Looking for a property manager and a property management company in Austin Texas? This FAQ section is designed to help you decide if our property management company is right for you. After all, you need a property manager who takes good care of your interests but different property managers have different property management styles. We believe that there should be a good fit between you, your property manager and your property management company. After all, every property manager is not right for you and you are not right for every property manager!
Provided below are answers to some common questions about our Property Management services in Austin Texas. Click on any line to see the answer for that question or just scroll down the page. Our goal on this page is to provide a clear picture of what you can expect if you hire us as your property management company. Let our professional property manager take care of your needs.
What type of rental properties do you manage?
What areas do you handle?
What property management experience and credentials do you offer?
Why should I hire you as my Property Management company?
How much will my home rent for?
What will you do to rent my house?
What, specifically, do you do to qualify a tenant after they have applied to rent my house?
How do you make sure the tenant is taking good care of my home while renting?
What do you do if they are not taking care of my property as they should?
What happens if the tenant does not pay their rent?
How informed will I be about what happens with my property?
How do you handle maintenance requests?
Do you use the cheapest maintenance people you can find?
Do you hold some of my money for repairs? How much?
How do I know you won’t spend money on large repairs without my approval?
What if I want you to use my plumber, A/C company, etc.?
Will you use my American Home Shield or other Home Warranty?
My home has a pool or spa, how do you handle that?
You guys seem sort of picky about the properties you take, why is that?
When do you mail the Owner’s checks?
Can you put the money directly into my checking account?
What will I receive with my monthly statement each month?
How much is your monthly property management fee?
How much is the leasing fee?
Are your property management fees negotiable?
Are there administrative fees or other service charges?
Does your property management agreement give you exclusive right to sell my property?
Is the property management agreement a standard, widely used form?
Who holds the tenant’s security deposit?
How much security deposit do you charge the tenant?
Are you a licensed Property Manager?
How soon can you start managing my home?
What type of rental properties do you manage?
We specialize in single family homes in and around the Austin Texas area. We are not currently accepting any new management properties that are 4plexes or apartments. We will consider select, quality condos and duplexes in some areas.
Our Property Management service area is roughly North to Round Rock, Northwest through Cedar Park up to Leander, West out to the Lakeway/620 area, Southwest to Oak Hill and into the eastern part of Dripping Springs, South to Buda and Kyle, areas west of IH35 and the central east Austin neighborhoods.
What Property Management experience and credentials do you offer?
Crosstown Properties offers you the level of experience and expertise you should seek from any property management company you hire. See the Our Story page, if you haven’t already, for a complete introduction to our property manager and professional team.
Why should I hire you as my Property Management company?
You should hire us only if you think we are the best match for your property management needs. Frankly, we are not a perfect fit for every property owner and it would be arrogant and wrong for us to simply proclaim "we are the best, hire us!". We may be the best property manager for some owners and properties but not for others.
That is why this FAQ page exists so that you can learn about us and and the guiding principles the property manager will employ in the management of your property.
Turning over your rental property to the care of an unknown property manager can be an emotional and frightening experience. Talk to other property managers before hiring one, and ask questions. You want to be able to trust your property manager so that you won’t be worrying about your home. The more research and information you gather, the better you will feel about your final decision. Of course, we’d love the chance to earn your trust and manage your property, so please read on.
How much will my house rent for?
This is the most common question asked by new owner prospects. Understandably so, as it is an important factor in their cash-flow calculations. We always do rental comps as part of our early conversations with owners inquiring after our services.
Rent depends on a lot of factors, but in general, most homes in and around Austin are currently renting for about 0.5% to 0.8% of the home’s market sales value.
The more expensive your home, the lower the ratio of sales to rent value. For example, a $220,000 three bedroom home may rent for $1100 to $1760 per month in Austin depending on the neighborhood, the competition and the condition, while a $340,000 home may only rent for $1700 to $2720. This is a very generalized range but will in fact hold true in most instances.
Sales values raced past rent values in the last decade in Austin. Many owners who have purchased in the past 8 years and made a small down payment, cannot lease the home for an amount that will cover the carrying costs. This is especially in newer neighborhoods that are not yet built out. Owner also might not have enough equity to sell without bringing money to the closing table. If you are in this situation, you are not alone. Some of our new clients are “involuntary landlords”, forced into leasing their home by market conditions.
