Austin Property Management Blog

Spring is Here

The first day of Spring was March 20! That means you will likely see a surge in plant growth and activity. Please be mindful of lawn care and be sure you are following the lease if you are responsible for yard maintenance. 

Spring Storms

With spring being here, we will hopefully see some beneficial rain hit Austin. Typically at this time of year, we get high and damaging winds, so make sure to keep an eye on the exterior of the property when storms roll through.  Some obvious signs that your home may have been impacted by a storm are lifted/missing shingles, shingles laying in the yard, loose siding, and the most obvious one that we hear about the most is damaged fencing.  If we aren’t told about potential roof or siding damage it could cause water intrusion during rain events.  That could lead to damaging the home, your belongings, and create a big headache that no one wants to deal with.  The sooner we know about potential issues the faster we can address them and prevent larger issues.

Signs of Maintenance Issues

Rental property investments can be a profitable source of income for investors, yet they do not come without their own associated risks. To ensure the success of rental property investment, it’s important to take proactive steps to protect your asset(s). 

Here are five things investors can do to protect their rental property investment:

Screen Tenants Thoroughly

It’s essential to conduct thorough background checks on all potential tenants. This includes running credit history checks, verifying employment information, and running criminal background checks. Taking the time to screen tenants properly will help ensure you’re only renting to reliable and responsible people.

Invest in Quality Property Maintenance

Investing in regular property maintenance is one of the best ways to protect a rental property investment. Regularly scheduled maintenance can spot any potential issues before they become more serious and costly. It’s also important to keep up with an...

Protesting Your 2023 Property Taxes

As many are aware, it’s that wonderful time of year again - tax season. This tax season many property owners in Austin, Texas will pay more than they need to on their property taxes. 

This is why Stone Oak Property Management recommends our clients and property owners across Austin protest their 2023 property taxes. Read more information about the benefits of protesting your property taxes in Austin and how property owners can do so. 

There are many services out there that require you only to pay should they be successful in their protesting of your property taxes and Stone Oak has partnerships with said companies to make our clients’ lives easier come tax season. 

For more information about protesting your taxes this year with Stone Oak, contact your property manager today!

Austin Housing Market Update

According to th...

Property taxes are an important source of revenue for our state and local governments, but for many property owners, it can be difficult to pay the amount that is due each year. For owners of rental properties in Austin, Texas this tax burden each year can be substantial. 

Fortunately, Texas offers an opportunity to protest your property taxes in order to reduce your tax burden. By protesting your taxes, you may be able to save money while also contributing to the betterment of your community!

Here are the benefits and reasons why you should protest your 2023 property taxes in Austin, Texas!

The primary benefit of protesting your property taxes in Austin, Texas is the potential to get your tax bill lowered! When you file a protest with your county appraisal district, you will have the opportunity to present evidence demonstrating why the value of your property should be reduced. This could include things such as recent sales of similar properties in the area, deferred maintenance or any damage that has occurred to your own property. If the Appraisal Review Board (ARB) agrees with your assessment, they can lower your taxable value accor...

9804 Chukar Circle, Austin, TX 78758

1,828 SF | 4 Bed | 2 Bath

View this and more Austin, TX rental homes!

Own a rental home in Austin? Learn more about the property management services Stone Oak provides. 

Maintenance Requests

Please do not submit maintenance requests back to back.  Gather and submit as much as you can in a single request and then we will sort through and separate as needed.  If you need to add to or follow up on a request email or call us rather than submitting another request.  When we receive numerous requests for a property it is very easy for things to get lost when we have to combine the different items from several different places.

Uncontrolled Leaks or Flooding

In the event that you have a valve that is stuck open, water pipes leaking in an uncontrolled manner, etc. - Call your utility Emergency Services to come to turn off the water if you cannot do it yourself.  We will get someone out as soon as possible, but you must do whatever is necessary to stop the flow of water.

If you have sewer water backing up in your tub or other fixtures immediately stop using the water in the property.  In most cases, this will allow the water to drain away slowly, but do not put...

February 2022 Ice Storm

Last month we talked about how the holidays brought us our first hard freeze of the winter season, but no white Christmas in Austin.  This month we were subject to a storm that had an impact similar to the February 2021 storm that shut off power across the state.  The weather forecast leading up to this storm was a very mild prediction until 3-4 days prior when the forecast started ramping up to possibly some ice, and then as it drew closer the alarm bells started going off.  The biggest threat wasn’t frozen pipes as much as it was a very hazardous layer of ice that there is really no way to prepare for other than to stay home and let it run its course.  

The storm came and went, and as many of you already know there was a tremendous amount of damage across Central Texas and some surrounding areas.  The power production held through the cold weather, but the infrastructure failed on a massive scale. Trees covered in ice toppled onto power lines, or the power lines and poles buckled under the weight of the ice leaving hundreds of thousands of people

It's no secret that the past couple of years have been pretty chaotic when discussing the real estate market in Austin, Texas. From historically low rates offered by lenders to the influx of population, Austin experienced a massive boom in our real estate market which saw housing prices soar to record numbers. 

As our economy wakes up from the dream of, essentially, free money and fast-moving listings on the MLS, we enter a time of more financial uncertainty. Rates are rising to levels that we haven't seen in years and at the same time, the average American has been affected by unforeseen economic factors, such as rising inflation.

In the video above, our founder, Jason Huval, and our Director of Business Development at Stone Oak, Mike Oellrich, discuss the shifts in our market and how they may affect landlords and individuals trying to sell/lease their properties across Greater Austin. Mike also discusses several questions he has been hearing from property owners in his day-to-day and discuss how landlords and property owner are overcoming obstacles they find in the market here in 2023. 

Frequent Questions from Austin, Texas Property Owners Entering 2023

Happy New Year!

We want to wish all of our clients a Happy New Year. We hope that you’re off to a great start in 2023!

Christmas 2022 Freeze

The holidays brought us our first hard freeze of the winter season, but no white Christmas in Austin.  We spent more than a week preparing tenants with information on how to protect pipes, and reminding them as the freeze got closer.  The impact was mitigated for the most part, however there were some unavoidable situations that were out of our control.  

One example is a condo under management where the neighboring unit is being used as an AirBnB and was unoccupied during the freeze.  The owner must not have made any preparations and the pipes burst thus flooding our client’s unit. The whole building was without water for three days because the availability of vendors was stifled by the holiday and demand across the city.  While the neighbor is to blame in our opinion, the only thing you can do is make sure you’re properly insured in this situation because it is likely going to be a long, drawn out fight if you ...