I have never had a better experience finding multiple homes than I did with Uptown Realty. The first interaction I had was remote, and during the beginning of the pandemic. I moved from Idaho to Texas and had no way of visiting before my move, and the folks at UR, specifically Joe and Max, were so helpful and responsive with my needs and questions. They answered every question I had in a timely manner, sent me pictures, and even a video tour of the apartment. They made me feel so comfortable that I signed a lease and paid a deposit having never seen the apartment, I trusted that they were kind and helpful people, and the rental was exactly what I was looking for.  I had been in that unit for about 6 months when I found out I was expecting a baby and needed to upgrade to a larger home. I was so nervous about reaching out about transferring to a larger space, but Joseph immediately made it clear that he wanted to help, and that it was not a problem. He helped my growing family find the perfect new home and really made the transition from the apartment to the house very smooth. I appreciate everything Uptown has done for me and will contact them again when I'm ready to buy a home.  Thanks so much UR! read more

Two stars because while Uptown Realty has knowledgeable folks, they obviously do not vet the landlords they work with. Our landlord barely spoke English and communicating with him was incredibly difficult, and caused several problems throughout the course of our lease. This company is fine for finding a place, but do not expect the place to be up to the standards it seems on the tour. read more

My fiancé and I just bought our first home, yay!! After consulting with several realtors in Austin, we decided to work with Russell. He was exceptionally patient, educational, and understanding from start to finish. Not once did he challenge us to make moves outside of our budget, even when Austin's market was facing one of it's most highly competitive seasons. Russell went above and beyond to find as much information as possible about the properties we liked. He welcomed our many questions and remained available and responsive to our calls/texts whether it was early in the morning or late at night. When we needed contacts for financing, plumbing, electric, flooring, etc., he connected us with quality referrals that we've had very positive experiences with. As first-time homebuyers, we were intimidated and somewhat overwhelmed with what the process would entail, but Russell guided us through every step of the way with professionalism and kindness. We will absolutely be working with him for all of our real estate needs moving forward. read more

Uptown Realty - Real Estate Services Near Me - Austin, Texas

I had a very nasty interaction with Max yesterday through text. He asked to show my apartment during my sleep hours. I work nights. I told him he can come after noon because Im off after tonight. He then proceeded to ask for my address. Im not giving any stranger my address after letting them know my work hours. I told him he should already know. He proceeded to call me a bitch and I should he lucky that he is giving me a text at all. Him texting me was a 'favor'. After I explained to him every agent had my address, no one had to ask the then proceeded to bash his own colleagues. On another note Russell Cavin has been wonderful with letting me know when he will come by. He never once asked me where I lived. If I wanted to rent I would pick Russell. read more

My son rented one of the units Uptown was leasing at 1023 West 24th St. The experience went very well. The staff was very professional and the process was really smooth. We were coming from LA and did not know much about Austin. Uptown helped us find a great apartment at a reasonable price. The place was very clean, with good parking and an amazing location. Joe Yager, the owner, was especially professional and helpful. Highly recommend. read more

Max Smirnoff was extremely helpful, responsive, and patient with us while we searched for a home. He put in a ton of effort finding exactly what we wanted and responded to every random question quickly and happily. I was referred to Max by a friend that had a similarly positive experience with him. I can't say anything about the other agents here because I haven't had any experience with them but I would 100% recommend reaching out to Max for your home search! read more

These guys are the best in ATX for student/downtown living and property Managment. I had someone assist me Sunday night till 10pm making sure that my needs were taken care of. Unlike many of the real estate professionals in town, these guys/girls have been around for decades and know how to get the job done! It really does come down to WHO you have on your team. So make sure you have the BEST! read more

Okay. Who likes searching for apartments? Nobody. Who likes dealing with leases? Nobody. But I appreciate when an agency makes it as streamlined as possible. Normally I try to avoid campus realty agencies, but I had a good experience with Uptown Realty and Laura Cochrane. I was looking for apartments in the Hyde Park/North Loop area on a tight deadline, and she was able to show me some pretty great apartments in my price range and in the exact neighborhood where I wanted to live. I appreciated her professionalism and especially that she made copies of all my application documents without me having to ask. The last time I worked with a campus-based agency, it felt like pulling teeth to get copies of anything or any response on my lease application. Uptown responded to all of my emailed questions quickly - within an hour or two - and I found the exact apartment I wanted through them. read more