The most important thing to know is that the rental market is indifferent to your mortgage payment amount. The rental market does not care that you might have a negative cash flow. Unfortunately, owners who overprice their rentals will be punished with extended vacancy.
The good news is, if you can ride out the market, you are likely to be much better off in a few years than if you sell your home now. This in fact is why many out of state investors bought investment homes in Austin, expecting the long term gain to offset the short term cash flow loss.
When you hire us as your property manager, we will look at the rental market in your particular area, survey the competing homes, and make sure your home is priced so that it will be viewed favorably against the competition.
What will you do to rent my house?
We give it maximum exposure while it is for rent and we carefully scrutinize all interested parties.
FOR RENT SIGNS – Posted at the property with our website clearly displayed. Prospective renters can find out very easily – even at 7PM on a Saturday – the price and size of your property and when it will be ready for move-in.
MLS – Your rental property data is entered in the Austin Multiple Listing Service giving access to over 8,000 other Realtors and Renters.
All Austin MLS for rent listings are now available to home searchers through the various public gateways, such as Realtor.com and others.
INTERNET LISTINGS – Our available homes for rent in the Austin area are posted online complete with photos, maps and property details for the convenience of those searching for a new home.
LEASING LOCATORS – We make all of our listings available to the many Lease Locator companies in Austin. These non-Realtor companies specialize in helping tenants find apartments, duplexes and homes for rent in Austin.
WORD OF MOUTH / REFERRALS – Current and past tenants, friends of our tenants, referrals from other agents that we network with.
CORRECT PRICING – Even the best and nicest homes will not lease quickly if overpriced. We make sure your rental home is priced according to current market conditions.
THOROUGH PREPARATION – Even the best located and well priced rental homes will not lease quickly if the rental home is not in top showing condition. Homes for rent in Austin Texas absolutely must show well and have an attractive "curb appeal" or they may sit empty for extended periods. Part of our job as property manager is to make sure your rental home is presented in a clean and attractive condition so that it will attract a good tenant.
What, specifically, do you do to qualify a tenant after they have applied to rent my house?
This is the most important aspect of the successful management of rental property. For nearly 20 years, each step of application processing was done by us in-house off of paper applications delivered to our 24/7 dropbox. In March 2020 we partnered with an application processing company, AcuTraq which allows us to receive all applications and application fees electronically. We customized every aspect of the electronic application to match our previous paper applications. In this way AcuTraq meets our very specific and time-tested requirements and standards.
In general, we look at an applicant’s past behavior and based on updated and current checks of their qualifications we expect that their future behavior will be the same. An applicant must demonstrate a history of being a good, responsible tenant or homeowner as well as meeting credit standards. Nobody in Austin screens their tenants as well as we do at Crosstown Properties.
LANDLORD REFERENCES – The previous landlord(s) are contacted and we receive a detailed rental history reference on each applicant.
CREDIT REPORT AcuTraq, our processing company, has a direct connection with the TransUnion credit reporting service. We receive a credit report which tells us the applicant’s current and past performance toward meeting their financial obligations. It also tells us their monthly debt, credit score, and shows their previous addresses. An applicant must meet established credit standards.
PROPERTY TAX SEARCH – We conduct a property tax search in two situations:
1. If an applicant lists homeownership instead of rental history, we pull the tax records and verify that this private individual is listed as the previous owner or current landlord to verify that the person listed actually owns the property.
2. If an applicant lists a private individual as their previous or current landlord, the individual is not only contacted to verify that the applicant was their tenant but we also use the property tax search to verify that the private individual does in fact own the property listed as the applicant’s previous residence.
The property tax record crosscheck is what reveals most of the fraud attempts that we encounter and is a level of scrutiny that most other property management companies do not even perform.
EMPLOYMENT/INCOME – The current employer of every employed applicant is contacted and recent earnings statements are used to verify employment and income. An applicant needs to earn at least 3 times the monthly rent in gross income to qualify for rental.
