Journal

Practical notes for working agents

Short, useful reads on tracking business expenses, keeping receipts, and making tax time calmer. Educational only — not tax advice.

• What Happens If a Realtor Gets Audited on Mileage?

  What an auditor actually asks for, how your mileage log becomes your defense, and the calm habits that make audits uneventful.

• Are MLS Dues and Association Fees Tax Deductible?

  NAR, state, and local dues plus lockbox and showing-service fees — the ordinary-and-necessary expenses agents forget to total.

• How Should a New Agent Organize Finances in Year One?

  Separate accounts from day one, the 15-minute weekly money habit, and the folder your future CPA will thank you for.

• Do Real Estate Agents Need to Keep Gas Receipts?

  Only under the actual-expense method — plus how to choose between the two ways to deduct your car.

• What Does the IRS Require in a Mileage Log?

  The four fields of a proper log, what "contemporaneous" actually means, and why April reconstructions are a gamble.

• Can Real Estate Agents Claim the Home Office Deduction?

  The exclusive-use test most agents misunderstand, simplified vs. actual method, and the documentation that keeps it defensible.

• How Do Realtors Track Business vs. Personal Car Use?

  The business-use percentage explained simply — total miles, business miles, and where it matters at tax time.

• Are Client Dinners Tax Deductible for Realtors?

  Business-meal rules in plain English — who was there, what you discussed, and the note to write on the receipt.

• What Receipts Should Real Estate Agents Keep for Taxes?

  The keep-list by category, how long to hold each one, and why a phone photo beats the shoebox.

• Can Real Estate Agents Deduct Mileage to Showings?

  Which miles count, which don't, and the four-field log that proves every one of them.

• The Small Business Expenses Real Estate Agents Forget to Record

  The costs that quietly disappear between showings — and a simple habit for catching them while they're fresh.

• What to Include in Your CPA Handoff

  What your accountant actually needs from you, and how organized records change the conversation.

• A Simple Receipt Routine for Busy Showing Days

  A thirty-second routine that keeps every receipt attached to its expense — no shoebox required.