Tax Protests Are Around The Corner
It’s almost time for the protest season to begin, and the cycle of sending out notices of appraised value will begin in the coming months. We’ve had great success partnering with Home Tax Shield, and they’ve achieved savings for many of our clients. If you already participate in the protest process through us and Home Tax Shield, you’ll get notifications directly from them as the process hits certain milestones. If you’d like to get set up to protest this year, you can use the link above to get started.
Here is some data from the 2025 protest season that our participating clients benefit from:
$214,630 Total tax savings for our clients
Average Tax Savings of $367
If you’re unfamiliar with the tax protest process or benefits, you can find more info here or sign up here. There is no better value proposition than a contingency-based service that only costs you a portion of the taxes you won’t have to pay if they are able to reduce your taxable valuation.
Any current participants should confirm that their accounts are paid and have a valid payment method on file. If there is an unpaid balance on the account then the current year's protest may not be filed, and if the deadline is missed, there is no way to participate until next year. You can check your account by going to their website, select Sign In, and enter the email address associated with your account to receive an email containing your “magic link” that logs you in automatically.
If you have questions about the process, the status of your account, the email associated with your account, or anything else, please use the chat feature on the bottom right corner of the site to get help from them directly.
Austin Market Data and Leasing Strategies
The market has been changing quite a bit from its highs only a few years ago. The leasing and sales markets are what most would consider “buyers” markets in general, although that is a generalization of a much more complicated ecosystem. RedFin asserted that Austin is among the nation’s slowest markets. Another source discusses Austin’s market saturation of apartments, and Austin’s rent declining in January more than any other major city. While apartments are a different market if you own a single or multi family home, the options and incentives that applicants can choose between directly impact the overall market.
In our previous post we mentioned the need to consider market data and the current market when working with your property manager to get a new tenant. If you haven’t seen that post, please click this link as that info is still very relevant.
Emergency Preparation Tax Holiday
Each year Texas has a few tax holidays for specific occasions, and this one helps to prepare for many scenarios. The upcoming emergency supplies tax holiday from April 25-27, 2026, can be very helpful in stretching your dollars while preparing for the unexpected. The list of eligible items is posted on the state comptroller’s website along with additional details of how it works and where you can buy items tax free. Now is a good time to plan what items you may want to have on hand and start putting together a list and comparing prices.
Election Season
We don’t discuss politics, but we do encourage everyone to vote! The primary election is on Tuesday, March 3rd 2026. You can check your Texas voter registration here. If you’re already registered, the Texas site will also provide you with the next election date, voting locations, general ballot info, etc. Alternatively, you can check out Vote411.org which will give you similar info but can provide your personalized ballot along with more info.
If you want more specific info on candidates and ballot issues you can search for the non-partisan League of Women Voters, check local news stations or other local publication websites among other resources.
One important item of note this year will impact anyone who votes by mail. The US Post Office recently changed how they define the postmark date, which dictates whether a ballot is accepted as timely or not. Here is some important information about it, and keep in mind that this change also impacts things like paying bills, filing tax returns or other items that rely on the post mark as proof of mailing.
Property and Flood Insurance
In our previous blog post we talked about insurance and the changing landscape while costs continue to go up for policyholders. One thing we didn’t discuss, and feel is worth mentioning, is flood insurance. Most people don’t know if their property is in an area that has potential for flooding in long term scenarios such as 100 year or longer flood plains. Development can also alter floodplains significantly and cause flooding that standard policies don’t cover. We have seen it happen to our clients and recommend reviewing your property’s location and potential for flooding when considering whether you should have a flood policy. They are relatively low cost for the benefit of recovery if it happens and are definitely worth looking into.
We are not experts but work closely with Andor Insurance. The principals of Stone Oak partnered with an insurance industry veteran to set up Andor Insurance Agency for the purpose of providing exceptional service and options to our clients after seeing some bad insurance related mishaps. Some common issues are having the wrong policy, inadequateness, or lack of coverage among other things. Ryan, the rock star agent and great human that answers the phones and emails at Andor, has spent a good deal of time putting together a strong portfolio of options that cater to real estate investors and homeowners. He’s happy to review your policies, answer questions, shop policies, and make recommendations whether you become a client or not. He always enjoys the opportunity to research options for home, landlord, auto, business, and many other types of insurance and has no issue recommending that someone buy a policy that he did not quote if it is the best option for the circumstances. If you’d like to connect with him the contact info is available here.
Thank you for your trust in us! We always welcome your feedback and questions. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need anything at this time.
Reminders:
Funding Make-Readies & Maintenance for Your Property
Please note that it is Bay Property Management Group Austin 's policy that the owner has reserve funding on hand with Bay Property Management Group Austin to help us commence work faster when it comes to make-readies and maintenance on your property. Bay Property Management Group Austin cannot perform maintenance without first receiving authorization and funding, which can slow down the turn-around times of our vendors and their availability in this market. This can also potentially create a negative experience that tenants will remember when it comes time to renew, and we always want to avoid turning over the tenants. Any time we request authorization for work on your property, the best practice is to immediately fund your account when you provide written authorization to move forward. This is as simple as going into your owner portal and using ACH for a free transfer, or if you prefer a credit card the processor charges a fee as part of the transaction.
Keep in mind that tenant charges on your account are not considered an offset to this amount as we keep a strict accounting system for both our and our client's benefits. Any tenant chargeable items will be posted to their account, and once they are paid it is immediately credited to your account. If you have any questions about this reserve amount held with Bay Property Management Group Austin, please contact your property manager.
