1031 timeline control, cost segregation, property tax appeals, and S‑Corp salary that holds up under exam — from a father-and-son CPA firm founded in 1985.
SINCE 1985Elias Lavi, CPA · FounderShawn Lavi, CPA · Principal
The Investor’s CPA
Founded 1985
12-person CPA firm
Licensed CPAs, California Board of Accountancy
7707 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles
1985Founded by Elias Lavi, CPA
40+Years of Elias’s practice — chartered accountant in England first
12Person CPA firm — principals included, no call center
7Practice areas — every one built for real estate
The Two Clocks
Every exchange runs on two clocks. We run both.
The day your sale closes, two statutory deadlines start — and neither one moves. Plot a sample closing date and watch your Day 45 and Day 180 land, with the checkpoints we work between them.
SAMPLE CLOSING DATE
SAMPLE
CLOCK ONE · IDENTIFYDAY 45Mon, Jul 20, 2026
Identify your replacement property — in writing, delivered to your qualified intermediary.
CLOCK TWO · COMPLETEDAY 180Wed, Dec 2, 2026
The exchange closes — replacement property in your hands. Miss it, and the tax comes due.
CLOSE: Fri, Jun 5, 2026
DAY 0DAY 45DAY 180
CHECKPOINT · DAY 45 · IDENTIFY
Identification deadline — Clock One stops
Day 45 is hard. Whatever is identified — signed and delivered to the QI by midnight — is what you are allowed to buy. Anything named on day 46 doesn’t exist for the exchange.
Sample dates, shown for illustration — educational only, not tax advice. LaviCPA is not a qualified intermediary and does not hold exchange funds. Day 45 and Day 180 are hard deadlines; your actual dates are set on your engagement.
Practice Areas
Seven practice areas. One firm.
No generalist sprawl — every practice area below exists because real estate investors kept needing it.
FLAGSHIP
Real Estate CPA LA
Investor tax preparation and planning for every kind of entity — planned year-round, not assembled in April. Your rentals, your entities, and your next acquisition on one calendar, run by the two CPAs whose name is on the door.
Study-worthiness checked first, then engineering-firm coordination, Form 3115 look-backs for properties you already own, and the federal/California split — so accelerated depreciation survives scrutiny.
S-Corp Election
Form 2553 timing, reasonable salary set to hold up under exam, payroll set up properly, and California’s 1.5% franchise-tax math worked before you elect — not after.
REPS & Passive Losses
The 750-hour and more-than-half tests, hour logs that would convince an examiner, the grouping election, and the FTB 3801 California split — real-estate-professional status built to be defended.
Property Tax Appeals
Los Angeles County assessment appeals. The 2026 filing period runs July 2 through November 30 — an over-assessment you don’t appeal is one you chose to pay.
Multi-LLC Portfolio Books
Separate books for every entity, basis and capital accounts kept straight, and the $800-per-LLC California tax and LLC-fee calendar tracked for you.
IRS · FTB · CDTFA Representation
Audits and notices handled by your CPA under power of attorney — IRS Form 2848, FTB 3520, CDTFA-392. The agencies write to us, not to you.
Bookkeeping
Books that stay current through the year — including landlord books in AppFolio, Yardi, Buildium, and DoorLoop.
Featured Engagement
The 1031 Exchange Tax Plan
A one-time, nationwide planning engagement for an exchange that hasn’t closed yet — the whole deal modeled before the clocks start, so Day 45 and Day 180 are dates you planned around, not dates that happened to you.
The Plan’s fee is quoted on the consult — no published price, and no engagement starts before you’ve seen it.
What the Plan builds
Boot and basis model — what defers, what’s taxable, what you carry into the new property
Form 8824 package plan — the exchange mapped to the return before it’s filed
Form 3840 & multi-state checklist — when California or other state tracking applies
Day 45 and Day 180 tax dates — tied to your deal, on your calendar
Reverse & improvement exchange coordination — when the standard order doesn’t fit
The fine print, up front: the Plan is not QI custody — we never hold your exchange funds — and it is not a legal opinion. No outcome is guaranteed; the work is the modeling, the dates, and the filings done right.
Client Stories
In their words.
“Shawn was excellent to work with on a complex real estate transaction involving a number of tax and financial considerations. He was extremely responsive, knowledgeable, practical, and very easy to collaborate with. He did a great job helping us work through the tax implications of the transaction, explaining the issues clearly, and coordinating with the attorney and the rest of the team so that the tax treatment and transaction documents stayed aligned. I especially appreciated how accessible and responsive he was throughout the process. He was a real asset to the team, and I would definitely work with him again and recommend him to others.”