PETS – About 50% to 70% of renters have pets. The household pet qualifications minimize your risk by limiting the breed, age, number and size of the pets. We also use a special pet addendum for your protection as well as require all applicants to complete a PetScreening profile. PetScreening has a team of expert lawyers to verify all pet profiles listed as Assistance Animals to confirm the validity of the accommodation request.
OTHER FACTORS – Many of our managed properties are subject to Home Owner Association restrictions such as no boats or trailers, and limits on the type and number of vehicles. An otherwise qualified applicant may be unable to lease a property if, for instance, they own a boat and want to park it in the driveway. We make sure issues like that are covered up front to avoid surprises after move-in.
How do you make sure the tenant is taking good care of my home while renting?
There are several ways your property manager has to know this. Above all, careful tenant selection from the outset protects your property from being rented to irresponsible people. During the lease term, we may have occasion to enter the property for repair or maintenance reasons and will use that opportunity to have a look. If we are fortunate enough not to have any repairs or maintenance at your property over an extended period of time, your property manager will schedule a preventative maintenance walk-through to make sure the air filter is being changed, that the smoke alarms have batteries and that there are no unreported problems at the property.
Your property manager gives the tenant an opportunity to correct the situation and usually they will. If a problem persists, we will make a decision based on that specific situation.
What happens if the tenant does not pay their rent?
About the 4th of each month, we send late notices to all tenants with unpaid rent. We will post an eviction notice about the 12th day of the month if payment is not received by then. Whether or not the property manager eventually proceeds with a formal eviction depends on the specific circumstances. It is always financially better for all involved if a solution can be worked out. If the tenant has experienced a one-time event which is causing them a financial hardship, and we have had no previous problems with them, it is better for you and the tenant if we give them a chance to catch up – if there is reason to believe they can do so. If the tenant has demonstrated an ongoing pattern of late payments, broken promises about payments and/or evasiveness, we know from experience that eviction is the best course of action.
Each case is unique and the property manager will make a decision based what is best for you and your home in the long run. That said, we always proceed with the legal notices required for eviction regardless of any other factors. We will simply postpone the actual filing of the eviction if the tenant is showing favorable effort toward resolution. Eviction for non-payment of rent in Texas is a slam dunk and there is no way a tenant can prevail in court if they have not paid rent and the landlord has properly executed the notices and filing process. Full evictions, when necessary, can often be completed by the fourth week of the month.
How informed will I be about what happens with my property?
Absent any special considerations unique to you or your property, our rule of thumb is this: If something may cause a potential interruption in your ordinary cash flow (loss of tenant or non-emergency repair in excess of $500), we will let you know about it right away. Other than that, the saying "no news is good news" is most appropriate. Non emergency items will be communicated along with your monthly statements and, of course, we encourage you to contact the property manager anytime you have a question or wish to discuss something.
We know some owners desire a level of involvement that our property management system is not designed to accommodate. We try our best to make sure you are a good match for our style of property management. Part of that process is this Question and Answer page so you can obtain a sense of how we think and how the manager will manage your investment property.
If you are a worrisome property owner or someone who desires a high degree of personal involvement with the property or who needs constant communication from the property manager, such as a phone call before any repairs are completed, we are not a good match for your needs. The property owners who appreciate us the most are those who truly want everything handled for them turn-key and don’t want to be bothered unless something important is happening. That is the type of property management service we offer.
How do you handle maintenance requests?
Tenants fill out an online form on our website. After we receive a repair request, the property manager may contact the tenant and ask them questions which will help us determine the exact nature of the problem before sending a service technician. We also make sure it is not something the tenant can fix themselves (ex: reset button on the disposal, tripped breaker) before your money is spent on a service call. After determining that it is a legitimate problem, we will send the appropriate service vendor to make the repair.
We tell our tenants that we are able to handle most repair requests within 1 to 3 working days, and in fact are usually able to do so. Comfort items such as Air conditioning, no hot water or heat, receive highest priority and are usually attended to the same or next business day.
Do you use the cheapest maintenance people you can find?