This happened many years ago, but it's worth telling now. I was renting a house in Hyde Park from an independent owner who sold it to an investor. This investor hired Uptown Realty to handle the property. My roommate and I tried to get more info on what would happen to our tenancy, and whether we needed to sign a new lease. We did get verbal assurances that it would be extended. This went on for several weeks with no further clarity or info, so we just waited to hear back. One day, someone showed up at my house knocking really loudly. I answered the door and it was Joe Yager with several workers. Without saying anything else, he aggressively told me to GTFO of the house. The next day on returning home, I come to find that they'd entered the house and pasted a 30-day eviction notice on the door. So I'm not surprised they've earned a 2-star review. A fish rots from the head down, and Joe Yager is a meathead. read more

Working with Russell was hands down the best decision we could've made when buying & selling our home. He helped us find our first home together 5 years ago, and was there to guide us when we made our next big move to sell. We had to hire another realtor when we moved states, and while we had a good experience buying our new home, it wasn't near what it was with Russell. Here's a short list of why you should hire him: - He's professional, thorough, and quick to respond to messages - He's honest and a great communicator - which you absolutely need with such a big purchase/sell! - He's so well educated with regard to real estate & always had an answer to our questions - He made us feel confident in each step throughout the entire process - He had our house staged beautifully - A home nearly identical to ours was listed around the same time - we felt that our home looked better staged & in photos, we felt like we had a better plan when chatting with the neighbors about it, and our home sold over the weekend while theirs took a few weeks. That may have been a coincidence, but we felt like Russell had a hand in ensuring we were in the best position to sell quickly, & over asking price! - On top of all this, he's incredibly kind & nice - you'll want to be his friend! Thanks for everything, Russell! read more

Russell Cavin is the best of the best. Over the past four years, Russell has found us two rental properties (an apartment, then a house), and we just closed on our first owned property, one that we never would've found without Russell's ingenuity and dedication to finding us our dream home. We are so grateful to have such a knowledgeable advocate in all matters real estate. Thank you so much, Russell! read more

Just had a brief interaction with Jason via text that's enough to send alarms ringing. I've lived in Austin for 6 years. I've lived in apartments even longer. I understand a bait and switch or dishonest practices when I see it. I initially inquired about a listing on their website. He reached out and asked about my specifics then said there was nothing in my price range. Okay... except the website says there are a literally 30 units in my range and under. When I asked if the website was current, Jason replied: "I'm sure there is something out there. You may want to try 512 living." LOL. Ya'll. So the website is useless, just to get your info. And "hey, you're poor and you suck!" is the general vibe. Also, go check out this TRULY TERRIBLE company with equally trash reviews. Don't waste your time. read more

Oh, Jason. Bless your heart. You are delusional, as well as the rest of your "team" at Uptown Realty. Do you not ever wonder why you have one and a half stars and FIFTEEN reviews? A) Yes, it is VERY unprofessional to TEXT me and try to help me find a home - I've never had a realtor text me to find out what I'm looking for. They will e-mail first after reading into what I'm looking for (unlike you) and then text if necessary. I am not your fourteen year old girlfriend meeting you at the mall after mom drops you off. Be a professional and call or e-mail me. B) and YES! I will call you unprofessional after you barely show me any kind of respect at all. First you text me instead of calling or emailing to find out what I'm looking for, and then you barely spend three minutes trying to "help" me? Come on, man. I'm not asking you to spend weeks helping me find my dream home, but you can at least pretend like you're gonna put forth some effort. Isn't it sad that the people at Uptown Realty don't realize that once you give someone your actual time and respect while showing them good properties that they would gladly give you their money and land you a nice little commission? Boo-hoo. read more

