-
Q: Is this a franchise or a family-owned business?
A: We are proudly a family-owned and operated business. AREA Texas Realty & Management began in the 1990s with a focus on real estate sales and gradually grew into a full-service property management company. Our team brings decades of experience in the Houston real estate market, and we pride ourselves on providing hands-on, personalized service to our clients. We’re not a franchise—we live here, work here, and are deeply invested in the local community.
-
Q: What’s your experience?
A: 30+ years in Real Estate, 20+ in Houston Property Management.
-
Q: How many rentals do you manage?
A: More than 1,000 units, including single-family homes, multi-family properties, condos, and townhomes.
-
Q: How many people are on your team?
A: We have over 15 team members across all departments.
-
Q: Do you charge when the property is vacant?
A: No.
-
Q: Any hidden fees?
A: No.
Service Areas & Property Types
-
Q: What areas of town do you manage properties in?
A: Houston and surrounding areas—north to Conroe, Cypress, and Spring; west to Katy and Fulshear areas; south to Clear Lake. We typically avoid the East side due to its industrial nature.
-
Q: What types of Houston rental properties do you manage?
A: Single-family, small multi-family (up to 30 units), condos, and townhomes.
-
Q: Do you manage furnished properties?
A: Only for one-year leases.
-
Q: Do you lease out rooms or partial homes?
A: No.
-
Q: Do you work with Section 8 or housing vouchers?
A: No.
Communication & Onboarding
-
Q: If I work with your Houston property management company, will I have one point of contact?
A: Yes. You’ll have one main point of contact—your dedicated property manager—and you’ll be provided with their direct cell phone number for convenience. While our company is organized by departments for efficiency, our entire team is available to assist you whenever needed.
-
Q: Can I cancel at any time?
A: Yes—with 30 days’ notice. No penalty.
-
Q: Can I cancel my current PM and switch to you?
A: Yes, depending on your current PM’s cancellation policy.
-
Q: What’s the cost to get started?
A: Nothing. No fees until we place a tenant.
-
Q: Can we do a walk-through together?
A: Yes.
Leasing, Fees & Guarantees
-
Q: How much can I lease my property for?
A: We prefer to walk the property first for an accurate estimate. Auto-generated reports (like Zillow, rental websites) are not always accurate.
-
Q: How much is the leasing fee?
A: 75% of the first month’s rent. We split it: 50% to the tenant’s agent, 25% to us. No payment until the tenant is placed.
-
Q: How much is the monthly property management fee?
A: $135/month
-
Q: Do you offer discounts?
A: Yes. We have a competitive flat fee. For owners with 3+ units, the fee is reduced to $100/unit.
-
Q: Do you offer a rental guarantee?
A: Yes. If the tenant breaks the lease within the first year, we’ll re-list the property for free (however, you still cover the tenant’s agent fee).
-
Q: Do you offer free evictions?
A: Yes—for tenants we screen and place. This applies during the first six months of their lease. If an eviction becomes necessary within that period, we cover the legal costs associated with filing and attending the court hearing. After six months, standard eviction fees will apply.
-
Q: Do you charge pet rent?
A: Only if requested.
Maintenance & Repairs
-
Q: Do you have in-house maintenance?
A: Yes. We have 3 full-time techs and work with trusted contractors (2 plumbers, 2 electricians, and 4 HVAC companies).
-
Q: What can your in-house maintenance team do?
A: Day-to-day repairs and most make-readies.
-
Q: How long have you worked with your contractors?
A: We’ve worked with many of them for over 10 years. Because of the long-term relationships and the volume of work we provide, our contractors often offer us competitive pricing and prioritize our properties for faster turnaround times.
-
Q: What do you charge for maintenance?
A:
- $125 + materials for a basic 2-hour service call
- $65/hour for longer jobs
- $250/day + materials for make-readies
-
Q: Can you do make-readies?
A: Yes. We handle 30–40 turnovers monthly.
-
Q: How long does a make-ready take?
A: Typically 5–7 days.
-
Q: Can I get multiple repair bids?
A: Yes—for repairs over $500.
-
Q: How are repairs handled?
A:
- Tenants submit work orders via their tenant portal.
- You’re copied on requests.
- You can add notes or deny repair (unless it’s code-required).
-
Q: How are emergencies handled?
