About Us

Welcome to Austin Residence

Alex Ray

If you’re looking for apartments near UT Austin, condos, or houses to rent or buy, then you’ve come to the right place. Do you already own real estate in central Austin? We list properties for landlords and sellers as well, and we can also help you with property management.

You’ll be in great hands with Austin Residence – click here to read testimonials from previous clients.

The apartment locating service we provide is free, because we’re compensated by the property owners regardless of where clients lease. It’s our job to find you the best rental based on your search criteria, not to steer you toward any particular property. We have the most comprehensive database of apartments near UT, condos, and houses, as well as access to the latest specials, so we’ll help you find the best deal available. If you’re trying to decide where to live, be sure to check out our Neighborhoods page. West Campus, North Campus, and Hyde Park are highly sought-after by students, although living farther away on a UT Shuttle route (like in Far West or Riverside) is a great option if you’re on a limited budget. If you still have a question about our locating service or renting near UT, the answer is likely found on our Leasing FAQs page. Bookmarking our Helpful Links will also help ensure your leasing experience is as smooth as possible.

Have you seen our Fly Tour™ HD Videos or DSLR full-screen property photos? These are available for some of the rental properties on this website and are examples of how we aim to redefine the way people search for rentals near UT Austin. Click here to search our database and see this great media content. If you’re a landlord or seller, ask us how to get a free Fly Tour™ produced for your property!

Here’s an example Fly Tour™ HD Video:

Our DSLR photos are crisp and clear, and they capture much more of the property than photos taken with a point-and-shoot digital camera:

To understand the trends with leasing and sales, don’t miss our robust Data & Trends page. Austin Residence was founded by UT alumnus (B.S. ’08) Alex Ray, a licensed Broker and REALTOR® who has personally helped more than 1,200 clients find a home. Prior to starting the company, Alex became the top producer on a team of agents that was voted #1 by UT students four consecutive years. As a graduate of the CityWorks Academy, he is well-versed on the city of Austin, and he has been interviewed and quoted by The Daily Texan newspaper because of his campus area real estate knowledge. In his free time, Alex enjoys going to UT sporting events, volunteering as a coach for junior golfers at The First Tee of Greater Austin, traveling, and taking advantage of all that Austin has to offer with its wonderful parks, trails, and festivals.

We encourage you to explore the free search tools and resources on this website. Once you’re ready for personalized assistance finding your next home or listing a property, please contact us. We look forward to working with you!

Mission Statement

To be the premier provider of residential real estate leasing and sales services for neighborhoods within five miles of The University of Texas at Austin. We are committed to putting our clients’ needs first and offering honest, expert, and friendly guidance to prospective and current renters and owners.

Careers

Austin Residence Hiring Interested in becoming an Austin Residence agent and embarking on an exciting real estate career? Click here to learn more!

Testimonials

Alex Ray provided my roommates and me a tremendous service in finding an apartment. After being unhappy with our apartment the year before, we were eager to start the search for properties and knew we needed help with finding an affordable yet quality option. I contacted Alex, and luckily, he was just as enthusiastic about guiding us through the process. Unlike other realtors I’ve worked with, Alex asked very specific questions to get a better idea of what we wanted. This prevented us from wasting time touring properties we were not interested in. Through email and phone correspondence, I was confident Alex would show us properties we could actually see ourselves living in. Just as I expected, Alex showed us three properties all in the price range and location we agreed upon, and we were happy with all of the options! While it was overwhelming to try and remember everything we saw, Alex sent us a property tour summary so we could sit down as a group and go through each one. After deciding on which one we liked best, Alex immediately got in touch with the property manager and helped us through the application, guarantor, and leasing process. Throughout the entire process, my roommates and I felt that Alex was truly interested in helping us and not just leasing the property. He was extremely professional and timely in getting back to us, which not only sped up the process but also made us feel more comfortable. We are extremely happy with our property and have re-signed the lease for another year. I would highly recommend Alex Ray to anyone looking for a realtor and am sincerely thankful for his services.

Morgan

Since we were from out of town, we were quite apprehensive buying real estate in Austin. However, interacting with Alex put us at ease given his knowledge about the area and his style of communication. Even if we were close to making an offer but had concerns about the property, we never felt pressured to lock in the deal until we were completely satisfied. We have now bought three investment properties with Alex and would highly recommend him to anybody looking for a real estate agent in Austin. We would have no second thoughts working with Alex again for purchasing any property in Austin.

Ann

Working with Alex was fabulous. He was incredibly knowledgeable, organized, and personable. He put together a great selection of properties that gave me an understanding of price, location, and amenities. He had relevant information about each property, which made it easy to evaluate them quickly. As a parent, it was helpful to see a range of properties to understand the market around campus. He was honest about the pros and cons of a property; he acknowledged concerns and didn’t try to sugarcoat potential flaws. He never made me feel rushed or pressured, yet he was extremely efficient and didn’t waste any time. And, after looking at so many properties, he made it easy to remember each one by providing a summary of their features. He was also very respectful and courteous to the current tenants. You’ll be happy you decided to work with Alex; he’s a true professional!

Nancy

I came across Alex while ‘shopping’ for a realtor in Austin. I was in dire need for housing in order to set up our sponsored international students. Alex was by far the most professional and consistent of the realtors I reached out to. My experience with Alex was so great that I decided to seek his services to help me search for a home to buy for my parents who are about to retire. Alex is extremely knowledgeable of the market. He is efficient, consistent, hardworking, and his attention to detail is second to none! He uses a ‘psychological’ approach to get to know his clients and their needs. In my personal and professional experience, dealing with realtors across many states and markets, I have never dealt with someone as professional and talented in the business as Alex! I strongly recommend Alex for his services.

