I have been renting from Smart Source Realty for over 10 years (same house) and hope to be there another 10 years - Christi Holmes is who I worked with in the beginning and is the nicest person - made recommendations etc. Took her time to show us rentals - helped with paperwork etc. I wouldn't work with any other - Chris has always been polite and helpful - we had one emergency that I called in one evening that need to be fixed and he had someone on it the next day - Anytime I have had a repair required - no problems - I would recommend them for any rental needs and have in the past. To me they have always been very professional. read more

Joey from Smart Source Realty is a lifesaver! We had purchased a rental property early this year and tried to manage the property ourselves. However we were quickly out of our league and luckily our friend recommended Smart Source Realty to us. Even though we were in the middle of lots of issues, Joey and the Smart Source Realty team made the decision to take on our property very quickly and is willing to help us navigate through the issues together. We have been extremely impressed by Joey's work ethic and professionalism! We can't imagine what to do without his help! Would highly recommend Joey and Smart Source Realty to all our friends who are getting properties in Austin! They listen and they care! read more

Smart Source Realty is the company that is managing my rental properties. I only have great feedback using this company to manage my properties. They are excellent in finding good tenants that take care of my properties and in addition, they are great in managing rent payment and ensuring all fixes to the property is done in a very timely manner. I worked with Chris Warren the owner of Smart Source Realty to help rent my homes out and I can truly say he is expert in his field and a trusted partner to any landlord. I am so thankful for Chris and his team...just great people to work with and know they have your back at all times. read more

I recommend not going with them unless you wanna be f'd over. Especially karl jennings. I have herd from employees and experience that he is a horrible man and completely conniving. The company gives you no worring about things and then tries to get more money out of you! He is rude, mean and unfriendly sarcastic. I have felt used and beyond disrespected by him. read more

I came to know Chris 6 years ago, renting an office space from him. Through that relationship I have refinanced my primary residence, purchased 4 investment properties, and had his organization manage each of those properties. His company has done a very good job of managing my properties, enabling me to treat them as investments instead of a second job. Chris ensures that the investor is getting the highest value for their property, and He knows how to balance the interests of the investors and tenants. I've not met anybody in the Real Estate business with a higher level of expertise and commitment. I highly recommend Chris and his company to anybody that is looking to invest in Real Estate. read more

What ever you do, do NOT contact Christi Holmes, unless you like getting an attitude just because you want to see a property, then she is the professional realtor for you! read more

I highly recommend Chris Warren and team for property management. Being first time property investors we were very lucky to have found Chris. He was very detailed in explaining to his what his company did and what we needed to know when it comes to managing a property. Once we signed with him he quickly got the house in shape and listed. He kept in touch with me via email and phone and gave us updates on the status of the rental. Everything is automated and electronic, which is an extra plus! read more

I have been working with Chris Warren and Team for over 12 years. They have always been professional and respectful. The properties they manage are always clean and maintained. They are quick to respond to Tenant requests when issues arise. I look forward to continuing our partnership in the future. read more

Chris has been out property manager for about 4 years, and we've really been satisfied with him. He found is a great tenant who has renewed four times, and the rent money has been deposited into our account like clockwork on time every month. We will surely use Chris for future properties! read more

Christine Holmes was a pleasure to work with! Extremely helpful and as professional as they come! My wife and I were looking to relocate in North Austin to a new rental home. We contacted Christi and she helped us get setup with an MLS login and before the week was over we already a list of places to check out. We let her know what day and time we wanted to see the properties and she got them setup for us. We ended up finding a fantastic home and within 2 weeks of contacting Christi to help us we had signed our lease and everything was squared away. When we decide the time is right to buy a home of our own we are absolutely going to be contacting Christi as our agent! read more

