Why Real Estate Agents Should Bring Up Cost Segregation Before Closing, Not After

Written by:

Heather Hook

Date:

26 Aug 2026

KeyCrew Studio

Share

Share via Facebook

Share via Linkedin

Share via X

Copy to clipboard

Most real estate agents wait until after a deal closes, if they mention cost segregation at all, to bring it up with an investor client. Brian Kiczula, founder of engineering-based cost segregation firm CostSegRx, says that timing works against everyone involved.

Kiczula’s firm, CostSegRx, works directly with agents across the country, and he says the agents who get the most value out of the relationship are the ones who loop in a cost segregation specialist before their client’s offer is even accepted.

Investors Want This Feedback Early

Agents bring CostSegRx in during due diligence for a reason: their investor clients want to know what accelerated depreciation might look like before they commit to a purchase. Sometimes it is a straightforward request for an estimated benefit on a property under contract. Other times an agent is working with a client planning a significant renovation or buildout over the next few years and wants to understand how that capital improvement plan affects the depreciation picture.

That early conversation often extends into the design and buildout itself. Investors ask which flooring, electrical upgrades, or lighting choices make the most sense from a depreciation standpoint, not just an aesthetic one. An agent who can point a client toward that kind of guidance is offering something well beyond helping them find the property.

A Preferred Provider List Beats a Sales Pitch

Kiczula is careful to draw a line here. He does not think agents should be selling cost segregation services or pushing the topic on clients who have not asked. What works better, he says, is treating a cost segregation specialist the same way an agent already treats a title company, an insurer, or a home inspector: as one name on a short list of trusted providers they can hand to an investor client when the timing makes sense.

Some real estate groups have already built this out formally, maintaining a public list of preferred vendors that covers everything from title work to cost segregation. Kiczula points to that model as a template other agents could copy without much effort. It positions the agent as a resource rather than a salesperson, while still making sure the client knows the option exists.

The Referral Relationship That Keeps Paying Off

CostSegRx also works with real estate investment groups and professional networks, some of which link directly to the firm’s site so a member evaluating a property can request an estimated benefit before making an offer. Kiczula describes working with a developer building self-storage properties with mixed office and storage space, where a direct link to request an estimate sits right on the builder’s own site.

The payoff for agents who build this into their process, Kiczula says, is not a one-time transaction. Investors who get real value from a cost segregation study on one property tend to come back for the next one, whether that is a single acquisition the following year or a larger portfolio picked up over time. Agents can request an estimate on a client’s behalf through the firm’s free estimate page before a deal closes.

There is also a perception benefit that goes beyond any single deal. Kiczula sees agents who introduce this kind of resource get treated less like a transaction facilitator and more like a long-term advisor, someone thinking about the investor’s returns well past the closing table. That shift in how a client sees an agent tends to show up in repeat business, not just goodwill.

For agents working with investors who plan to hold and lease property, adding a cost segregation specialist to the list of trusted providers costs nothing and adds real value to a client relationship that, done well, extends far past one closing.

About CostSegRx: CostSegRx is an engineering-based cost segregation firm led by Brian Kiczula, a member of the American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals. The firm works with residential and commercial real estate investors nationwide. CostSegRx provides complimentary estimates of benefit and supports investors and their CPAs through the full reporting process. Learn more at costsegrx.com or call (888) 850-4155.

This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.

Disclosure: Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.