How do we receive our gift card to Target? click here for info
Why is it so hard to find wood or concrete floors in Austin? Austin has seen explosive growth since the 1960's and was really just a small college town before then. Unfortunately, most rentals in Austin have been built since the 60's and this was past the hardwood floor era. The rentals built in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's put in carpeting. Very few rentals have gone back and replaced the carpeting with wood or concrete. The combination of wood floors + washer/dryer connections is very rare in Austin, so that means it is Very Expensive to get that combination. 95% of Austin rentals have carpet! I had someone tell me recently that the apartment they had just lived in in Boston had original 140 year old floors. There were about 12 people in Austin 140 years ago! Austin is a new city, not historic.
What about old warehouses or factories converted into apartments? Austin was never a shipping hub, (like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco etc.) and what few old brick warehouses there were downtown were bulldozed in the 80's, or are being rented to restaurants or nightclubs for $5000 per month. There are no old factories that have been converted into apartments in Austin either unfortunately. The downtown lofts in Austin are new construction, not old warehouses!!! There was almost no rental property in downtown Austin before 2000 and what has been built since then is targeting the high end customer, so it is expensive! The Austin downtown area is also very small compared to most major cities. Austin is nothing like the west coast cities mentioned above, so if that is where you are moving from, be prepared. Also there is a misconception that since Austin is smaller than most big cities, it should be cheaper to live here. But size has nothing to do with it, it is all about supply and demand. (Is Carmel CA more expensive than Oakland CA, but tiny in comparison?) Yes people moving from Houston, Dallas, or any number of larger cities, it is more expensive to live in Downtown Austin! We can only rent what exists in Austin, but if we can't find it nobody can!
Why are there no addresses listed?- In order to give you the most choices, we work all open listings, not just ours. In order to receive credit for leasing the property, we have to show you the property. In some cases, we can register you ahead of time, so we would not have to be there, but we have to arrange this before you look at the property.
Can you send me a list? The sad truth is there is no true list of rentals in Austin. (I wish there were, it would make my job a lot easier) There are hundreds of rental management and private owners in Austin, and they do not cooperate on a list. As strange as it sounds, most rental vacancies in Austin are communicated verbally with nothing written down or pictures we can send you. We have to research options and actually call the management companies the day of your appointment to request availability. Because of this, we cannot send you a list 2 or 3 weeks before you can look in person, because what is available will change completely the time spent researching would be wasted. Also, unlike many companies in Austin, we get our rental information from many different sources and we have no correlated list available. You can always check our website for an updated selection (but it only lists a small percentage of what we have) of available rentals. Anyone who says they have a list, actually has a limited database of around 40% of what has been built, but not what is available! This is pointless, because 98% of the list is not available. Don't be fooled by someone sending you a list of non available units for rent!
We are also firm believers of seeing choices in person too. Most of the time, we find what a person is looking for by showing them choices, listening to feedback, and then finding them exactly what they want. This can't be done by a limited list. Would you rather have a limited inaccurate list, or the most choices?
Why is your service free?- We are paid a commission for leasing a property by the management company or owner of the property. There is no cost to you, and we will find you a better deal than you would find yourself. You just use our experience and expertise to find you the best property available. Imagine showing property full time for 8 years, we know it well.
Why do you not rent houses or duplexes? The quality of rental houses and duplexes in Austin is very poor, and below the minimum requirements that we work with. (Ask us about the chicken story)
Why do you not work the campus and Hyde Park areas? The campus area is very overpriced for the quality. We do not deal with cheap campus landlords who won't fix anything and don't care. We would rather show you nice clean properties that are of good value. There are also much cooler central neighborhoods with better quality, prices and location.
What hours can properties be viewed and when is best day to look? With rare exception, we cannot show property after 5:30 pm or on Sunday. Weekdays are much better than Saturday for looking, we can show a lot more choices weekdays because many property companies are now closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and the ones that are open will not answer the phone on Saturday. If planning ahead of time to visit Austin from another city, if possible, it will be greatly to your advantage to plan the trip to visit during weekdays.
Do we have pictures of the properties? Unfortunately rentals in Austin, (especially anything unique) rent to fast for us to spend our time taking pictures. We would rather spend our time finding the right place for you to live, than driving around taking pictures of property that will not be available tomorrow.
What about garage apartments? Garage apartments are rare in Austin because of a few factors. They were actually not allowed by zoning laws in Austin for around 25 years starting in the 70's. Existing garage apartments were grandfathered in and allowed to stay though. The garage apartments that were allowed to stay were all located in the old core central Austin neighborhoods such as Travis Heights, Clarksville etc. The average home price in theses old central neighborhoods is now over $500,000 and anyone who can swing a $500,000 mortgage probably doesn't want someone living in their garage for $600 per month. Most of these people have converted these garage apartments to other uses are not renting them out anymore. Because of this, finding a garage apartment is almost impossible, and we rarely have them for rent. (You never know though, we do rent a few, it all depends on timing) Garage apartments are no longer against zoning laws in Austin, but very few people have gone back and converted their garage into apartments.