Agni

Alex is one of the most detail oriented agents I’ve worked with. He was very knowledgeable of the process and was very responsive and communicated well with both his clients and the title company. He was a pleasure to work with and made the transaction go very smoothly.

Denise (Title Company)

I had the best experience working with Alex as our realtor. He was very friendly, reliable, and dedicated to finding my roommate and me the perfect apartment. He found several apartments that met our price and location preferences and was able to take us on a tour of all of them. In less than a week, we signed the lease for our new apartment. I will continue to recommend Alex to anyone in need of a realtor!

Grace

This Longhorn Mom is happy to recommend Alex Ray to other Longhorn students and parents who need assistance in finding off-campus housing in Austin. Our sons were comfortable working with him and so were we. Alex located a nice, large house (to accommodate four housemates) in a good area with access to UT and city bus lines. Alex guided all of us through the leasing process, and was an excellent liaison between our family and the rental property company. Alex graciously fielded our many questions, and responded promptly and clearly. Though he was juggling the needs of many other clients during our students’ off-campus housing search, he was always accessible by phone or e-mail, and we were treated with respect and courtesy. Thank you, Alex, for your time, assistance, and great service.

Andrea

Alex is one of the most organized and conscientious people I have ever met. He pays attention to all details big and small. That attention along with his stellar personal nature puts him head and shoulders above the rest. I look forward to the day I will be able to work with him again as he made my life seamless!

Randy (Mortgage Banker)

As an international prospective buyer of property in the USA, based in Asia, I have had the opportunity to work with Alex. In my interactions with him, I was impressed by the high standards of professionalism that he demonstrated throughout our engagement. Alex earned my trust and respect as a professional service provider very early in our interactions with his responsiveness, knowledge and acumen of the Austin market, forthright communication, and his network of related services such as tax, legal, etc. Alex proactively provided me with access to home information and market analytics which helped me evaluate locations and options. When the need arises in the future, I know that Alex will be my preferred realtor for Austin.

Muhammad

Alex was very helpful and attentive. Unlike many of the real estate agents that had helped me in the past, he really didn't try to push me and my roommate to look at apartments that we weren't interested in or out of our price range. We ended up with exactly what we were looking for!

Alice

Alex provided phenomenal service. He worked around our tough student schedule and requirements to find the greatest options around. He even drove us from unit to unit until we found the best choice. Not only was he very responsive, he showed great interest in finding us the best apartment for our needs.

Jordan

Alex was extremely helpful in every aspect of the apartment finding process. He asked questions that I never would have thought to ask and made sure that I got the best place for me and my budget. I would highly recommend working with Alex if you have any doubts about finding an apartment in Austin.

Cameron

Originally, I had planned to live with only two other girls my first year in an apartment. However, we ended up with five. I was a little skeptical about being able to find a place that we all liked. We began to look at apartments on our own but quickly realized how in over our heads we were. I started talking with realtor Alex Ray, who was very friendly and asked all the right questions about what kind of apartment we wanted to find. Alex took us to see a lot of apartments and put together a list of different options that were compatible with our requests. He made us feel comfortable to ask as many questions as five girls could come up with. We finally found an apartment we all agreed on. Alex kept in touch with us throughout the signing process just to make sure everything went smoothly. Finding an apartment for five opinionated college girls would be a hard job for anyone but Alex was able to do it!

Caroline

We had been checking out houses around north campus for a couple weeks and been in and out of successes, until we stumbled upon one that fit us to a T. Alex was very enthusiastic about the process and was accommodating to our schedules, hectic and erratic as student schedules can be. We made the smooth transition to house rental with his help and it's been a great experience. Appreciate all the help, Alex, good luck with the future!

Eric

Alex Ray was a great help in finding my first apartment off campus. He was very approachable and helpful, and did everything he could to help find the right place for me and my roommates. He showed us numerous places, and when we didn't find one we loved right away, he showed us more. In the end, he helped us get the unit we wanted, even when there were multiple other groups interested. He was a pleasure to work with and I couldn't have asked for a better realtor!

Janie

Being an international student, it is very tough to find accommodation when you are sitting thousands of miles away! In such a situation, you need someone who takes their work seriously and is genuinely interested in helping you out. Alex makes sure he has got your requirements right and keeps you updated, so that you never miss out on a good apartment. I found a good deal on my current accommodation (close to UT). I would recommend Alex’s service to anyone who is especially looking for good deals on apartments close to the university.

Devika

Alex Ray was our realtor and helped us find our current place of residence. He was very friendly, prompt and driven to help us according to our needs. Great guy and great service!

Angela

Alex did a wonderful job finding multiple apartments for me to check out based on my requirements. He has a great talent for matching apartments to individuals as I ended up signing a lease at the first apartment he had shown me. He was a pleasure to work with, and I certainly recommend him!

Ryan

Alex Ray was always very responsive to emails and answered all of our questions right away. I would definitely recommend Alex to any college student looking for a place to stay near campus!

Sarah

Alex’s service was the sole reason for us ending up in apartment that suits our budget yet is also very spacious and comfortable. Alex is a sincere and hard-working realtor and I strongly recommend his service.

Brian

I had a great experience with Alex Ray during the search for an affordable and good place. He was extremely responsive and super helpful. Furthermore, he is great at building communication between the tenant and property manager. I highly recommend Alex for the apartment hunting process.

Kutal

Alex is a very approachable and professional agent. Even though it was a busy time for him, he always had time to answer my questions and help me out with move-in details.

Mauricio

We started looking late spring which I guess is considered pretty late when looking for apartments in west campus. I had an overall great experience visiting the apartments that Alex set up based on our criteria. He was very helpful and replied to questions via email in a timely manner.

Rebecca