Brokerage, lending & investing

Books and taxes for land brokers.

A recreational tract that sat listed for a year, a timber parcel split between two buyers, survey and perc test bills fronted for a seller, and a co-broke split with an out-of-county agent. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
OctoberExample month
$10,400
what you made

October cleared $8,600 off the Miller Creek tract. The survey I fronted for that seller finally paid back this month, so I closed out that advance.

  • United Country commission depCommission income
  • County surveyor invoiceSurvey and perc test advances
  • GIS mapping subscriptionMapping and listing tools
  • Co-broker split, timber tractCo-brokerage splits paid
  • Drone footage, Miller CreekListing marketing
Money in$34,500
Money out$24,100
Set aside for taxes$2,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Land books go wrong over long, quiet stretches.

A house sells in weeks. A raw land tract can sit listed for a year or more, with survey, perc test, and mapping costs paid out long before any commission lands. When the books do not track a parcel across that stretch, a good year can look like nothing is happening until it suddenly is.

  1. 1

    A survey or perc test advance looks like a straight loss

    Fronting the cost of a boundary survey or a perc test to get a tract sale-ready happens months before a buyer is found, and if that cost is not tied to the eventual sale, it just looks like money spent with nothing to show for it.

    What we doTies a survey or perc test advance to the parcel it was spent on, so once the sale closes, you see the real net, the advance repaid against the commission.
  2. 2

    A year-long listing makes quiet months look like no business

    Marketing spend, mapping subscriptions, and site visits on a tract that has not sold yet can run for a year or more with nothing coming in against it, and a slow month can look like a failing business instead of a deal still in motion.

    What we doKeeps costs tagged to the specific listing they support, so a long marketing stretch reads as investment in a pending deal, not an unexplained dry spell.
  3. 3

    A split parcel sale gets booked as one lump

    A large tract sold in pieces to two or three different buyers over separate closings can look like several unrelated small deals instead of one listing finally paying off.

    What we doKeeps each closing on a subdivided tract tied to the original listing, so the full picture of that deal is visible even when it sells in pieces.
  4. 4

    Mineral or timber rights income gets mixed with the land sale

    A tract sold with separate value in standing timber or mineral rights can carry income that is taxed differently than the land sale itself, and lumping it together muddies both.

    What we doFlags timber or mineral rights value as its own line so the accountant can apply the right treatment instead of guessing from one combined number.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a land broker.

Set up once for how a land deal actually pays out. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Commission incomeYour side of the split after the brokerage and any co-broke agent.
  • Referral fees receivedFees from agents in other counties or states sending a buyer your way.
  • Consulting feesFlat fees for advising on a subdivision, easement, or land use question outside a listing.
  • Timber or mineral rights feesIncome tied to rights sold separately from the land itself.

Money out

  • Survey and perc test advancesCosts fronted to get a tract ready for market and repaid at closing.
  • Co-brokerage splits paidThe other agent's share on a deal split across counties or firms.
  • Mapping and listing toolsGIS software, aerial imagery, and parcel data subscriptions.
  • Listing marketingDrone footage, signage, and print for a specific tract.
  • Vehicle and mileageTravel to remote tracts often far outside town.
  • MLS and license feesMLS dues, board dues, and any land specialist designation.

What we watch for you

  • Days on market

    How long a tract has carried marketing spend without a sale, since land moves slower than a house.

  • Commission retained after co-broke

    Your actual take after any split with an agent in another county or firm.

  • Cost per active listing

    Survey, mapping, and marketing spend tied to listings not yet sold, so it reads as pipeline, not loss.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month even through a long dry stretch, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things land brokers ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

I fronted eighteen hundred for a survey on the Miller Creek tract eight months ago. It just closed, is that money gone?

No. I kept that survey tied to the tract, so this month's commission shows its real net, the advance repaid against what the sale brought in.

This has been a slow year with only two closings. Should I be worried?

Three of your active listings have real marketing spend against them right now. That is time in the pipeline, not a business that has stopped moving.

The tract I sold last month had standing timber included. Does that change the taxes?

It can. I flagged that value separately from the land sale, and a real accountant will look at how the timber piece should be treated.

The tax side

The tax side of a land brokerage.

Most of what matters here is timing costs against a sale that can take a year to close, and separating land value from anything sold alongside it.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Self-employment tax on uneven incomeCommission income carries self-employment tax at 15.3 percent up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, whenever a listing finally closes, even after a long stretch with no sales.
  • Quarterly estimated paymentsWith commissions landing unevenly across long listing periods, estimated payments due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 need a real look at which listings are likely to close when.
  • The pass-through deductionMost brokers can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when survey advances and commission income are booked correctly all year.
  • Timber and mineral rights incomeIncome from timber or mineral rights sold with a tract is often taxed differently than the land sale itself. Gus flags it as its own line so the accountant applies the right treatment.

Deductions land brokers miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Boundary survey and perc test advances
  • GIS and aerial mapping software
  • Drone footage and print marketing
  • Co-brokerage splits paid
  • MLS and land specialist dues
  • Vehicle mileage to remote tracts
  • Continuing education and designations
  • E and O insurance
  • Signage for rural listings
  • Phone and data plan
  • Home office for a dedicated workspace
  • Client site visit travel costs

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A land broker's year, kept every month.

A tract can sit listed for a year before it sells. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax side of a business that does not move on a calendar. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, referral fee 1099s go out, and a monthly set-aside is planned around listings likely to close this year.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether any long-listed tracts finally closed.

  4. October

    Before hunting season closings

    Recreational land buyers often move before hunting season starts. Gus looks at what is worth doing or buying before December while there is still time.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for land brokers. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions land brokers ask first.

How does Gus track a survey I fronted for a seller eight months before the tract sold?

It stays tied to that specific tract the whole time. Once the sale closes, the commission shows its real net, the advance repaid against what came in.

My last two closings were on a tract sold in three separate pieces to different buyers. Does that look like three deals?

It reads as one original listing sold in pieces. Gus keeps each closing tied back to the parcel it came from, so the full picture stays clear.

Do I need a different setup for a tract that includes standing timber or mineral rights?

Gus keeps that value flagged separately from the land sale, since it can be taxed differently. The accountant makes the call on how it is treated.

I have had a quiet year with only a couple of closings. Is that a problem?

Land moves slower than houses. Gus can show you the marketing and survey spend still tied to your active listings, so a quiet stretch reads as pipeline, not trouble.

I split a lot of deals with agents in other counties. How does that affect my numbers?

Only your side of the split, what actually lands in your account, ever counts as your income. The other agent's share never touches your books.

My books have not been touched in over a year across a handful of open listings. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements and listing agreements you have. Gus sorts each tract's costs and any commissions, and most brokers know where they stand within a couple of weeks.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever