A Plus Apartment Locators

Loved my experience with A Plus. Shannon was my locator and she is absolutely amazing. She made me feel as if I was her only client and made sure she found the right place for me in a timely manner. I couldn’t be happier with her and her work ethic. I highly highly recommend A Plus and Shannon to anyone looking for a new place to live in Austin; north, south, east or west. She is the best!

Due to a family pet emergency, I had put off apartment hunting until two weeks before my lease was up. During the red-​hot Austin housing market, I was regularly scouring Craigslist housing ads and came upon an ad for a cheapish apartment in North Central Austin. Calling the listed phone number led to A+ Apartment Locators. They set you up to come in for an appointment. The agent assigned to me was Ingrid. She explained to me that most of the Craigslist apartment ads are not up-​to-​date (which made me feel like those ads, including the ones by A+, were a bait-​and-​switch).
Ingrid let me know that I was looking at the very last minute but wasn’t judgmental about it. She confidently said we’d find an apartment. She came up with a list of apartments and I researched/​read reviews of them later that evening. Since I showed up for my appointment mid-​afternoon on a weekend and many apartment leasing offices were already really busy or about to close, I set up another appointment for the following Monday morning.
After I left the initial appointment, Ingrid still continued to look and contacted some apartment management offices to see if they had available units with my preferences. She would then text me details to see if I was interested. Throughout the whole interaction with Ingrid, she was very responsive. On the second appointment, she came up with more apartments from their database and her own memory. Together we narrowed down the list to 3 or 4. She then drove me to each place (on a rainy Monday morning). I actually liked the second place so much that I decided not to look at the others.
I liked that A+ connects you with above-​average and reputable apartments. They also know which apartments and dodgy neighborhoods to avoid. Their service is free to you; the agents are paid a commission from the apartments themselves. Try to set up your first appointment early in the day and maybe not on a Saturday or Sunday since many apartment leasing offices are super-​busy or not open on weekends.

I never got a call, text, email or anything from my locator (Dayton) after our initial conversation. Even if he couldn’t find anything that fit my needs (though I found plenty on my own) I would’ve appreciated any sort of follow up at least letting me know.

Super disappointed with my experience at A Plus!
I was assigned Jason Christy. I told him that I had a 6 pound dog, needed washer/​dryer connections, at least a one bedroom, and wanted to stay south, somewhere. Our budget was $ 1,150 and we needed to move by November 1. I had a couple of wishlist items (a gas stove, a yard), but told him that I didn’t expect them to happen, nor require them. On the phone, he was fantastic. Super friendly & helpful. I really thought he knew what I was hoping to find.
After doing his searches, he sent me an email that said that he was only able to find one apartment that met my specifications. One. Uno. One!
In all of south Austin, he was only able to find ONE apartment that was under $ 1,150, would accept a 6 pound dog, and had washer/​dryer hookups?
That blew my mind, considering that I already knew several friends that pay about a grand for their one bedrooms in the same area with pets & W/​D hookups — and on a ten minute Google search, I had found several legitimate apartment communities that met those criteria. The only reason that I contacted A Plus was that I read such glowing reviews on Unilocal!I hoped that they’d be able to help me sort through my options and help me pick the best one. Maybe if I had gotten a different locator, I don’t know.
Now, here’s the kicker. That isn’t the reason for the negative review!
I responded to his, «you have one option email» with this:
«Hi Jason,
I’ve been able to find quite a few more than that one on my own, so I think I’ll take it from here.
Thank you, anyways!»
I felt like this was a pretty respectful way to handle it, but received a very snotty email back from him, saying that he ‘wasn’t sure why he spent 3 hours on the phone with 40 different apartments today’ and that ‘with those restrictions, he promises he found the best option’.
Anyways, I didn’t appreciate the rude response; I wouldn’t have written a Unilocal review about it, except I couldn’t find a supervisor /​manager /​owner /​customer service email address to send it to.

Denise Martin was fantastic. She was very knowledgeable about the areas of the city I was interested in and =patient with me by visiting several properties even though I was pretty sure I was going to lease at the first one we went to. Highly recommended and will definitely come back the next time I’m looking for a new apartment!

Colleen was essential in making our move from NYC to Austin as easy and stress-​free as possible! From start to finish, she was so lovely and helpful and patient with our million questions, and she always went the extra mile. We couldn’t recommend her more!

LISA VICTORIAN is a veteran Austin, TX apartment locator of 17 years (I believe). I have used her services twice this year. The first was in January when I relocated from Midland, TX to ATX. I accidentally called A+ thinking it was an apartment so I could ask a price and they told me they could help me out (for free! A real God-​send). Then, recently I wanted to move to another property that was cheaper and quieter (the A/​C at Woodchase Apartments was directly under my bathtub and vibrates so loud that it murders my sleep). What A+ (especially Lisa Victorian) brings to the table is the local knowledge that Apartment Locating websites can’t convey or provide. The only downside is it feels a bit rushed. That’s only because rooms at apartments go fast. BOTTOM LINE: If you’re new to Austin or a native Austinite, LISA VICTORIAN at A+ is an excellent resource.

