The 30-second answer
Wealth managers and financial advisors are increasingly the first to see a client's real estate. Cost segregation can unlock $50K to $200K+ in Year-1 tax savings per property, but most advisors lack the engineering to spot or quantify it. Cost Seg Smart is the full-service, IRS-defensible engineering provider behind the scenes: you screen the opportunity and frame it in the client review, we produce the engineered study (optionally under your brand), and the client's CPA files it. You add value without practicing tax or engineering.
Tax-aware advisory is becoming table stakes. When a client holds rental property, a short-term rental, or commercial real estate, a cost segregation study is one of the largest and most reliable tax levers available, and it is one most advisors never raise because it sits between engineering and tax prep. Cost Seg Smart closes that gap.
A full-service partner, not a referral you lose control of
You are not handing your client off and hoping. Cost Seg Smart runs the entire engineered study, and partners get a branded portal to order and track studies for their book of business.
How it works for your practice
- Screen. Identify clients with rental, STR, or commercial real estate. Use our free calculator to put an estimated Year-1 number in front of the client in 30 seconds.
- Frame the opportunity. Raise it in the client review as a tax-optimization idea worth exploring with their CPA. This is an educational screening, not a tax recommendation.
- We engineer the study. Order through your branded portal. We produce the full engineered report (IRS ATG-aligned, from $495, delivered in under an hour for simple residential).
- Their CPA files it. The CPA-ready report drops into the client's return; we include audit support and Form 3115 lookback where applicable.
Why advisors use this
- Differentiate on proactive tax planning. Surfacing a $50K to $200K+ opportunity a client did not know they had is the kind of value that earns referrals and retention.
- No new liability. You are not preparing returns or giving tax advice. You screen and refer; the CPA files. Established compliance lane.
- Works with the client's existing CPA. We complement the CPA relationship rather than replacing it, which keeps everyone comfortable.
- White-label optional. Present the engineered study under your firm's brand if you want a seamless client experience.
Get started
Email partners@costsegsmart.com with your firm name and a rough count of clients holding real estate, and we will set you up with a portal and walk through a sample client screening. Prefer to see the product first? Run a property through the calculator or read a real report example.
A note on scope: Cost Seg Smart is not a CPA firm and does not provide tax, legal, or investment advice. Reports are engineering-based estimates for educational purposes. Your client should engage their CPA for tax planning, return filing, and audit positions.