Key Takeaways

  • Generic accounting software often falls short for real estate investors. However, real estate accounting platforms offer property-level tracking, multi-entity support, and investor distributions management built specifically for real estate.
  • The best real estate accounting software supports your entire investment lifecycle, from tracking income and expenses to generating K-1s and audit-ready reports at year-end.
  • Choosing the best platform comes down to your investment structure. Landlords and small portfolio owners may have different needs than fund managers overseeing complex, multi-entity operations.

If you’ve ever tried tracking rental income, depreciation schedules, or 1031 exchanges, you probably know that generic accounting software often doesn’t cut it. For the best results, real estate sponsors and fund managers need bespoke accounting systems.

10 best accounting software platforms for real estate investors

Here are the top accounting software platforms for real estate:

1. Agora

Agora is the global operating system for real estate investment management, best suited for commercial real estate GPs and fund managers who want to streamline their business operations. 

Some of Agora’s key accounting features include reconciliation, ongoing book management, K-1 delivery, and tax preparation. It’s a comprehensive solution that can handle all of your accounting needs all year round, starting at just $749 per month.
Agora's “Accounting center” showing 34 total investors, 80% K1 ready, and investor list with green status checkmarks.

2. Yardi

Yardi is a major software brand with a range of real estate management products, including Yardi Investment Suite. This tool can help streamline accounting processes, such as consolidations, eliminations, allocations, and fee calculations.

Yardi's Capital Calls dashboard showing 27 calls, $704.2M called, $703M received, $1.2M unreceived, with status chart and investment list.

3. AppFolio Investment Manager

AppFolio is known for its property management software, but it also has an Investment Manager arm for commercial property portfolios. Among other things, it can calculate and manage investor distributions, including preferred returns, waterfall structures, and carried interest. 

AppFolio's investment manager dashboard with portfolio summary metrics, $180M and $260M value charts, distributions bar graph, and tasks list.

4. MRI Software

MRI Software is a veteran commercial real estate software that’s been around since 1971. It includes fully integrated accounting features, such as accounts payable automation, budgeting and forecasting, general ledger, corporate accounts receivable, and more.

MRI software's Investment FUND2A page showing commitment goals, $1M total commitment, and investor ownership details table.

5. QuickBooks with real estate add-ons

QuickBooks is a household name in accounting software. Though not made specifically for real estate, it does have real estate add-ons that make it easy for CRE professionals to automate bookkeeping and keep track of bank feeds and expenses on the go.

QuickBooks Vendor Center screen showing vendor list and recent transactions.

6. Buildium

Buildium is a property management software geared toward residential portfolios. However, its accounting features can also help commercial portfolio managers monitor company financials, record transactions, and generate comprehensive financial reports. 

Buildium Company Financials dashboard showing $15,533 cash, $7,530 unpaid bills, $6,092 net income, and account balances.

7. Rentec Direct

Rentec Direct is a property management software for landlords and property managers, including those who oversee commercial portfolios. Its accounting features include general ledgers, trust-account compliance, and industry-standard reporting.

Rentec Direct's General Operating ledger page showing income and expense entries with dates, debits, credits, and running balance.

8. Propertyware

Propertyware is a property management software owned by RealPage with accounting features that handle accounts receivable, accounts payable, quick reconciliations, cash or accrual methods, fee management, budgets, custom reports, and more.

Propertyware income statement detail showing $2,615 income, $384 expenses, and $2,231 net income with line items.

9. Sage Intacct for real estate

Sage Intacct is a finance management system that gives you more visibility into your portfolio and reduces errors from manual data entry. According to the company, its users benefit from streamlined cloud accounting, easier reporting, and best-in-class security.

Sage Intacct's financial reporting dashboard with rent, A/R, cash metrics and a general ledger report showing invoice entries and balances.

10. Stessa

Stessa is a platform built for landlords to manage their rental portfolios. It includes common accounting features like expense tracking, performance dashboards, and financial reporting. Though not ideal for large real estate fund administration, it’s well-suited for smaller portfolios.

Stessa Reports page showing Net Cash Flow report with monthly income, expenses, and totals for all properties.