I was working with someone from Habitat Hunters and we went to go see a property in West Campus. The lockbox was missing the key so we called Uptown to see where the key was. They informed us that "This wasn't good" and they had no idea where the key was, but thought it was in the office somewhere so we could just come by and get it. Then we get to the office and are informed that the door is open. I say it's locked, the receptionist insists it is open and that I should go back. So we do. No surprise, its still locked. We call the listed agent at Uptown (Joseph Heder) and were told that he would drop the key in the office. We go back to the office (which I should point out is only 3 block from the apartment), and are told by the receptionist that he gave the key to another realtor because we "took too long". WTF? So then we go back to the apartment and find the other realtor, and guess what? It's the wrong key. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. I will never work with Uptown. They are rude and irresponsible. This is the very definition of bad business. Save yourself a few hours and choose another realty. read more

I would love to give zero stars. Max (I believe that's his name based on looking up his phone number -- he did not even give me his name when he texted me) contacted me two hours before he was showing my apartment -- I saw the text 10 minutes before he said he would show up. He doesn't show up for an hour, so assuming he's not coming since I had not been contacted, I got in the shower. Of course, now he decides to show up, so I had to hear strange male voices while in the shower. This situation could have been easily fixed with a sincere apology. I complained to Uptown Realty twice, and called multiple times and even left a message. Not only did the manager never contact me, but this realtor proceeded to argue with me and say, "I won't apologize when I did nothing wrong," exhibiting the utmost lack of professionalism I have ever encountered with a realtor in my four years of living in apartments around campus. I am utterly appalled by this experience, I have never been treated so terribly as a tenant. Bottom line -- do not do business with Uptown Realty, and especially not with this smug a-hole. read more

This place is ridiculous. The realtor my friend and I tried to work with here had no idea what he was doing at every step of the process. Every time we were in the office or talked to any of the people there, it seemed like it was just a frat house with a realty habit. read more

That's it, I am reporting Uptown to the Texas Real Estate Commission. Enough is enough. I urge anyone who has had shady dealings with Uptown to do so as well. That's two times now that my daughter has turned in a lease, expecting that she has secured a home, and two times that Uptown Realty has either texted her or called and said, the home went to someone else. This is all happening during finals. Not cool. I don't get it. Uptown Realty has a monopoly on the rental market for students, and I don't get how they call pull this crap on people. I guess if you have tons and tons of daddy's money, this place will pay attention to you, but if you are just a working class joe, you will get treated like something stuck to your shoe. read more

They were nice until they weren't. When I was giving them money, they were kind and responsive. But, the minute I moved out, they were hard to reach, didn't get back to me after multiple calls and requests, and either acted as if I was asking for too much by following up with them, or like they did not remember me calling. Cherry on top, I had an incredibly rude encounter with Joe Yager in which he was condescending and unprofessional. read more

If it was possible to give ZERO stars, it would be ZERO STARS. This place is VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. Not only do they NOT know what they're doing, they try to lease a place by ANY MEANS NECESSARY. One Realtor, Esmail, contacted my roommate and I TWO hours before a showing. When we had no prior knowledge to this at all. so UNPROFESSIONAL. The other realtors had at least contacted me A DAY BEFORE. they are RUDE, INCONSIDERATE, and definitely not worth your time. read more

I promise I wasn't paid to give a 5 star review. I also can't say I know any of the other realtors that other people worked with so I can't say their worth ethic was good or bad, but my experience with Russell Cavin was above and beyond what I could ever expect. I had 2 previous realtors that were horrible (Habitat Hunters and Austin Realty Pros) a friend called Russell last minute and he promptly arranged for us to look at places. He had done what previous realtors took one week to do and did it in less than 3 hours. His customer service skills are great. He was prompt about communicating with my parents and I. Russell was extremely helpful and willing the entire process. If you're looking for a genuine person to help you find a place to live this is your guy. read more

