So you’re thinking of partnering with a property management company. You’ve probably been on Google and have done some searching, maybe you’ve called a few to chat, but before you decide on who to hire you should do one thing – dive into the property management contract!

The document that establishes a relationship between you and your property manager should never be seen as an afterthought. After all, embedded in this document are the rules of engagement for both parties, the services you will receive, what fees are applied and when (if any!), and what rights you, as the owner, have.

Electing to skim over this contract is pretty much the same as choosing not to even talk to a property manager before you hire them. Don’t let a great initial impression and professionalism take you away from the fact that this document is vastly important and you need to know what is inside of it. Again, not all property managers are made the same!

As with any contract, the fine print is never fun to read. Thinking long term, however, if you do this right the first time and hire the best property manager for you, you may never have to go through this process again for several years or ever. Here you’ll find the fees associated with service you’ll receive, how the company will handle...

If you’re an individual who rents in Austin, Texas, and owns a pet you’ve probably been asked “What breed?”, when looking for a new place to rent. It’s not that property managers or apartment communities hate dogs or animals, it’s that for the safety of others there are certain animals who are generally considered unsafe. If a dangerous animal isn’t allowed in an area there is a far less likely chance there will be an attack. Pretty simple stuff really.

There are a couple of reasons your dog/pet may be denied when applying for a residency somewhere. First, some municipalities and regions have enacted breed-specific rules banning certain breeds from even entering certain cities. The second reason could be that insurance companies have identified that breed as dangerous ultimately barring the insured from accepting your pet. Another reason your breed may be banned is that the landlord/community has the ultimate say in what pets are allowed in their complex.

Common Restricted Breeds

Curious if your Austin landlord will accept your dog? Below are some of the common breeds that find themselves near the top of the 'bad' list.

• Pit bulls
• Rottweilers
• Alaskan Mal...

As one of the more well-known areas of Austin, Texas, Barton Hills is a community that boasts a love for nature and the outdoors.

Some of the biggest attractions in the area are greater Austin staples. In the photo below you get a glimpse of Barton Springs and the type of foot traffic it can experience on one of those Texas’ summer days. Not even that, the spring is a year round attraction with the temperature a steady 68-74°F. Don’t mind a dip in the spring in the winter months? The spring offers free admission from November thru March!

The next big thing Barton Hills offers residents of Austin is Zilker Park! If you own a dog, have a friend who owns a dog, or are just fans of dogs in general you’ve probably been to Zilker Park. Zilker marks the beginning of the several miles of lush green belt that run through Barton Hills. It’s pretty important to state that Zilker Park also hosts Austin’s annual Austin City Limits...

Like anything in life, the things that are worth it are worth the work. You may own rental properties and real estate may be your passion so you don’t have any issues with dedicating the time and effort to try on all the different hats required to run a profitable rental portfolio. If you’re one of the many owners who doesn’t have this kind of time or if your portfolio is so large keeping up with everything would be impossible then deciding to partner with a professional property manager, like Stone Oak Management.

A great property management company dedicates 100% of its time to ensuring your property performs as well as it should. Effective and data-driven marketing of upcoming and vacant properties as well as thorough screening by Stone Oak ensures your property spends fewer days on the market and more days with a rent-paying tenant occupying the residence. We use professionally structured leases that establish guidelines that protect you as a landlord if there is ever a conflict with a tenant.

The lifeline of your property is the tenants and the rental income the produce for you. For this reason, renewals are an owner’s best friend. As Austin’s most responsive property management team, we make it our go...

How to Find Renters

This may be a common question if you own rental properties, even more so if you self-manage those properties. So, how do you find tenants for your properties? Partnering with a property management company can be a wise move, especially in a market like Austin’s. I’m sure if you do have a property manager you probably quizzed them on their marketing efforts and what they do to find tenants for your property when you first signed up.

We’ll try our hand at guessing the usual spiel – We use our website, we list in on the MLS, we syndicate out to all the major sites, etc. Most managers stop there, trying to put as many lines in the water as they can until they get a bite. A decent approach until the every avenue is exhausted and overcrowded with competition. Stone Oak Property Management is different. In a world where 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every single day, Stone Oak recognized there has to be a piece of pie somewhere in there for property managers and rental home owners. Our Austin property management team now partners with several information partners allowing us more direct avenues to the end consumer - rent-paying, high quality tenants.