A: We have two staff members on-call to respond and initiate repairs immediately.
-
Q: What’s your maintenance approval limit?
A: $500 without prior approval (for efficiency).
-
Q: Do you work with home warranties?
A: Yes. We store details in our system.
-
Q: Do you mark up invoices?
A: No.
Accounting & Owner Payments
-
Q: Do tenants pay me directly?
A: No. Tenants pay us through their online tenant portal. They can choose from several convenient options, including ACH, credit card, or e-check. We also accept mailed or dropped-off checks at our office. All payments are processed through our system to ensure accurate accounting and timely owner disbursements.
-
Q: When do I get paid?
A: Most of our leases are written with rent due on the 1st of the month and considered late after the 3rd. On the 6th, we send 3-Day Notices to Vacate to tenants who have not paid. Owner distributions are then processed between the 7th and 9th. You’ll receive an email notification when your distribution begins. A detailed monthly statement posts to your Owner Portal on the 10th of every month. However, you can view live accounting activity and real-time updates any time through your portal.
-
Q: Who holds the tenant’s deposit?
A: We do, unless you prefer to (notated in your account).
-
Q: Do you require a reserve?
A: No.
-
Q: How will I know about tenant repair requests?
A: You’ll receive an email copy.
Lease Enforcement & Legal
-
Q: When do you start the eviction process?
A: We send out a 3-Day Notice to Vacate on the 6th of every month to all tenants who have not paid rent. At that time, we also notify the property owner to keep them informed. If the tenant does not pay within those three days and no payment arrangement has been made, we are able to proceed with filing the eviction immediately after the notice period ends.
-
Q: How many evictions do you handle every year?
A: Typically 3–4.
-
Q: Who keeps the late fees?
A: We do—to cover collection and eviction efforts.
-
Q: Can you help evict my current tenant?
A: We can issue the 3-Day Notice. For court filings, we’ll refer you to an attorney.
-
Q: Do you need to be added as co-insured?
A: Yes. Our management agreement requires $300,000 liability coverage.
Tenant Screening, Deposits & Policies
-
Q: Do you need to be added as co-insured?
A:
- 600+ credit score
- No recent unpaid bills (last 6 months)
- 3x rent in income
- 1 year rental history with no late payments
- No bankruptcies or evictions
- Verifast (income) + 3rd-party criminal screening
-
Q: How do you handle damages beyond the deposit?
A: We refer you to a 3rd-party collections company.
-
Q: What tenant fees do you charge?
A:
- $100 onboarding (lease signing)
- $100 renewal fee
-
Q: Do I have to accept pets in my rental?
A: Although you do NOT have to accept pets in your rental, over 70% of Houston tenants come with pets. That means that if you choose NOT to accept pets, you are reducing your prospective inquiries by 70%.
-
Q: What is the pet deposit?
A:
- $300–$500 (standard)
- $500–$1000 (riskier applicants)
-
Q: Do you do short-term leases?
A: Only during slow seasons.
Listings, Marketing & Selling
-
Q: How long will it take to lease my property?
A: Properties that show well and are priced appropriately should rent in 30 days or less. We will give you price recommendations as well as weekly activity feedback to ensure we minimize any vacancy time. On average, it takes 30–60 days if priced right and in rent-ready condition.
-
Q: Can I use my own Realtor to list?
A: Yes. We’ll share our application link and lease template.
-
Q: Can I advertise on Facebook using your number?
A: We don’t recommend advertising on Facebook using our company phone number. In our experience, Facebook tends to generate a high volume of unqualified leads, which takes time away from responding to serious prospects. We focus our marketing efforts on HAR, Zillow, and other proven listing platforms that consistently attract higher-quality tenants and yield better leasing results.
-
Q: Can I list while living in the home or with a tenant still there?
A: Yes, if showings are okay. We typically list 30 days before the lease end date.
-
Q: What if I want to sell while it’s rented?
A: We’d need to cancel management due to liability with other listing agents.
-
Q: Do you list and sell homes?
A: Yes. Listing fee is 2.5%; buyer’s agent fee is negotiable.
-
Q: Can I leave items in the property?
A: No, unless agreed upon with the tenant.
-
Q: Can I speak to current clients?
A: Yes, we’ll share email referrals.
-
Q: How quickly can you list my property?
A: Within 48 hours of signing.
