REA.co Real Estate Accounting & Tax

Expert Buildertrend Bookkeeping For Home Builders & Remodelers

REA provides outsourced accounting and bookkeeping for custom home builders, remodelers, and specialty contractors running their jobs through Buildertrend. We work directly inside your Buildertrend instance, reconciling budgets, draws, and job costs against your books every month. You keep building. We keep the numbers correct.

Buildertrend syncs two ways with QuickBooks and Xero, and that connection breaks quietly. A change order gets approved in Buildertrend but never lands on the right cost code. A draw hits the bank before it hits the budget. Selections sit unbilled until the job closes out and the margin is already gone.

We own the connection between your Buildertrend budgets and your QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or Xero ledger, including Bill Pay, AI Bill Capture, purchase orders, commitments, and invoicing. Every cost code, change order, and draw gets checked against the books, not just against the Buildertrend dashboard.

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We own the connection between your Buildertrend budgets and your QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or Xero ledger, including Bill Pay, AI Bill Capture, purchase orders, commitments, and invoicing. Every cost code, change order, and draw gets checked against the books, not just against the Buildertrend dashboard.

230+Property Accountants

GAAPAligned WIP Schedules

MonthlyLender-Ready Packages

Why Top Construction Professionals Choose REA

Buildertrend, Run By People Who Already Run It

Buildertrend Experts

We work inside Buildertrend budgets, cost codes, and change orders every day, plus the QuickBooks and Xero sync behind them. You get a team that already reads Buildertrend job financials fluently.

Assigned Resources

You keep the same bookkeeper and controller on your account every month, not a rotating queue. They already know your job list, your cost code structure, and how your Buildertrend budgets are built.

Accurate Financials

Your Buildertrend budget-vs-actual and your QuickBooks or Xero financials tell the same story every month. No more reconciling two versions of the truth before a draw request or an owner meeting.

Buildertrend Accounting Services from REA

Job-Level Work, Inside Your Own Instance

Budget to Books Reconciliation

We reconcile Buildertrend budgets against your QuickBooks or Xero ledger every month. Variances get traced to the actual posting, not written off as a rounding difference.

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Change Order & Selection Tracking

Approved change orders and client selections in Buildertrend get verified against the budget line and the books before they distort a job's margin. Nothing sits unposted until closeout.

Draw & Deposit Management

We track construction draws and client deposits moving through Buildertrend against what actually hits the bank. Double-counted deposits and delayed draws get caught the same month, not at year end.

Bill Pay & AP Coding

Bills entering Buildertrend through Bill Pay and AI Bill Capture get coded to the correct job and cost code before they sync to QuickBooks or Xero. Subcontractor payables stay tied to the right budget line.

See how it works

Job Costing & WIP Reporting

We keep your Buildertrend cost code structure clean and build monthly WIP schedules from data that already matches the books. You see real job margin, not an estimate.

The Full Scope

  • Catch-Up & Cleanup
  • Bank, Credit, & Funding Reconciliations
  • Job Costing & Cost-to-Complete Tracking
  • Corporate & Project-Level Bookkeeping
  • Accounts Payable & Subcontractor Management
  • + 4 more below

Buildertrend Accounting & Bookkeeping Services Offered

  • Catch-Up & Cleanup
  • Bank, Credit, & Funding Reconciliations
  • Job Costing & Cost-to-Complete Tracking
  • Corporate & Project-Level Bookkeeping
  • Accounts Payable & Subcontractor Management
  • Accurate Financial Statements & KPI Reporting
  • Monthly WIP & Reporting Packages
  • Fixed Asset, Equipment & Depreciation Support
  • Construction Loan & Draw Management

Also available on its own

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Why Choose REA to Handle Your Buildertrend Accounting?

Three Things Contractors Tell Us They Need

Construction accounting is not traditional bookkeeping. Job costing, retainage, WIP schedules and draw tracking all have to reflect how projects actually run, and Buildertrend only helps if someone is running it properly.

What it does well

You need your Buildertrend budgets to match your QuickBooks or Xero books, not just look close.

The two-way sync between Buildertrend and your accounting system breaks quietly, and a miscoded change order or a duplicated draw compounds over a six month build. We reconcile both sides every month so the numbers tie out, not just resemble each other.

Where it breaks

You need job costs coded to the right job and cost code the first time.

Cost-to-complete numbers are only useful if the underlying coding is correct. We code costs as they hit Buildertrend and the ledger, so you know your real margin mid-project instead of finding out at closeout.

How we work it

You need a bookkeeping team that already knows how Buildertrend works.

