This is a good question if you are starting up a new business venture. You have probably already decided on your business product, but you still have an more important issue to decide. You need to know what type of business entity structure will be the most beneficial and easy for your company. Have you heard of Limited Liability Company, C-Corporation, or S-Corporation? If your answer is yes, but you dont really understand the difference, then read the rest of this article.

You can use a number of business structures when creating your company. Each one comes with different benefits and liabilities. Here’s an overview:

1. What is a Sole Proprietorship? This is a one-person show where the individual person running the business keeps all the profits. However, they also carry all the responsibility and liability. This is definitely the least desirable form of business structure due to the huge personal risk thats involved for the individual business owner. 2. What is a Partnership? In this structure, two or more people are the owners. They usually put similar amounts of money and/or time into the business and are all responsible for running it. They also incur the debt for the business and can be held personally liable if it were to fail or be sued for the debts. 3. What is a Limited Partnership? In a limited partnership there are at least two partners involved, but they dont necessarily have the same level of responsibility – or authority. One or more of the partners will take part in decision making and the others are silent partners. 4. What is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)? This is the best and most flexible business structure and one of the easiest to set up. Its a good entity for both small and large businesses. It provides personal asset protection and offers an easy format for distribution of profits and losses. With this entity structure the liabilities of the company are only taken from business assets, not the personal assets of those who own the LLC. 5. What is a C-Corporation? There are two ways to file as a corporation: C-Corporation or S-Corporation. The C-Corp is the most structured, and rigid form and the business profits are taxed at both the corporate level and the stockholder level. In this entity, there is no limit to the number of stockholders. This structure is taxed as a separate entity, unlike the S-Corp. 6. What is an S-Corp? This is also a corporation, but its limited by the number of stockholders, which is a maximum of 75. One of the advantages of this type of business structure is that the profits are not double taxed like they are in a C-Corp. This structure is a flow through entity. This means the profits or losses flow through to the individual personal tax returns of the stockholders and are taxed on the individual tax returns.

Financial institutions generally view the LLC and corporation structures as higher rated business entities. By choosing one of these structures for your business, you are presenting a more professional image to the financial institutions and they are more likely to offer business credit and trade credit to the business.

Changes in the real estate market create new niches and investment strategies. One must be able to work well with the changes as this is one area of investing that is constantly changing and updating. If you are new at real estate investing, you should begin working with a mentor and complete some transactions with a partner to reduce your financial and liability risk. A mentor will help you to avoid the common mistakes made by many real estate investors. Begin to educate yourself; do some research on the internet, attend seminars and join a real estate investing association.

How do you choose a real estate partner or mentor?

The first and most important issue is finding someone who you can work well with; someone who shares some of your interests and goals in succeeding in real estate investing. Your first real estate partnership should be worked with someone who will also be a good mentor; someone with years of active experience and one who is successful. Meet as many real estate investors as you can; talk to them about what they are doing and how it is working for them. Many experienced investors are looking for partners; some are looking for new people to mentor.

Of course you’re looking for a partnership with someone who can be trusted and one who is successful. But there is so much more to real estate investing than just knowing the investors. There are many people you need to know, including investors, realtors, brokers, builders, property managers, home inspectors, title companies, lenders and insurance providers. A successful investor already has these resources in place.

A good real estate partner to work with is one who has had experience at handling a variety of transactions in our constantly changing market. He will have several different exit strategies he likes to use and he will know which one works best for each transaction. He should be able to show you some examples of deals he’s made in the past that show profit. A good real estate partner is one who has a wealth of experience; a good mentor is one who will share their knowledge with you.

What do you expect out of a real estate partnership?

Once you find your mentor, you discuss the real estate partnership. So, what are you looking for in the partnership? How much do you want to be involved in different areas, like financial investment, management responsibilities, and other requirements? Do you want to be a silent partner or a very active partner? Are you looking to invest in commercial or residential real estate? Do you want to hold real estate for cash value; buy, fix and sell; or is there another niche in today’s real estate market to go into?

No matter what type of transactions you’re doing or what your personal and financial investment is to be, you will want an idea as to what to expect in profit from the deal. Is the deal worth what you are investing? What is the degree of safety with your investment?

Liability exposure is something to be considered in the real estate investing world. Will the partnership be set up as a corporation or limited liability company? Will your personal assets be protected should something go wrong? Be sure to address these issues with your partner.

A good mentor will go over all the important issues so that you understand the real estate partnership, your financial and personal responsibilities, liability risk, financial risk and potential profit.

A lot of people would be afraid to begin investing in real estate today; however, the experienced real estate investor understands that this is an opportune time to buy real estate. The increase in foreclosures and houses for sale, coupled with a decline in sales, means the prices will be very low. Values are declining; sellers are motivated; this is a recipe for negotiating a great buy on foreclosed homes, pre-foreclosures and occupied homes.

Join a real estate investors association or a landlords’ club. Attend seminars and meetings; surround yourself with other people in the real estate investing field, discover who is successful and begin to model your program after them. Develop a relationship with someone who will make a great real estate partner and mentor and you will be off to a great start in real estate investing.