Why should we use Austin Cool instead of one of the rebate agencies? The rebate companies can only show you the limited number of large apartment complexes that allow them to pay a rebate. We show you the properties that are best suited for your needs and price. If we can save you $50 a month by showing you a place a rebate company can't or won't, you save $600 over a year. That $150 rebate doesn't make much sense, does it? Also, the information on these national websites is almost completely inaccurate and most listings not even available to rent. Downtown pricing information is especially wrong and totally misleading on these sites.
How do we look at any of your listings? Just call or email us to set up a time for us to show them to you.
Why do you not prelease for summer/fall? We do not work the campus area, and that really is the only part of town that will prelease for summer/fall. By preleasing, you also lock in at full price, but by waiting until 30 to 45 days ahead of move date, you will receive a better price for the same unit!
What is the biggest mistake people make when looking for rentals? The biggest mistake people make when looking for a place to live is to look too early and get frustrated. People start to think there is nothing available when they keep on hearing no, but they are just looking too early. Most central properties only require a 30 day notice to move. To get the most choices and best prices, 30 to 45 days ahead of move date is the sweet spot.
AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION
Pricing information on Austin Rentals and property for sale: Rental and for sale prices vary tremendously in Austin, as well as the occupancy rate, by area. The occupancy rate in central Austin is very high, (over 98%) while in the northern suburbs it is much lower. Central Austin is the most expensive area of town, followed by south, and then north Austin is the least expensive. Unfortunately, rental rates all over Austin have skyrocketed over the last 2 years.
Downtown Austin is extremely expensive currently, with one bedrooms starting at around $1200 and two bedrooms starting at around $1600. We sometimes have units downtown for as cheap as $975, but it all depends on timing. Sales prices downtown are even more expensive with one bedroom lofts at most properties starting at over $300,000, and then you have to pay property taxes and homeowner association fees. That said, it is cheaper to rent downtown than it is to buy. We sometimes hear people say if they are going to spend $1000 on rent, they would just buy a place instead, but you have to compare apples to apples, and you can buy a place in Round Rock for $1000 per month, but not downtown Austin or really anywhere central.
Right outside of downtown, and within walking distance of downtown, prices come down with one bedrooms available in the mid to upper $700 range, and two bedrooms in the $900's. Currently the occupancy rate is this area is near 100%, so we have almost no choices unless you go to a higher price point. The key in this area though is washer/dryer connections, and for these prices they will not have connections. To get W/D connections in these areas, prices go up to over $1000 (sometimes more, and in rare cases, less) for a 1 bedroom, and over $1300 on a 2 bedroom. The Central Austin neighborhoods of Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek, Barton Hills, Clarksville, Tarrytown, and Enfield are very similar to the prices just mentioned with the same W/D criteria being the big difference in pricing. In all of these central Austin neighborhoods it is a lot cheaper to rent than it is to buy. The reason is most landlords in central Austin bought at much lower prices than todays market, and therefore can rent for a lot less and still make money. Small two bedroom 1000 sq ft homes in central Austin are now selling for over $300,000. Keep in mind that the SoCo area has become much more expensive over the last few years, with 1 bedrooms over $1000 not uncommon anymore. Areas such as Clarksville and Tarrytown also have seen mind numbing price increases over the last 2 years.
South Central is a very eclectic area that many people consider to be true Austin. From shopping on South Congress, eating outside at Shady Grove or any of the dozens of local restaurants, swimming at Barton Springs, hiking or rock climbing in the Barton Creek Greenbelt, going to concerts at Auditorium Shores or Zilker Park, jogging or biking the Town lake Trail, being minutes to downtown, it is the best of Austin. Prices vary tremendously from super high end units to little one bedrooms for cheap. To get under $700 currently though, you have to go south of Oltorf Street. North of Oltorf to downtown is going super high end and apartments are disappearing because they are being converted in condos and being sold only. Also, this area is mainly houses and not many apartments. South of Oltorf on South Congress, South First Street, and South Lamar are becoming the new hip areas with coffee shops, restaurants and eclectic stores and boutiques. This area is still just minutes to downtown and still very reasonably priced.
Southwest, West and the Capital of Texas Hwy Northwest area are all nice hilly and woodsy areas. Prices in these areas vary tremendously based on age and quality of the units. Southwest is much closer to downtown and parkland such as Zilker and the Barton Creek Greenbelt and can be slightly more expensive than northwest, but with half the drive time to downtown. Prices in all of the western areas start at mid $700's for 1 bedrooms, and around $1000 for 2 bedrooms, again prices vary by quality and age.
South and Southeast are very affordable and close to downtown. In Southeast Austin you can still find one bedrooms in the $500's and 2 bedrooms in the mid $700's This is the cheapest part of town with easy downtown, Town Lake and the Hike n Bike Trail access. Getting W/D connections is just slightly more expensive in these parts of town. Southeast Austin has a large student population because of the closeness to UT campus and downtown, while at the same time being very affordable. Southeast Austin also has many UT shuttle Routes to campus. South Austin is popular with students from Texas State University, because of the ability to live in Austin, but be an easy drive to San Marcos. (20 minutes or so)
North campus, west campus, Hyde Park and North Central areas are very overpriced for the quality. We do not deal with campus landlords who will not fix anything. We would rather show you nice clean properties that are of good value. There are also much cooler central neighborhoods with better quality, prices and location.
