Answers before you spend an application fee.

I help you figure out your budget, must-haves, and target areas, then narrow the search to a shortlist you'll actually qualify for and coordinate the tours. I confirm the fees, pricing, and specials on anything you're serious about, help you get the application in, and stay in it through move-in. The property still makes the final call on availability, screening, and approval, not me.

Nothing. Apartment and home locating is free to you. The property pays me a referral fee when you sign a lease with them, same as if you'd walked in without me. You never pay more in rent for using a locator, and you never pay me directly.

Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander, Hutto, and the rest of Central Texas. Tell me your work or school location and I'll tell you honestly whether an area is a realistic commute or not.

60 to 90 days out is a good window to start talking, so I can walk you through pricing and set expectations. The most accurate pricing and specials show up closer to 30 to 45 days before your move date, so don't be surprised if the number I give you early shifts a little as we get closer.

A rough budget, your move date, a government ID, and proof of income (pay stubs, an offer letter, or bank statements if you're self-employed). If you've had credit issues, an eviction, or a broken lease, tell me upfront. I'd rather know now than have you burn an application fee on a property that was never going to say yes.

No, and anyone who tells you that isn't being straight with you. The property runs its own screening on income, credit, and rental history. What I can do is match you with places where your situation is a realistic fit, so you're not gambling application fees on long shots.

This is a big part of what I do. Tell me the details privately and I'll steer you toward properties known to work with it, whether that's a higher deposit, a guarantor, or a different type of property altogether. I can't override a property's criteria, but I can stop you from wasting money applying somewhere that was going to say no.

It depends on the property, but budget for an application fee, a deposit, and your first month's rent at minimum. Some places also charge an admin fee or prorate your first month. I'll walk through the real total for any place before you apply, not just the advertised rent.

For every place you're serious about, I get you the base rent, any special, mandatory fees (trash, pest, amenity), estimated utilities, parking, and pet rent if it applies. Two places with the same sticker price can land a hundred dollars apart once fees are counted. I put it in writing so you're comparing apples to apples.

Market rent is the real, undiscounted price. A special like six weeks free lowers your average monthly cost, but the property usually still qualifies you based on market rent, and your first payment can be higher than the discounted number suggests. I'll tell you exactly how the math works before you sign anything.

Availability, pricing, and specials change fast, sometimes overnight. I reconfirm the exact unit, rent, and special directly with the property before you tour and again before you apply. If something changed since I last checked, you'll hear it from me first.

Yes, this is a big part of what I do. We'll cover budget and areas over a call, I'll set up live or recorded video tours of the actual unit, not just the leasing office's model, and I handle the back and forth with the property so you're not trying to coordinate a move from another state on your own.

Ask to see the actual unit you'd move into, not the model. Have them walk the windows, closets, appliances, and bathroom, and pan to show what's outside, like a busy road, a pool, or a dumpster. Check your phone signal while you're on the call. I build these questions into every virtual tour I set up.

Never send money or personal information before you've confirmed the leasing office through their official number or website, not just a number in a listing. Be suspicious of a price that's way under everyone else's, pressure to pay immediately, or anyone asking for gift cards, crypto, or a wire transfer. If I'm coordinating your search, you're only ever dealing with a property's real leasing office.

Tell me the type, breed, weight, and how many at the start. Pet policies, deposits, and monthly pet rent vary a lot property to property, and some have breed or weight limits. I check the current pet policy for anything I show you rather than assuming a listing that says pet friendly means your pet specifically is approved.

Yes. Townhomes work a little differently than apartments, usually with a separate owner, yard upkeep, and sometimes an HOA, and I'll walk through who's responsible for what before you commit. Same deal as apartments: free to you.

That's on you once you have a lease, but I'll tell you which utilities are included in rent versus what you set up yourself, and roughly what to expect for deposits and lead time in Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville, or the other areas I cover, since it's not the same process everywhere.

The property takes it from there on screening, lease paperwork, and your move-in date. I stay involved to answer questions, chase down anything that stalls, and make sure you know what's due and when before you show up with a truck.

Read the whole lease, not just the highlights, especially the sections on fees, renewal terms, and what happens if you need to break the lease early. Take photos of the unit's condition before you move furniture in. I can help you flag anything that looks off, but I'm not a lawyer, so anything that needs a legal read should go to one.