iscoverThe accountant’s role in property is expanding fast. We’re not just checking numbers at the end of a deal – we’re shaping the deal itself, writes Stuart Waugh.
Why accountants are becoming the real dealmakers in property
17 October 2025
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9 minute read
For a long time, accountants and real estate agents stayed in their lanes. Accountants looked after the numbers, tax, compliance, structuring, while agents brokered the deals. As one of the few accountants who is also a qualified real estate agent, I can say that the skill sets are not only complementary, but essential.
In my practice I am increasingly being pulled into the front line of negotiations. High-net-worth clients no longer just want technical accuracy; they want advisers who can negotiate, bring competing interests together, and structure creative deals when the usual processes grind to a halt. Often, my team and I are the ones who end up getting the deal done, ensuring a positive future for both parties.
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Where the real conflicts happen
If you think this is just about valuations and balance sheets, think again. Property is emotional – part wealth, part legacy, and often the biggest store of family identity. That’s why it’s also where disputes most often flare up.
We’re seeing accountants take on central roles in situations like inheritance and family office complexities; divorce or co-ownership splits; and business shareholder exits.
In all of these, lawyers may define the legal framework, but it’s accountants who are often asked to work out what’s practically possible and commercially fair. That’s a different kind of expertise. Ours is a unique perspective because we’ve helped them build wealth and guided and advised them through the growth journey.
What does this mean for the accounting profession?
This shift means accountants are no longer just technicians behind the scenes. Increasingly, we’re the ones sitting at the table, working through the “what ifs,” running the numbers in real time, and suggesting structures that make sense to all parties.
Take shareholder exits. It’s rarely just about valuing the property. Our job is to design an outcome where the departing shareholder can move on cleanly, while the business itself remains viable. In family splits, we’re often asked not only to calculate an equitable division but to do it in a way that takes tax, liquidity, and future sustainability into account.
It’s not simply about cutting the pie – it’s about ensuring there’s still something worth eating afterwards.
Pricing beyond the market
Perhaps the toughest challenge is putting a fair price on the table when there’s no market transaction to set it. This is where accountants’ judgment comes into play. We’re often asked to recommend a number that both sides can accept something that’s not just mathematically sound but commercially and emotionally palatable.
That requires more than formulas. It requires trust, negotiation, and the ability to explain the “why” behind the number in a way that gives all parties confidence.
Accountants vs agents
Agents are certainly not out of the picture and their skills in marketing property, running campaigns, and often closing sales remain essential. The best agents work closely with accountants because in complex, high-value situations, clients often look to their accountant to cut through the deadlock. Why? Because we’re seen as independent, we understand the broader financial picture, and we already hold the trust of the client.
That trust puts accountants in a unique position: part financial strategist, part mediator, part deal-maker.
The skills we can’t ignore
The lesson for the profession is clear. Technical expertise will always be essential, but it’s no longer enough. The skills that really matter in these moments, communication, emotional intelligence, negotiation, and strategic thinking are what turn an accountant into the adviser who gets the deal over the line.
These aren’t “soft skills.” They’re deal skills. And as property transactions become more complex, they’re what will define the accountants who lead versus the ones left on the sidelines.
Looking ahead
The accountant’s role in property is expanding fast. We’re not just checking numbers at the end of a deal – we’re shaping the deal itself. For clients, that means faster resolutions, less reliance on adversarial legal processes, and outcomes that work in practice. For the profession, it means a chance to step into a more influential role than ever before.
The truth is, the future of property advice won’t be carved up between agents and lawyers. Increasingly, it will also belong to the accountants who can bridge the numbers and the people, the financial realities, and the human dynamics.
And in many cases, it already does.
Stuart Waugh is the director of Altus Financial.
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