No. Our people are middle of the road in price and are competent and reliable. We also have all-around maintenance sub-contractors who are capable in a wide range of home repairs including air-conditioning, light plumbing and electrical. Our main "go to" guys charge $65 – $100 per hour (sometimes more for conditions such as an after-hours emergency sewer backup). We try to have our main guys handle most of the multi-trade and make-ready tasks and use other vendors when we are backed up. This saves our owners a lot of money on multi-trade repairs by cutting down on the number of service calls to the property by different vendors. It also means that if we are called out on a dishwasher repair, we will check the general condition of the property – something that a single trade vendor will not do for you.
We think we have developed a very sensible approach to handling maintenance and repairs and that you will realize cost savings that other property managers simply can’t deliver.
Do you hold some of my money for repairs? How much?
We will hold back $500 per unit in your account so that we always have funds to pay our vendors quickly.
How do I know your property manager won’t spend my money on large repairs without my approval?
This is a legitimate fear. For ordinary maintenance and repairs of less than $500, the property manager will take care of it without notifying you. You will find out when you receive your monthly statement. If we think a repair might exceed $500, we will call you and let you know what is happening, what we think should be done, and what the estimated cost might be.
Sometimes expenses such as a replacing a bad water heater, a roof leak that needs patching or repair, or emergency A/C and furnace repairs are unavoidable. In those cases where 1) the health or safety of a tenant is an issue, or 2) in instances where there is only one option to consider or 3) the property will incur damage if immediate action is not taken, the property manager will initiate the repair work, even if it is higher that the $500 limit, and then let you know of the situation and what we are doing about it. Mainly, we don’t think important repairs should be delayed while we try to contact you for permission to do the obvious.
What if I want you to use my plumber, A/C company, etc.?
We already have a stable of very qualified and reasonably priced vendors that we have used for many years. If you would like to nominate a service company to be added to our vendor list, they can contact us and we will interview them and let them know what documentation and references we need, what our invoicing and payment policy is, etc. We cannot guaranty however that your favorite company will be sent on all service calls to your home. Our concern is always to resolve repair problems in the most efficient way possible with the best available vendor at the time. Property managers can’t keep track of a pre-established roster of vendors assigned to certain properties – it would be a cumbersome and inefficient property management system and would not achieve the best service to the tenant and your investment property.
Our professional reputation as property managers, both with tenants and owners, is largely, if not almost entirely, determined by the effectiveness with which we handle maintenance. We follow a practice that is most likely to insure the best possible response and resolution to maintenance and repair problems for your property.
I want you to use my American Home Shield warranty for all covered repairs, is that ok?
We won’t use American Home Shield or any other warranty company to make repairs at your home, for very good reason. The logistics and communication problems we have encountered with past attempts to use warranty companies are not acceptable for the level of property management service we strive to achieve.
American Home Shield once left our tenant without air-conditioning for 9 days in August (100+ degrees) while they went through their ridiculous "second opinion" process. The property manager finally had to call out our regular people who had the problem fixed in two hours. We vowed never again to be hamstrung by that sort of bureaucracy and lunacy.
We hold all of the home warranty companies in extremely low regard and believe, overall, that their plans are a rip-off (read the fine print in your service contract) and border on fraud. If you want your home warranty company to be used for the repairs and maintenance of your rental property, we are unfortunately not the property management company you should hire.
My home has a pool. How do you deal with that?
We no longer accept properties with pools or operational spas. The liability scares us. If your home has a spa, we will have it winterized and shut it down, therefore not including it with the use of the home while rented. It must also have a hard surface cover that can be latched down.
You guys seem sort of picky about the clients and properties you take, why is that?
Well, we’ve been property managers long enough to have seen and experienced everything imaginable, and we prefer to anticipate and avoid common problems rather that deal with the same ones repeatedly.
We believe you and your investment property are best served by a property management system that is as free of problems and chaos as possible. Hence, we don’t handle pools, don’t deal with Section 8 housing, don’t work with home warranty companies, don’t take run down properties, don’t rent to large groups of roommates, etc., because we know those things consume a disproportionate amount of a property manager’s time and distract from the care and attention that your good property deserves.
We strive to maintain a group of "like-minded" clients with properties that are at the same time diverse, yet homogenous enough that our systems, methods and style can be applied uniformly across all properties we manage. The worst property manager you can hire is one who good heartedly tries to accommodate every special circumstance or request from his various owners until his operational system is so scattered and ill defined as to be dangerous. We like the consistency and predictability that comes with welcoming owners and properties that are compatible with our system of property management.