Copied from my review on Chris Warren Realty. ------------- I had the similar experience like Chloe. I hired Stuart Mencher from Chris Warren Realty in 2009. It went well initially. Stuart was able to recruit a tenant in the slow season of September fairly quick. I signed a 9-month lease with the tenant hoping to re-list the property for lease in a better time, as the tenant was going to buy a house. The truth about Stuart at Chris Warren realty unveils when the lease ends... 1) It took Stuart 10 days after the tenant moved out, to get the house cleaned and yard mowed. 2) Stuart did not even go check how exactly the work was done. The back yard was a jungle. 3) The house sat there for 3 months. There was traffic, but nobody wanted to rent it 4) Throughout the duration, it was hard to reach Stuart, really difficult. He usually returned my call in 1 or 2 days, if he happened to return the call. 5) Feeling bizarre, I went out to the house and found out the back yard was a big problem. 6) Stuart declined to be responsible for his own mistake. I paid out of my pocket to get the yard back to what it is supposed to be, for $200. 7) In a couple of days, the house was rented out. The tenant specifically mentioned that the yard is one attraction. This is how much Stuart at Chris Warren realty cost me: 1) 3.5 months vacancy 2) sky high electricity bill ($400 for a month -- the house was put on a commercial account and A/C turned on all the time) 3) $200 to repair the yard, which is supposed to be paid by previous tenant 4) I had to pay him 80% of a month rent for getting me a tenant. I probably can recruit the tenant a lot quicker, if I did it myself. Anyhow, it was the common commission structure. 5) A garage door remote control -- apparently he didn't do inventory check. The conclusions: 1) Stuart at Chris Warren really DO NOT care his property management customers He ever made a remark, which I regret not pay enough attention, "property management is easily, you just get a computer, hire a person, to collect rents and do some paper work". Of course, it is easy if he does not do what they are supposed to do -- manage the property. 2) Stuart was not capable/professional. He didn't even perform the basic check on the house and inventory. 3) It seems like their side goal was to let you spend more money on repairs as they run a handy man company. I will never do business with Chris Warren Realty. I'd recommend the same to anybody. read more

Karl Jennings is the best landlord I have ever had. He is prompt and couteous. He personally makes sure any problem you may encounter as a tenant is taken care of. Ms Hall read more

Sent in multiple messages, left voicemails and nothing was returned. Finally got someone on the phone and she told me the property had been leased last week. THAT WAS IT. So because the property had been leased that means you don't call your potential customers back? You don't want to try and work with me on finding something else similar that's available in the area? Thank so much for all your help Smart Source... I will gladly take my business elsewhere. read more

Chris has been my property manager for over 10 years and I highly recommend him. He is easy to work with, incredibly responsive, communicates clearly and deals with issues quickly! Great service. read more

Chris has posted a review making it seem that everything is our fault. He is only correct about the fact that we ended the contract early. I had to move closer to my parents because my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I have become his caregiver. We explained this to Chris and his response was basically "well we all have problems" and he showed no sympathy for our situation. WE FOUND THE NEW TENANTS FOR HIM AND PAID ALL FEES REQUIRED PER THE LEASE. Also, the new tenants we found for him DID NOT sublease as he claims. They signed a completely new one year lease and he raised the rent, which we also have documentation of. Chris also asked my husband NOT to post the house on certain apps/websites (ex. realtor.com) because the homeowner's daughter worked for him and he didn't want them to see the listing! As far as his allegations about the condition of the home when we left, I have attached pictures documenting the condition of every room, cabinet, floor, wall and ceiling because we knew he would make false claims. We did not get a professional cleaning and we were NOT required to. My husband and I worked so hard cleaning that house and mowing the grass--both of which we were charged for anyway. The extensive painting and repairs he mentions were due to damages that were ALREADY THERE when we moved in (including the damage to the backyard from the previous owners' pets) and were all things he refused to fix, though he promised he would as long as we hurried and signed the lease, and I have this in writing as well. I also have numerous emails, texts and pictures documenting the condition of the home upon move-in, and the poor treatment by him and his employees. We reported the closet & master bath a/c being out because the duct work is DENTED, which he refused to even have someone look at, claiming we were being obnoxious (in the middle of the summer in Texas). We made sure to make him aware that the lack of a/c in these rooms was causing extreme humidity to build up in the closet and restroom (we had five damp rid canisters in there at all times and they would have to be refilled constantly) and we were concerned about the possibility of mold and wall rot, but he still refused to submit a work order. He makes a lot of assumptions and doesn't follow through with requests. We have kept in contact with the new tenants and I know for a fact that they have reported the air conditioning not working upon move-in. I have attached some of the pictures we took when we moved out and of a few of the repairs that were never completed as promised. We have enough pictures and documentation to prove that his allegations are completely false. read more

