Austin Property Management Blog

One of the toughest challenges a property owner faces is finding the right person for the job. This could be anything from constructing a fence to a major remodel of your kitchen. Even as a management company, there are trying times with vendors.

We have several “go-to” vendors on our list, but it is an ever evolving list and we are always looking for great vendors to stay competitive in the market.

As an owner considering a project there are a few items that I recommend asking about and insisting on throughout the duration of your project.

1. Do not pay for a job upfront. This could indicate the contractor doesn’t have the funds to hire the crew needed for your job. You may be thinking you are getting a “great deal”, but you will likely end up with an unfinished project weeks later.
2. Always try to pay for materials yourself. This will help keep tabs on what is actually being spent on materials versus labor. We have vendors call us from material supply stores to give our credit card to the store directly. This allows us to review the purchase order.
3. Is the vendor insured? Depending on the scope of your project, this may not matter to you, however consider that nearly everyone has the ability to fall off a ladder or nail their hand to something. Without insurance, you will likely be paying for the mishap.

Lastly, when choosing a vendor, keep in mind these excellent quotes:

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”

-Benjamin Franklin

“If it doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t. Go with your gut and let your instincts be your guide.”

-Jason Huval

Nearly half of the new clients we bring on at Stone Oak come from other property management companies. A big concern for these landlords have when making a transition is the time required and the hassle that may be ahead of them.

We make the process as simple and smooth as possible! Most professional property management companies have good records and the transition is largely coordinated between the new and old management companies, taking very little of the landlord’s time.

We have worked with dozens of local companies of all different sizes to transition landlords into our company. Our staff is dedicated and extremely focused on our clients’ needs and making this transition a breeze for them. We help to fill in the gaps when needed in a transition - If it takes physically showing up at a previous manager’s office to pick up records, leases, keys or the like, we will do our best to make the transition a smooth one for all.

When interviewing property managers, don’t be afraid to ask how the transition is handled and what your responsibilities as the landlord will be. Call us today at 512.921.7537 or email us to see what a property management company like ours can offer compared to our competitors!

First of all, eviction is not as common as you would think, and not that scary if you are on the right side of it.

We work in Travis, Williamson, Hays and Bexar counties currently. As with most counties in Texas, you will find that the time from the date of filing a petition for eviction until the actual eviction will vary depending on how busy the courts are, but you should expect three to six weeks.

Once you have been through the hearing with the court and won your eviction case, you will still be at the mercy of the constable/sheriff’s office and how busy they are. They will have to post a notice on the front door after you obtain the “writ of possession” and then physically show up to be keepers of the peace during the actual eviction.

The costs can vary as you are charged per person/adult you are evicting. As of the writing of this post, in Travis county it is $116.00 to file on one person in Travis County and $155.00 for the writ of possession after winning at the hearing.

You will also need to factor in the cost of having a locksmith and a crew or someone to remove the personal property from the home on-site the day of the eviction. The sheriff’s office in Travis County gives us two hours to make all this happen before they charge $50 per hour per officer attending the festivities.

If you have a written lease and a good paper trail for lease payments or the lack thereof, evictions for non-payment of rents in Texas are reasonably straight forward.