If you think about it, when you hire a property manager, you are for better or worse, employing that property manager’s system (or lack thereof). We promise you our system of property management is mature, stable and time tested. We will make good decisions for you. Your property will receive professional care and maintenance. Your lease agreement with the tenant will be enforced in a cordial businesslike manner, and we will always act in your best interest while at the same time insuring that your tenant receives fair and ethical treatment. You can expect also that we are always looking for ways to improve our service.
We do want you to thoroughly examine our company, ask for references, ask any questions that are not answered for you on this website, and make sure that ours is the property management system you want serving you and your property.
When do you send the owner’s distributions and statements?
Owners’ funds and statements are sent out via ACH and email respectively on or after the 10th of each month but no later than the 15th for that month’s activity. Most months, you will have your funds and statement by the 15th but usually earlier.
Can you put my rental proceeds directly into my checking account?
We send your funds directly to your bank for immediate deposit using ACH transfer.
What will I receive with my monthly statement?
The monthly statement shows all income and expenses for the accounting period. We don’t mark up repair invoices and we can send you the original copy of receipts for repairs at your request.
How much is your monthly property management fee?
Our property management fee is 8 percent of the monthly rent, with a $100 per month minimum. If your home rents for less than $1250 per month, or is vacant for a period of time, you will be charged a flat $100 per month.
The leasing commission is 70 percent of the first full month’s rent for new tenants, with an $1000 minimum. A renewal fee of 10% of the new monthly rent is charged for retaining current residents and executing a lease renewal. We absorb all other costs of leasing the property including MLS fees, internet marketing, for rent signs, lockboxes, etc.
Are your property management fees negotiable?
No. We don’t try to compete against lower priced property management companies or Realtors who practice property management as a side business. Frankly, we know you can find a cheaper property management company in Austin Texas. We just don’t think price should be the determining factor in deciding which property manager you hire to manage your home.
The ultimate cost of using a property manager is determined by many things other than the fee charged. The efficiency and manner in which maintenance and tenant relationship problems are handled, and the attention to detail during the leasing process are two of many areas in which we excel. We feel that our set of services, our systems, and the experience and expertise we offer are a good value at the fee structure we have established.
There are no administrative fees or start-up costs. We don’t charge for copies, long distance calls, mileage, or other incidentals. We don’t mark up maintenance costs or nickel and dime you with petty fees as do some property management companies. The only other expenses you could incur would be for services which fall outside the normal scope of our property management agreement (such as contracting a major renovation, restoration or remodel, assisting in sales efforts for which we are not otherwise being paid). These scenarios are all outlined in the Property Management agreement but rarely come about.
Does your property management agreement give you exclusive right to sell my property?
No. We don’t bind you to that in the management agreement. Discount property managers use this trick – they manage your home at little or no profit knowing they have you locked into an eventual sales listing. We believe that at the time you decide to eventually sell, you should be free to decide who the best listing agent will be for your property.
That said, please do ask us before selecting a sales agent. We work with several full time sales agents who we would love to refer you to based on the property’s location and characteristics.
Is the Property Management Agreement a standard, widely used form?
Yes. We use the Texas Realtors Property Management Agreement.
Who holds the tenant’s security deposit?
All security deposits must be held in our deposit trust account.
How much security deposit do you charge the tenant?
One month’s rent is the security deposit. This is what will be asked for by most property owners and property managers in Austin.
Are you a licensed Property Manager?
We are licensed Realtors and Jim Wilson is a member of the National Association of Residential Property Managers. There is no "Property Management License" requirement in Texas, but professional property managers in Austin must have a Texas real estate license in order to charge commissions.
How soon can you start managing my home?
We can start the process immediately. We will start by obtaining some information about you and your property and helping you decide if we are a good fit for your needs. Contact us online or call Jim Wilson at 512-328-8500 Office, or 512-498-9470 mobile during business hours.
Property Management in Austin Texas - Homes For Rent in Austin Texas
Copyright - JMMJ, Inc. (Broker) dba Crosstown Properties - Austin Texas
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