A lot of high density redevelopment is planned in areas such as west campus, so landlords refuse to do any repairs because they know the property will just be bulldozed soon anyway.
North Austin and the northern suburbs of Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander are in general are very cheap to rent or buy. These areas were overbuilt during the tech boom of the late 90's, so there are a lot of choices and that means it is less expensive. These areas are very close to major tech employers such as Dell computer, IBM, Samsung, 3M, etc. The Domain and the Arboretum area are great for shopping. If you are looking for the most for your money, this is the area.
What are the general qualifications for renting in Austin? Most landlords in Austin check 4 things when making a decision on renting to you:
1- Verifiable rental or mortgage history.
2- Gross income of 3 x rent amount per month, $600 apartment = $1800 gross income per month
3- More good than bad credit. If you don't know what is on your credit, you can get a free credit report from this government sponsored site once a year, it is a good idea to check.
4- No felonies.
Deposits are on average very inexpensive, somewhere in the $200 to $400 range. No 1st month, last month, + month deposit in Austin.
Some properties do allow a co-signer if you do not meet all of the criteria. This is how most college students do it because of lack of income. Co-signing can be done through fax. Co-signer must have good credit.
Moving here without a job? We have some properties that will make a decision based only on your credit, good credit means you are in. Please keep in mind though that your options will be very limited and most of the listings you see listed on our site will not work.
Automatic denial if owe money to a past landlord or have eviction that has not been payed off.
What about pets? Pet policys vary by owner and management company, but in general, most properties allow cats and dogs under 25lbs. If dog is over 25lbs. we have plenty of choices that will take large dogs, except for the so called vicious breeds of Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobbermans, German Shepherds, Chows etc. If you have one of these dogs, your choices are very limited. Most properties have a 2 pet limit, so if you have 6 cats, you are out of luck. Pet deposits are on average $400 to $500, but most places allow payments split up over 3 months. Yards are unfortunately very rare in Austin rentals, and most duplex and house landlords in central Austin do not allow dogs.
Why did I start corresponding with Jim, but than someone else started helping me? Jim is the initial email contact, (someone has to be) and then distributes leads to the other agents at Austin Cool. If you call instead of email, whoever answers the phone can help you. We are all friendly and helpful!
When are the units listed on your website available to move into? They are usually available sometime between ASAP and 60 days. Please do not assume that they are available to move into today, or if they are available asap, that they can be held for 60 days. Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.
When in any given month do the most units come available for rent? People assume the 1st is a good day to move, but it is actually the worst day of the month. The reason is that almost all leases expire the last day of the month in Austin. It usually takes at least 7 days to clean and repair the unit, so the most units are available to move into between the 7th and the 15th of any given month. If is available on the 1st it probably means that it was moved out 30 days prior and what is left are the picked over apartments. The best day to look for an apartment is after the 3rd of the month prior to needing to move in. As an example, if you need to move Mid April, the best day to start looking would be after the 3rd of March. Why the 3rd? Most properties allow tenants to give their move out notice for the end of the month by the 3rd. Many times the rare gems come available on the 2nd or 3rd of the month, and we have already rented it by the 4th or 5th.
Please don't be insulted if we tell you the truth. We don't want to waste yours or our time. If you have found the best deal, we will honestly tell you that. We sometimes have people tell us they still want us to show them around anyway. The agents at Austin Cool work on commission only and if we know you have seen something already we can't beat, we cannot spend time and gas money showing you around when you have already found the best deal. Just be happy we are not wasting your time. Also we can not show you around before we know what your options are, meaning usually max 60 days before move date. (it all depends on exact day of month you are moving) Having us show you around 6 months before your move date, "just so you can get an idea", actually means we lose money, and we can not do that. Agents work on commission only, and only make money if you rent from them and are not reimbursed for car or gas expenses ($4 a gallon!), so sorry, no 10 month ahead of time tours available.
We cannot guarantee safety. We sometimes have people ask for a "safe" place to live. We can show you what we consider to be the best option for your price, but understand we can NEVER guarantee safety. Things can and will happen everywhere.
We do business in accordance with fair housing laws. It is illegal to discriminate against any person because of Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Handicap, Familial Status, or National Origin. WE WILL NOT BREAK THE LAW AND DON'T INSULT US BY ASKING!
Please understand that we are not a 24 hour emergency hospital. We had someone complain we were terrible about contacting them back. They send an email on a Friday night of a 3 day holiday weekend and sent us a complaint on Monday! Please understand that we have lives and family too and actually do sometimes take time off and enjoy this wonderful city we live in.
What are the average rental rates in Austin? The average 1 bedroom in Austin is now in the mid $700 range and the average 2 bedroom apartment is in the mid $900 range. This includes apartments 45 minutes from downtown, in less desirable areas and just cruddy apartments in general. You will almost always pay more than the average for downtown, central Austin and popular neighborhoods such as SoCo or Clarksville. If your max price is $700 and you want to live in central Austin, chances are available options will not blow you away. They will be basic living.