Mitch R. · Real estate client · Google review
“I’ve been working with Shawn Lavi for over 20 years, and I can’t recommend him highly enough. He’s not just incredibly responsive, he’s proactive. He brings deep knowledge of tax law and consistently shares strategies that save me money year after year. Shawn tailors every recommendation to my specific goals and needs, never using a one-size-fits-all approach. He’s meticulous, trustworthy, and forward-thinking, always a step ahead when it comes to planning and compliance. Beyond his technical expertise, he has a calming presence during stressful tax seasons and communicates in a clear, understandable way. If you’re looking for an accountant who combines decades of experience with personalized attention and creative tax solutions, Shawn is the one.”
Hooman S. · Client of 20+ years · Google review
“I highly recommend filing taxes with this CPA. Mr. Lavi is very efficient and communicative with his clients and I always appreciate his guidance. 10/10 quality.”
Elijah A. · Tax client · Google review
“Shawn is great, he helped me save a lot of money on taxes. He’s always diligent, organized and timely. Highly recommend.”
Ron S. · Tax client · Google review
Also on Yelp: 4.0 on Yelp · 4 reviews
“You work with a Lavi. Not a call center.”
No account managers. No hand-offs. Your 1031 window, your cost seg study, your notice — answered by Shawn or Elias directly.
The Firm
Father and son. Both CPAs.
A 12-person firm with two names on the door — and both of them on your work.
Elias Lavi, CPA
FOUNDER & CO-OWNER
Elias began as a chartered accountant in England and has spent more than 40 years building this Los Angeles practice — the firm he founded in 1985.
Shawn Lavi, CPA
PRINCIPAL & CO-OWNER
With the firm since 2003. His work: rental and multi-LLC setups, 1031 exchanges, REPS, cost segregation, and audits with the IRS, FTB and CDTFA.
7707 Sunset Blvd
LOS ANGELES, CA 90046
One office on Sunset Blvd. Meet in person, by phone, or by video — clients across California and nationwide. Open Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.
How It Starts
Three steps to a Lavi on your deal.
01
Book your free introduction
Thirty minutes — by Zoom, by phone, or at our Sunset Blvd office. Bring your closing date, your entities, your last notice; leave with the calendar and the next steps. No obligation.
A standing rule: please don’t send notices, tax returns, or your Social Security number through this website, a booking form, or regular email. The secure portal link comes right after your introduction — that’s where documents belong.
Questions, Answered Straight
Before you book.
Who will actually do my work?
Shawn or Elias. We’re a 12-person firm run by two CPAs, and there are no account managers and no hand-offs — if your question is your 1031 window or your cost segregation study, you talk to Shawn or Elias directly.
What does the New Client Introduction cost?
Nothing. It’s a complimentary 30-minute introduction — by Zoom, by phone, or at our Sunset Blvd office — with no obligation. Anything further starts with a quoted fee; the 1031 Exchange Tax Plan’s fee, for example, is quoted on the consult.
Are you a qualified intermediary?
No — and your CPA shouldn’t be. A qualified intermediary holds your exchange funds; we never take custody of them. We coordinate with your QI and run the tax calendar — identification, boot and basis, forms — around them.
I’m selling in California but replacing out of state. Anything special?
Yes: California doesn’t forget. Form FTB 3840 tracks your deferred California-source gain every year after California property is exchanged for out-of-state property. We set that file up with the exchange and keep it current, so the state never has to come asking.
How much salary should my S-Corp pay me?
Enough to hold up under exam — and not a dollar of payroll tax beyond what the work supports. We set reasonable salary from your actual role in the business, and we run California’s 1.5% franchise-tax math before you elect, not after.
When can I appeal my property tax assessment?
Los Angeles County’s 2026 filing period runs July 2 through November 30. Bring us the assessment and we’ll tell you straight whether an appeal is worth filing — before the window closes.
I’m mid-exchange and Day 45 is coming up fast. Is it too late?
Not if you act today. Identification is a writing exercise with a hard deadline — book the free introduction, bring your closing date, and the calendar is the first thing we’ll build.
Start Here
Your next deadline is already on a clock.
Book the free introduction and bring the date that’s worrying you — a closing, an identification window, an appeal deadline. The calendar is the first thing we’ll build.
SINCE 1985 
