Austin Lease Extensions Depend on Timing and Season

by Steve Crossland on March 3, 2013 · 0 comments

austin lease renewalAs we head into the Spring/Summer leasing season in Austin, and I just mailed my first batch of renewal letters, I’m already fielding inquiries from tenants who have lease-end dates that don’t coincide with their future plans.  The inevitable question is “can we have a move-out date of x instead of y?

For one tenant, planning to get married, extending the lease from a March 31 end date to a May 31 end date (two months) is not a problem. The home is owned by a long-term investor, and the new May lease end date benefits both the owner and the tenant. This is a win/win. It places the home dead center of the summer leasing season cycle.

In these win/win scenarios, I have flexibility because the adjustment benefits my client, the owner. I work for the owner and must only make decisions that are in the owner/client’s best interest. Thus, if that same tenant, in that same house, asked for the same 2 month extension for a lease that ended July 31st instead of March 31st, the answer would be “no”. Timing is everything.

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How to Find and Lease a Rent House in Austin TX

by Steve Crossland on May 18, 2012 · 5 comments

Austin Rental MarketAs the listing agent for a lot of rental homes in Austin (for over 20 years), I’ve been dealing lately with a lot of really angry, frustrated renters and agents.

The reason for the upset is primarily the renter losing a home to other (multiple) applicants who applied quicker and/or had their act more together. Then thinking it was unfair that they lost out.

I’ve dealt with some applicants who have lost out on 3 or 4 homes in a row and who have to be out of their current house in 1 week, and have nowhere to go. Understandably, in this tight rental market, that sucks. Big time.

But that’s the “landlord’s” rental market we have in Austin at present, so you better become more prepared and more competitive if you want to avoid this angst. This is no market for slug footed, unprepared renters who don’t take the rental home search process seriously. You have to bring your “A Game”, or you may experience great frustration.

This article is written to help those searching for a home to rent in Austin TX to avoid that unfortunate circumstance where you lose out on a home to those better prepared. It’s a step by step guide to help you become the most awesome rental applicant out there. So read this and you’ll be a step ahead of others. You will become the winner, not the loser, in this competitive Austin rental market, and hopefully find the house you want.

Determine Your Specific Move Date Window
This sounds like a no brainer, but it’s hard to believe how many renter prospects I talk to who can’t answer the simple questions “when do you need to move”. You need to know, with certainty, the soonest and latest dates you can start a new lease. The larger window of time you can create for yourself, the better.

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Austin Lease Renewals 2012 – Rents Are Increasing

March 23, 2012

I just mailed a batch of renewal letters for leases expiring April 30, 2012. All of them include rent increases, but most tenants will still be below market rent value even with the increase. More on that in a minute. Furthermore, many tenants will be paying a rent amount lower than the rental rate the [...]

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Understanding Austin TX Lease Agreements

December 27, 2011

This year I leased 36 homes through the Austin MLS, plus some that never made it into the MLS. So probably 40+ leases this year. I would have leased another one and moved the people in this Friday the 30th, but they refused to sign the lease, so it didn’t happen. A lease starts with [...]

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Austin Rental Market Update – Nov 2011

December 9, 2011

Rents continue to rise in Austin as more buyers opt to be renters and the supply of homes shrinks relative to demand. See the graph below for a snap shot of the wild ride Austin rental rates have taken since 1999. It took over a decade for Austin’s rental rates to return to their 2001 [...]

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Why Online Repair Request Forms Are Best

October 29, 2011

Most Austin Property Managers, in fact all that I know, require tenant repair requests to be submitted in writing. This is required by Texas Property Code as well as the commonly used TAR (Texas Association of Realtors) and TAA (Texas Apartment Association) lease forms. It’s good practice for tenants to follow, even if the landlord [...]

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Renting to Those Displaced by Austin Fires

September 8, 2011

Steiner Ranch Fire I’ve received a couple of calls already from agents trying to help folks displaced by the recent fires in and around Austin, including the Steiner Ranch fire and the fires in Bastrop. I currently have one vacant home ready for move-in, and would be more than happy to place new tenants in [...]

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Why we don’t maintain the Refrigrator, Washer and Dryer

June 28, 2011

When you rent a house in Austin, you get the house, and some basic appliances. Usually this includes built-in stuff such as the dishwasher and range (technically not a built-in, but treated as such), sometimes a built-in microwave. If one of these items breaks, the landlord pays to fix it. What about a refrigerator, washer [...]

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Austin Rental Home Search – Zillow and Hotpads Worthless

May 22, 2011

If you’re looking for a home for rent in Austin TX, you are no doubt looking online. And a lot of you are using sites such as Zillow.com and Hotpads.com to browse Austin rental listings. I receive info requests from these two sites more than any other. There are approximately 30+ internet sites to which [...]

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When is an Austin Rent Payment Considered “On Time”

March 30, 2011

One of the most misunderstood agreements that tenants have with Austin Property Managers and Landlords is when rent is actually due. It’s clearly spelled out in the written lease agreement, but confusion exists nonetheless. Most lease agreements require rent to be paid on or before the first of each month. All Crossland Property Management leases have a [...]

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