After I wrote this review, I received a call from Tony. He did not call to apologize or ask how they could remedy the situation (like Joe said in his reply to my yelp review), but instead, he asked me to remove the review because he felt they did nothing wrong. He told me that 4 girls were suing Uptown for this exact same reason, and yet, he continues to tell me that they've never had an issue with this before. I would avoid Tony at all costs. However, I told him if Uptown changed their policies to make the nature of the application deposit more clear, then I would update my review. Uptown has since edited their Acknowledgement with a "Clarification" section (see below). Clarification: When applying, along with all your paperwork you must submit an Application Deposit equal to 1 month's rent. The Application Deposit, once tendered to us, is Non- Refundable unless, we notify you of disapproval in writing! Once the lease has been signed and you have moved into the property, the Application Deposit becomes the Security Deposit for the property. The Security Deposit is refundable at the end of the lease if all the correct move out procedures have been followed and the property has been returned in a proper condition as outlined in the Texas Property Code. While I still think it is completely unfair to require a non-refundable deposit without including the material terms of the lease, and thereby financially coercing someone to sign a legal document which they had not seen before, hopefully this clarification section will provide more adequate notice to future clients that their "refundable security deposits" are actually non-refundable application deposits until their lease starts. read more

I had a very bad experience with the Realty Service here. I believe the realtor I used no longer works at Uptown now, so I will mostly talk about my general feelings of the realtor system around UT. Most students don't have any idea where to start when it comes to looking for their first apartment. It really is impossible to find a complex with overall positive reviews and an affordable price in the campus area. Not knowing where to start, students walk into a realty service just to feel out the situation. Inside you are greeted by a kind man or woman who lets you know that they will be providing all of their apartment locator services at no cost to you. Here is the hard part. Obviously your realtor gets a commission from whoever owns the property you lease. It is perfectly possible that a realtor could do his or her job with a great knowledge of the area and sacrificially show you a unit that is the best choice for you even though the commission they receive is less than other units. I'm sure there are realtor's in Austin and even possibly in Uptown Realty who are worth every cent they earn off of your business and I applaud them, but in hindsight, I really feel that I was duped by the whole experience! I walked in like any other college student would. I wanted a 2 bedroom unit for $1,100 a month or less within biking distance of campus and in a location where my girlfriend could find the same nearby. Our realtor immediately gave us the impression that we were running out of time and would have to make sacrifices on our expectations of price and accommodations at this point in the game. We were told this at the end of January. From this point forward, our realtor seemed to have a very specific, short list of units available to show us, most of which were above the price range we had given. Having looked nowhere else, we were concerned as we believed that was all there was to choose from. Our realtor continued to put the heat on us, telling us that we were running out of time and leaving us feeling like we had to immediately commit to a unit without giving it proper consideration time lest someone else turn in a pre-lease agreement before us. We almost settled for some very bad deals and my girlfriend was nearly in tears at points along the way. Finally around mid February we decided that we would forgo our realtor and walk directly into apartment complexes ourselves to see what was available. It turned out to be really easy to asked upperclassmen friends how they liked their apartments. It was a very easy way to get a good feel of what we wanted and where we wanted to live. We ended up touring a handful of apartment complexes and got in our lease agreements stress free. We found exactly what we wanted and were told we were ahead of the curve when we decided to prelease at a complex around Spring Break. In hindsight, I felt exploited by our real estate agent. They had caused us undue harm and fear, neglected to show us any apartment complexes in Hyde Park even though that was the area we had most wanted to live and were repeatedly told that there was virtually NOTHING left to pick from and that we wouldn't be able to find anything in our price range that would meet our needs. I am angry at the realty process in Austin as a result and strongly believe that the majority of realtors are more concerned with getting a large cut and filling out pre-determined units then trying to help the students find the best unit possible. I am appalled at the exploitation used in the realty systems around campus and worry about how many students have been tricked into overpaying for something that is less than satisfactory because they were never told they had a choice. With that being said, my recommendation to all is to hunt for yourself. Most apartments will either have a leasing office inside or a property management branding. Talk to friends or meet people that live there. If you use a real estate agent, don't be afraid to do some searching of your own on the side. They don't deserve credit if you can find something better without their help. Again, I'm sure there are many really great real estate agents that play the game right, but my agent killed any positive feelings I have about student real housing real estate agents! read more

