An accountant can help you make the most of your real-estate acquisitions and sales by offering advice to help you understand how your business decisions affect your income and your tax obligations. The accountant you select must be someone who can do more than prepare your tax returns. Instead, he should be a person you can rely on to guide you through the process of structuring and operating your business in a manner that helps you retain as much of your profit as possible.

The best way to find an accountant is to ask for referrals from satisfied clients. Your friends, banker, financial planner, insurance agent, and real-estate agent might be able to suggest an accountant who they feel provides a quality service. If that doesn't work, gather names from your local telephone book.

Call the accountants on your list, and ask how long have they been in business. Do they have experience in helping clients plan and manage their real-estate investments? What type of educational background do they have? Make an appointment to meet in person with each firm you feel comfortable with after the initial phone call.

At the interview, talk with the accountant about their services. Will you work with the person you speak with during the interview, or will your account be assigned to another accountant? How easy is it to get an appointment — are they typically backed up for a month at a time, or can you anticipate a quicker appointment when you need help? What's the firm's fee structure, and how does it bill clients — after each appointment or service, or monthly? Will you be billed for phone calls or e-mails answered by your accountant? Ask any questions necessary to assure you that the firm can help with your specific needs.

Expertise is important, but it is not the only quality to consider when choosing an accountant. You must find someone you feel comfortable working with, especially if you are a beginning investor who will have many questions about your new business. Find someone who listens carefully to your questions and answers them using everyday language that you understand. Your accountant will play an important part in the success of your real-estate business, so take some time to find someone whom you trust and can depend on.