Accounting software comparison overview for real estate investors

Now that we’ve introduced the top real estate accounting softwares, here’s how they stack up:

ToolAccounting focusKey financial capabilitiesBest for
AgoraYear-round bookkeepingReconcillation, K-1 delivery, and tax prepReal estate sponsors and fund managers
YardiStreamlining manual accounting processesAutomated consolidations, eliminations, and allocationsLarge real estate investment firms
AppFolio Investment ManagementCalculating distributionsComplicated distribution structures, including preferred returns, waterfall structures, and carried interestSophisticated investment management firms
MRI SoftwareIntegrated real estate accounting servicesAP automation, budgeting and forecasting, and job costLarge real estate teams
Quickbooks with real estate add-onsOn-the-go bookkeepingAutomated bookkeeping, bank feeds, and expense trackingReal estate agents and other CRE professionals
BuildiumCentralized company bookkeepingFinancial performance monitoring and reportingLandlords and property managers
Rentec DirectProperty management accountingTrust-account compliance and industry-standard reportingLandlords and property managers
PropertywarePortfolio-level accountingQuick reconciliations, fee management, and custom reportsProperty owners and managers
Sage Intacct for real estateFinance managementCloud accounting and best-in-class data securityCommercial property managers
StessaRental property accountingExpense tracking, performance dashboards, and financial reportingSmall landlords

What real estate investors should look for in accounting software

When assessing different real estate accounting software options, look for the following:

  • Property-level and fund-level accounting: The software should let you track financials at the individual property level and across your entire portfolio, so you maintain a clear financial picture at every layer.
  • Income, expense, and cash flow tracking: Look for software that makes it easy to categorize rental income and operating costs, so you can better understand where money is flowing in and out of your business.
  • Investor distributions and capital account management: If you manage money on behalf of LPs, you need software that can calculate and record distributions, track each investor’s capital balance, and maintain a clean paper trail of every transaction.
  • Financial reporting and audit readiness: Strong real estate accounting software will generate reports that comply with government standards and hold up to scrutiny during an audit.
  • Tax preparation and compliance support: Look for tools that simplify depreciation schedules, support cost segregation tracking, and make it easy to hand off organized financials to a CPA at tax time.
  • Integrations with banking, CRM, and property systems: The best accounting software connects seamlessly with your existing bank feeds, property management platform, and CRM tools. 

How accounting software supports the real estate investment lifecycle

Real estate accounting software can support the entire real estate investment lifecycle:

Tracking income and expenses across properties

From the moment you close on an asset, accounting software gives you a dedicated ledger, making it simple to monitor rent collection, operating costs, and net income.

Managing capital contributions and distributions

Whether you’re accepting capital from partners at acquisitions or distributing profits after a refinance or sale, accounting software keeps a precise record of every dollar that goes in and out of the investment fund.

Supporting fund accounting and investor reporting

As your portfolio grows, accounting software lets you produce clean, professional reports that keep your LPs informed and your fund operations running smoothly. 

Simplifying period close and financial audits

Good accounting software compresses your monthly and quarterly close process by automating reconciliations and flagging discrepancies early. That way, if an auditor or lender comes calling, your books are already in order. 

Maintaining long-term financial visibility across portfolios

Over a multi-year hold period, accounting software builds a complete financial history of each asset and your portfolio as a whole, giving you the data you need to make informed decisions about refinancing, dispositions, or your next acquisition. 

How to choose the best accounting software for your real estate business

To find the best accounting software for your real estate business, follow these steps:

Evaluation criteriaWhat to consider
Define your investment structure and reporting needsBefore evaluating any software, get clear on whether you’re managing a single rental property, a multi-entry fund, or something in between.
Evaluate support for multiple entities and fundsIf you operate across multiple partnerships or funds, make sure the software can handle each entity separately while still giving you visibility across all of them.
Assess automation for distributions and reconciliationsThe right software should reduce the manual burden of calculating investor distributions and matching transactions to bank statements, so look for platforms that automate these processes.
Consider integration with investor and property systemsThink through the full ecosystem of tools that your business relies on and prioritize accounting software that can integrate with as many of them as possible.
Compare pricing based on portfolio size and complexityAccounting software pricing can range from a flat monthly fee to a per-unit model, so map each option’s cost structure against your current portfolio and growth trajectory.

How Agora supports accounting and reporting for real estate investors

Agora is uniquely suited for CRE sponsors and fund managers because it supports all of their accounting and reporting needs. From reconciliations and ongoing book management to K-1 delivery and tax prep, Agora handles everything for you.

As a result, users benefit from:

  • Time and cost savings: Less reliance on external accountants and fewer hours spent on manual data entry
  • Audit-ready records: A clean, organized paper trail that simplifies due diligence and regulatory compliance
  • End-to-end tax preparation: Full support for tax prep workflows so you can close out the year without juggling multiple tools or vendors
  • Investor-ready reporting: Professional reports available on demand, giving LPs full visibility into fund performance

Conclusion

Choosing the right accounting software is one of the most important operational decisions a real estate investor can make. It gives you the financial clarity to grow your portfolio with confidence.

Whether you’re a landlord managing a handful of rentals or a fund manager overseeing a complex multi-entity structure, there’s a solution on this list built for your needs.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one platform that handles everything from reconciliations to K-1 delivery, Agora is worth a close look.