To preface, I did not use Uptown Realty to find a house. I tried, but it got nowhere. I found their website while doing a search for a new rental, and they had quite a few decent-looking listings. I inquired about a few, and got a response rather quickly, which was great! Off to a nice start! The first red flag was raised after the house I originally inquired about was never mentioned in our conversation. Instead, when I asked about the listing, I was told that those are there just to 'get leads'. Hmm - shady. Ok, fine, I'll roll with it. We kept talking, and I told them exactly what it was I was looking for. After not receiving any email with listings, I noticed an email I received from this particular agent when I first registered on the site, and noticed it came from a personal Gmail account, from an entirely different name. For instance, lets say the Agent's name was 'Rebecca' - the email came from 'josephwhatever23@gmail.com'. Red flag #2. When I asked about that, and told them that it seemed shady, they promised me that it was just their personal email on their phone, and not their work email. After telling them that I was going to seek help elsewhere, I received an email that said, and I quote: "I'm sorry but I am not interested in attempting to help you please find somebody else!" That alone lacks any sort of professionalism, especially that that you would expect from a realty company. I only have myself to blame, though, because I didn't read any of these other Yelp reviews before asking for their assistance. For any of you out there looking for assistance with finding a home, please look elsewhere. The Groove Realty and Investments has been great so far. I'll be leaving a corresponding review for them. read more

I literally made a Yelp account to write this I understand that a realty agency is not directly resonsible for their agents but I was in shock with Laura's behavior towards me. I am a current tenant, and my roommates and we had requested that Uptown Realty give us a 24 hour notice before having our home presented to strangers. Until now all agents have been respectful of our request except Laura. When I politely asked that she reschedule because the house was less than presentable with personal belongings out due to ACL Weekend, Laura began to berate my roommates and I saying "usually we only give one hour [notice]". After a few exchanges responding to her condescending and sarcastic responses she requested I stop "harrasing" her. I cannot think of another time I have been treated so disrespectfully by a professional person. If I could post the texts I would because it's unbelievable otherwise. read more

I've actually had a good experience with Uptown Realty. I worked with Russell Cavin. One of my friends referred me to him because he helped her find several places in Austin while she was an undergrad student at UT. My other friend and I (both grad students) were both looking for one bedrooms in North Campus/Hyde Park area and Russell took us around to several properties and we ended up finding one that is cheaper than we're both paying now, nicer, and allows big dogs. Russell has been very friendly throughout the whole process and was very pleasant to work with. Uptown Realty has been very cooperative and helpful in trying to let me move in before my current lease expires, which is something that I really appreciate and has made my life much easier. All in all, I would definitely work with Russell and Uptown Realty again. read more

I had the pleasure of working with Russell from Uptown when I bought my house recently. He was incredibly responsive in this fast-moving market, but also his knowledge was off the charts. He was able to evaluate homes quickly and technically based on his in-depth expertise, even in the weeds of how a lot is classified by the city and researching permit history for improvements and repairs. He has earned a client and advocate for life. I can't recommend Russell enough! read more

Awful. The actual worst. Landlord sucks. They also never show our house when they say they will. Threatened to put our house on the market last year if we didn't pre-sign by Halloween, and now our house is still available in March. LOL read more

My roommate and I worked with Max to find a new apartment. He was helpful throughout the entire process, going above and beyond in our eyes to find something that we liked and fit within our budget and needs. Max is an extremely competent guy, and I personally could not recommend working with him enough. read more

Joseph Yager is the single worst broker I have ever had the frustration of working with. He is slow to respond and when he does it's so short and unprofessional that a high schooler might have written it. He has shamelessly never done anything beyond the absolute bare minimum, and even then we had to ask him to do that. I also have friends who have gone through Uptown Realty and had the distinct displeasure of working with Joseph so I can confirm this is just how he is and we didn't just get unlucky or catch him at a bad time. If you hate effective communication and never want anything to get done then this might be the place for you. However, if you care even the smallest bit and don't want an extremely frustrating and stressful experience do yourself a favor and don't come here. read more