We are fluent in Buildertrend's budget structure, commitments, change orders, selections, and Bill Pay, so onboarding does not start with teaching us the software. Your time goes to running jobs, not training accountants.

How REA's Buildertrend Process Works

Review the Setup, Then Own the Monthly Close

Start With a Call
  1. 1

    We audit your Buildertrend budgets against your QuickBooks or Xero books.

    We trace every open job, comparing Buildertrend's budget, commitments, and change orders to what actually posted in your accounting system. This baseline surfaces miscoded costs, unsynced draws, and orphaned change orders before we take anything over.

  2. 2

    We take over the monthly coding and reconciliation between Buildertrend and your books.

    AP coding, Bill Pay review, draw and deposit posting, and change order tracking move through us each month. Both systems get reconciled to each other, not left to sync on their own.

  3. 3

    We deliver monthly WIP, job cost, and cash reporting built from data that already ties out.

    You get reporting that reflects true margin by job, ready for a bank, a bonding company, or an owner meeting. No reconciling two reports before you can trust either one.

What Each Service Actually Covers

Every function below is performed inside a Buildertrend engagement, and each one can be scoped on its own if that is all you need.

Catch-Up & Cleanup
Builders often come to REA with months of miscoded Buildertrend job costs or a QuickBooks or Xero file that stopped matching the budget long ago. We rebuild the history and reconcile it retroactively before taking over your ongoing books.
Bank, Credit, & Funding Reconciliations
We reconcile your bank and credit accounts against draws and deposits recorded in Buildertrend, catching timing gaps between what Buildertrend shows and what the bank actually processed. Construction loan funding gets matched line by line.
Job Costing & Cost-to-Complete Tracking
We maintain your Buildertrend cost code structure and verify committed costs against actuals for every open job. Cost-to-complete numbers reflect what is truly left to spend, not a stale budget estimate.
Corporate & Project-Level Bookkeeping
We keep company overhead separate from each Buildertrend job's direct costs, so overhead never distorts a single project's margin. You see both the job-level picture and the company-wide picture cleanly.
Accounts Payable & Subcontractor Management
Subcontractor bills entering through Buildertrend's Bill Pay and AI Bill Capture get coded to the right job and cost code before payment. We also track retainage held and lien waiver status against what is posted.
Accurate Financial Statements & KPI Reporting
Your monthly financials come paired with builder-specific KPIs, gross margin by job, backlog, and work in progress, pulled from Buildertrend and your books together. You see the numbers a lender or bonding company will ask for.
Monthly WIP & Reporting Packages
We build WIP schedules that reconcile percent complete in Buildertrend to what is actually billed and costed in your books. The package is ready to hand to a bonding company or bank without rework.
Fixed Asset, Equipment & Depreciation Support
Company-owned trucks, tools, and equipment purchased outside a specific Buildertrend job still need to depreciate correctly on your books. We track fixed assets and keep depreciation schedules current alongside your job costing.
Construction Loan & Draw Management
We match draw requests submitted through Buildertrend against what the construction lender actually disburses, so nothing gets counted twice or missed. Loan draw schedules stay reconciled to job costs, not just to the loan balance.

You Get a Team With Names, Not a Ticket Queue

Who Actually Works On Your Buildertrend Books

Outsourced accounting fails when nobody owns the account. At REA you are assigned a property accounting team and a client success lead who knows your portfolio, your owners, and your quirks. They stay on your account, so you are never re-explaining your chart of accounts to someone new.

Sharifa Giraldo, CPA, VP, Client Success at REA

Sharifa Giraldo, CPA

VP, Client Success

Residential Property Management

20+ years of property accounting, a CPA since 2015, and a specialist in third-party management and platform migrations.

Will Daege, VP, Client Success at REA

Will Daege

VP, Client Success

Commercial Property Management

25+ years across retail, office, industrial, and multifamily, including Portfolio Controller for The Related Companies' New York development portfolio.

How we work together

  • A named team, not a poolThe same property accountants close your books every month.
  • Reachable the way you already workEmail, phone, video, or Slack. Urgent items get answered the same day.
  • Inside your BuildertrendWe take accountant access to your instance, exactly as you would grant an internal hire.
  • 230+ property accountants behind themCoverage when someone is out, and a specialist to escalate to when a lease or a trust question gets strange.

Serving All Construction Trades

Residential, commercial and everything in between. The asset class changes what the books have to prove, and our teams are staffed accordingly.