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I would not use this Company.. Stuart will not follow up by anything but a text after many requests for repairs. .Poor poor customer service. I went almost 2 months with out washer dryer fixed in my unit. The reason I moved was not the house but the property managemnet company. It has been 27 days and I am hoping to get deposit back. I will add additional comments when and if I get my deposit back as promisewd in full. read more

Karl Jennings is by far the best landlord. I have lived in Austin for almost 5 years now. I have moved every year, I've had my fare share of landlords. Mr. Jennings is a straight shooter, no "BS" is the best way to describe his work ethic. He might come off as a little rough or stern which is accurate, that's how he keeps all of his tenants 1--% contented and taken care of. All he asks is for tenants follow your lease agreement and he will treat ya right! Mr. Jennings does require tenants to email him about any issues that need to be addressed. I have always strongly disliked emailing to get things around my condos fixed or repaired. I feel like emailing takes forever for a response or action. This was always the case with my past landlords, no problem with Mr. Jennings. So just follow your lease agreement . If you have any questions or maintenance issues shoot him a email. Things will get done fast and done right. 5 stars for sure, no doubt! read more

I have been working with Karl Jennings for a little over 2 years now. He manages 2 properties for me. Karl is a great guy, and easy to work with. He always gives me his honest opinion, and I trust him, which can be very difficult to find in a property manager. He so far has found good tenants for my properties, and treats them fairly. I would recommend him to anyone. read more

I called Karl about a home he had listed for lease and asked when i could view it - he immediately started interrogating me about the requirements to lease the home before answering my question. (3x rent, credit, etc). I told him i meet the req and set-up a showing. I have never met a more unprofessional agent in my life. Dude had to be on something. Showed me the master bedroom/bathroom while making comments about having sex with his girlfriend in the master bathroom jacuzzi before a tenant moves in. WHAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS? Immediately threw me off. After looking at the home - I asked about lease terms and he said the standard 12 months. I asked if it can be a longer lease (most agents / home owners love this) - he replied that a 18 month is also available. After looking around some more, i asked if they would do a 24 month lease. He became hostile about the negotiation and said he doesn't want to lease it for 24 months without a rent increase of $55. (So an extra $330 for the last 6 months). The home has currently been on the market for over a month. The home owner is losing $400 a week + whatever fees SSR charges currently. Karl didn't bother even asking the home owner if they want a reliable, steady, easy tenant for the next 2-3 years. He just wanted to be Mr.Macho negotiator and act like he owned the home. I am no longer interested in dealing with Karl, even though i liked the home. I'll continue searching. This guy does not belong in sales whatsoever. read more

Chris warren was my property manager for 11 years. He and his team are fantastic. He managed my property after I had relocated from Austin. I never worried about the quality of tenants as he is selective with the people that he chooses to work with. He always managed the repairs efficiently with the least amount of impact to the tenants. I would work with Chris again, if given the opportunity. read more

Chris Warren/Smart Source Realty tries their best to make the owners and tenants happy. It is a tricky balance and sometimes no one is happy.However they always try to make it a win-win if possible.Give them a try. read more

I hope anyone reading these reviews are seeing a very negative trend. Well it's because it's true. Don't work with these folks unless you are OK with your security deposit becoming a "donation" to Smart Source realty when you move out - regardless of how spotless you leave the unit. I had recurring problems with the A/C unit (6 repair visits in 18 months) one of which had me w/out AC for 10 days in September. Not great when it's 100+ degrees out and I work from home. They even tried to blame me for the problem which makes ZERO sense. Austin is an amazing city and there are plenty of great companies that are in property management. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!!! read more