I recently worked with Russell Cavin from Uptown Realty and had a great experience. Russell was always available (like 24/7 baby!), and he quickly responded to calls, texts, and emails. He answered all of our questions and was extremely knowledgeable of the Austin area. Russell made sure we were completely comfortable with the entire process of leasing our duplex. I would definitely recommend Russell and actually already have to family and friends! I will use him again when it comes time for a new place or when I'm ready to buy a home. I have never found another Realtor as patient, nice, and knowledgeable about the market. Russell Rules. read more

Very sketchy. Our realtor tried to convince us to sign contracts without reading them, assuring us that they were just like all other contracts.. they aren't! Be careful! read more

Joseph Yager and his team at Uptown Realty are fantastic! I've been in Austin for 12 years and I've moved around quite a bit in that time, so I have dealt with my share of realtors and management companies. One of my favorite things about Uptown Realty is that they are a local company, which is a totally different feel than the corporate types that I am used to dealing with while trying to find a place to live (which is stressful enough in itself). Joseph has always responded to my emails in a timely manner, he is super flexible, and he actively listens to (and addresses) any concerns I might have. I do feel that he has my best interest at heart. I've been at one of his rental properties for almost two years now, and I have felt completely at home the entire time. Joseph and his team at Uptown Realty are, by far, the easiest to work with that I've come across to date, and I can't recommend them enough! read more

As we were moving to Austin, Russell Cavin helped us find an awesome short term rental to help in the transition period! He was super patient and knowledgeable, and really helped us get a handle on the real estate market in Austin. Highly recommend him! read more

They were SO rude! I called at 7 thinking that I could leave a message with my question but instead a man answered the phone and told me that he only wanted serious people to call and didn't have time for my questions! He told me to call back during normal business hours and not to bother him after! If you leave your number on the website, expect people to call it sir. So rude. What a welcome to UT! :( read more

After a long and stressful search of where to live in Austin, Uptown Realty was the best to work with. They were patient as we were pretty picky with what we wanted in a place to call home and finally got us in a condo that fit all of our needs (and wants!). Alicia Bowling and Joseph Yager were extremely helpful in working with us as we had a tight move in time frame and were able to get the place move in ready very quickly. Don't waste your time working with other realtors, just go to Uptown! read more

Uptown screwed us out of our room (which we had already signed for and paid first months rent) on two separate occasions, and when I called to ask them about it, they said it was my fault and what I was saying was "bullshit". Then I asked to talk to management and they said that nobody would want to waste their time with that. Uptown has absolutely no regard for their clients and is a sorry excuse for a real estate agency. The only reason I even have one star was out of sheer pity. read more

My son and his roommates live in an over priced house on Speedway. It is a large two story house. The living area has 20 foot vaulted ceilings, and the light bulbs up there burned out. The boys called maitenance and were told it would cost them $75 to be replaced! What! This mama who pays the rent (and is a guarantor) gave Uptown Realty a call. Michelle at maitenance said the bulbs would be replaced this week. She definately was aware that the young students may have been duped. Beware! If you are paying overpriced rent, be sure that you are getting what you pay for. I expect my son to handle his own affairs, but when he is lied to a taken advantage, I get angry. This is maddening. read more

I had an excellent experience with Laura Cochrane. She listened to what I wanted, and had many suggestions. She was very responsive, and helped me get the lease completed in a timely fashion. Would highly recommend! read more

This is the absolute worse company I've ever had to deal with. All this company deals with is finding you a place, writing an application and lease, then they hand you over to another company. everything that they could screw up, they did. Application had the wrong dates on it, details in the lease were vague, and they tried to squeeze 4 people in a 3 person place (illegal). Do not deal with these people, or Max Smirnoff specifically, they will disappoint. read more

While I didn't end up picking the properties that he showed me (one in Hyde Park, one in West Campus and one on North Burnett), I can recommend the apartment locator/realtor Sal very much. He knows the area well (ie. identifying the better apartment complexes) and has some good ideas about what a UT grad student might like. I enjoyed working with him. read more