  • Home Builders
  • General Contractors
  • HVAC Contractors
  • Plumbers
  • Landscaping Companies
  • Electricians

Check Out What Our Clients Have To Say About Us

Property Managers, Investors & Owner Operators

Client story

Came from a bookkeeper who did not know real estate

Following a series of erroneous financials from my previous bookkeeper, who lacked expertise in real estate, it's been truly remarkable to receive not only accurate financials on a consistent basis but also proactive advice without prompting. The REA team is a game-changer in real estate accounting!

SCSara CrosbyReal Estate Investor

Real-estate-only specialists

As REA exclusively specializes in Real Estate, I rest easy knowing my financials are precise every month while saving money at the same time, an invaluable benefit.

SWSteve WilkoOwner Operator

Handed over the whole accounting function

I highly recommend Real Estate Accounting (REA) services from this group. They truly are great and have helped us tremendously at a time we needed it the most. I felt very comfortable giving up all my accounting responsibilities to this team and I'm still glad I made the decision to work with this group. Nothing less than an amazing experience!

TCTracy CollinsProperty Manager

Day-to-day financial operations

REA and team have been nothing but excellent helping our firm with its day to day financial needs. Their expertise, professionalism, and timeliness have made our lives so much easier. We foresee a long relationship with REA and team.

BCBrian CookOwner Operator

Onboarding and responsiveness

Real Estate Accounting truly is a special company. They helped as if they were a part of our company, with the concern and caution as an employee would have, but even more. They quickly ascertained our needs and developed an effective team to help with our accounting needs. They were extremely responsive and always accurate. I would recommend their services to anyone who needs help with their property management accounting.

KSKelly StanawayProperty Manager

Smaller portfolio, still looked after

Adam the owner took a personal interest in my situation and was willing to work with me to see if his company was a good fit. I may be too small for them but I would highly recommend them to anyone considering a bookkeeper for their property management business.

TSTrevor SmithProperty Manager

230+

Property Accountants

30M+

Commercial Sq. Ft.

Up to 50%

Saved vs In-House

Every month

On-Time Close

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Running Something Other Than Buildertrend?

We Work Inside Whatever You Already Have

Who We Do Buildertrend Accounting For

Every Vertical Has Its Own Way of Breaking

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Buildertrend replace our accounting system?

No. Buildertrend manages scheduling, selections, change orders, and job budgets, but it is not a full accounting system. It syncs two ways with QuickBooks or Xero, and that connection is where REA does the accounting work.

Which accounting systems does REA connect our Buildertrend account to?

We work with the Buildertrend QuickBooks integration for both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, and with the Buildertrend Xero integration. Whichever ledger your company already runs on, we reconcile it against your Buildertrend budgets every month.

What does REA actually do inside Buildertrend each month?

We review budgets, commitments, and change orders against your books, code Bill Pay and AP entries to the correct job and cost code, and check that draws and deposits posted correctly on both sides. It is ongoing job cost accounting, not a one-time setup.

Our Buildertrend budgets and our QuickBooks or Xero file do not match. Can REA fix that?

Yes. Catch-up and cleanup is one of our most common starting points. We trace the mismatch back to the source postings, correct the history, and reconcile both systems before taking over your ongoing bookkeeping.

What reports do we get every month?

You receive financial statements, job cost and WIP reports, and KPI reporting built from Buildertrend and your accounting system together, including gross margin by job and cost-to-complete. Reports are built to hand directly to a bank, bonding company, or owner without rework.

How does REA work with our existing CPA?

We handle the monthly bookkeeping and job cost accounting, and hand your CPA clean, reconciled books at tax time. That means fewer questions, fewer adjusting entries, and a faster return.

Do you work with our Buildertrend consultant or the company that set up our account?

We are not a Buildertrend consultant and we do not configure or implement the software. We work directly inside your existing Buildertrend instance on the accounting side, and we are glad to coordinate with whoever handles your platform setup.

How long does onboarding take?

Most builders are fully transitioned within a few weeks, depending on how far out of sync your Buildertrend budgets and books are when we start. Straightforward accounts move faster, and files needing catch-up work start with that cleanup first.

Can REA help if our budgets, draws, or job costs are out of sync with our books?

Yes, this is the core of what we do for Buildertrend users. We identify where the two-way sync broke down, correct the coding, and put monthly checks in place so budget-vs-actual in Buildertrend keeps matching your QuickBooks or Xero books going forward.

Do you work with other construction platforms?

Yes. REA runs construction and development accounting across the whole stack, including Procore, Premier Construction Software, Sage, Northspyre, and QuickBooks. If your team runs more than one platform, we reconcile between them so every system reports the same numbers.

Ready for Buildertrend Books You Can Bid Against?

Schedule a call with our construction team. We will review your cost code structure, your WIP, and what Buildertrend is currently doing to your financials.