, and eventually collect interest when the owner pays up. Texas, on the other hand, is mainly a tax deed state. That means you’re bidding on the actual property, not just a lien. 

Auctions happen on the first Tuesday of every month, across all 254 counties. The opening bid? Usually, the amount of back taxes plus penalties and legal fees. If you win, you walk away with a sheriff’s deed.

There’s one twist: the right of redemption. The old owner can buy back the property by paying you the auction price plus a penalty of 25% within six months, or 50% within two years if it’s a homestead or agricultural land. For investors, that redemption penalty can mak ... Read More…

Imagine putting away as much as $77,500 in a self-directed IRA that will grow tax-free for the rest of your life, all while investing in cash flowing and appreciating real estate assets. In this article I explain how that’s possible with a Solo 401(k) and share the features of this account, as well as how this could potentially work for you.

What is a Solo 401(k) and how does it work?

A Solo 401(k) is a retirement plan designed for self-employed individuals or small business owners with no full-time employees, aside from a spouse. This plan offers the same benefits as a traditional 401(k), including tax-deferred growth and the ability to make substantial contributions each year, but it is tailored for individuals running their own businesses.

The Solo 401(k) is unique because it enables you to contribute both as an employee and as an employer, maximizing your retirement savings potential. The plan provides significant flexibility with contribution limits and offers features like tax advantages and loan options that can benefit self-employed individuals looking for greater control over their retirement planning.

Here are some of the requirements for opening and contributing to a Solo 401(k):

You must have self-employment income, or W-2 income from the business entity that is sponsoring the Solo 401(k). For instance, if you are a real estate agent and you receive $100,000 in 1099 commissions, you have $50,000 in business expenses to deduct on your Schedule C, ... Read More…

When you acquire property from a seller and simultaneously sell it to a third-party buyer, as a briefly intervening title holder, you may think you don’t need an owner’s title insurance policy. After all, you’re only holding onto the property for a few seconds and not even taking possession of it. So, what’s your risk if an eventual title issue arises?

Even if you own the property for only a few seconds, hours, or days, you’re entering the “chain of title,” or the ownership record. If any title issues arise later, you could be dragged into legal disputes. Some problems are not discoverable through a standard title search, and don’t surface until later:

• Errors in the public records
• Forged documents
• Omitted signers required for effective transfer from an LLC or other entity
• Undisclosed purchase agreements or other contracts
• Undisclosed heirs

As long as the end buyer has an owner’s title insurance policy, they can file a claim for any covered issues that arise. They can also, however, make a claim against their seller to enforce warranties provided in the deed that was recorded to transfer title. If the end buyer did not get an owner’s title insurance policy, then seeking recovery from their seller may be their only option. And even if a title insurer accepts the claim and pays the insured, the title insurer may seek recoupment from the seller or a previous title holder, depending on the circumstances. The ... Read More…