Carlos Lourenço has spent more than a decade investing in real estate, building and managing a mixed portfolio of long-term and short-term rentals across several U.S. states. He has personally qualified for Real Estate Professional Status (REPS) and executed the short-term-rental ("7-day average") strategy on his own properties — navigating the 750-hour test, the material-participation rules, and the documentation the IRS expects.
A product manager by background, Carlos built REP Helper after spending too many tax seasons reconstructing his hours from memory and wrestling with spreadsheets. He writes from the investor’s seat: what actually works, what the rules really require, and where people get tripped up.
Carlos is not a CPA, enrolled agent, or tax attorney. Everything here is educational — always work with a licensed professional before acting.