My husband and I were really tired of looking for an apartment and were recommended to come here. Lisa Victorian is the best! She didn’t waste time and immediately found us the perfect apartment! Thanks Lisa! What was taking us forever, it took her five min to find us the apartment that was suitable for both if our work locations.

Working with Gradon was an incredible experience. He is the embodiment of customer service. He went above and beyond any expectations I had for an apartment locator service. His responses to my texts were almost instant, all communication was always positive and incredibly professional. I had one day in Austin to look for a place and he gave me all the time I needed and appropriate places to consider. I HIGHLY recommend not only A Plus Apartment Locators but work with Gradon if you can!!!

I have only used a locator once before coming to A Plus and it was a pretty mediocre experience, but my friend promised this would be way better. We missed our appointment with a guy and Lisa jumped in and saved us. Her upbeat no-​nonsense personality is what I liked the best. We gave her the facts about how much we want to pay and she swiftly gave us a list of properties that she thought would be a good fit. After applying for the apartment and all that, she kept checking in with us. Lisa really made me change my mind about apt locators. I will always look for her whenever I need these services. A+++

First off, let me just say how amazing Lisa Victorian is! She got us into a nice ²⁄₂ for under a grand during peak season in Austin real estate. She keeps it so real and won’t waste your time with options you won’t like. She’s straight up & honest. Loved how fun and positive her personality is. Great experience! You’re trippin if you don’t get at her to find whatcha need! Her assistance was immeasurable!
I highly recommend her over any other locator in Austin.

Not impressed whatsoever. They do not do any research prior to your appointment and you have to sit there awkwardly while they call places for availability. It seemed like they only worked with a very short list of apartments and were only interested in the ones that could roll in a bigger commission.

Long story short, Gradon Barbee (with Apartment Experts/​A-​Plus Apartments) is the BOMB!
As a New Yorker moving to ATX, I was a bit overwhelmed and more than a little skeptical about this process. I mean, I’m used to paying slimy brokers a month’s rent to find me small apartments I can barley afford. This experience was the complete opposite!
Not only did Gradon call me within minutes of filling out the online form, but he continued to exceed my hopes and expectations throughout the entire process. I had 3 days to fly into Austin, see as many options as possible, and find the apartment of my dreams — and Gradon easily made it happen. He listened, asked the right questions, and understood very quickly what I was looking for. He met me straight from the airport, and took me to the first of several amazing options. Each one was better than the next.
He also was very patient — he took me back to revisit and compare different places, showed me new ones when I was still unsure, and even stopped to by me a Diet Coke when I mentioned that I had a headache and needed one. Super nice. And while I went in to the office for a few hours at my new job, he took my mom around to look at apartments — even though she’s not moving for several months. She’s planning to come back with my dad soon and wouldn’t work with anyone else.
Gradon is professional, super knowledgeable, and a wonderful advocate is finding the right place. Do yourself a favor and call him!

I went to the office for a visit Thursday morning. Friday afternoon I was signing my lease. I was able to get moved into my new apt this Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I had a last minute living situation change and Lisa Victorian was able to work her magic and find exactly what I needed. I am more than satisfied. If you need any help finding a new place, I would definitely recommend you go see Lisa Victorian at A+ Apartment Locators.

Excellent Experience!
Shannon Hodges helped me locate an apartment in a very short amount of time.

I’ve held off reviewing A Plus for awhile because I couldn’t decide how I felt. I’ve used locator services in the past where you felt like the agent was totally on the landlord’s side so I was hoping for a different experience this time. Overall, if I need another locator service I will probably try out another one just to see how it compares.
The Bad
–Got up early to meet the agent at the office and had fill out EXACTLY the same info I’d already filled out online.
–She didn’t seem to do much looking before I got there. So we sat there while she searched the database.
–I said I wasn’t really sure what location I wanted to be in and wanted to see what they were like but then we were only shown apts in one area.
–They seem to only work with a set collection of property companies. All the big ones I’d already looked at online before coming here.
–Definitely felt like I was being ‘sold’
The Good
–She made a bunch of phone calls to double check stuff which was just great for me because I hate phone calls.
–She was very friendly and told me a bunch of factoids about Austin.
–She helped me negotiate when there were a couple of wrinkles in the plan.
The Worst
–My apartment complex got sold to a new company within a couple weeks of signing the lease and some of the biggest factors in my decision got changed.(pet policy for example) The day I came to look at the apartment the A Plus lady and the leasing agent were talking about how he was leaving the complex for another. Looking back it seems like they both knew the complex was being sold but failed to mention it in order to make the sale. Now I’m stuck for 11 more months in a complex that isn’t what it was when I chose it. Now I’m not sure how much she knew and didn’t know but it *seems* like she knew.

If you’re new to this whole thing, like I was, know that this service is free so that already makes it worth a try.
I moved from LA to Austin and thanks to Shannon Hodges it was a breeze.
I filled out the form on their website in the morning and got a call from Shannon that afternoon. I was also simultaneously using another apartment locator so I’ll compare the two.
The other place let me know that the price I was looking for was unreasonable to live in a 1 bedroom in downtown Austin. While this was true, they made no effort to find me any options near downtown and just gave up on me.
Shannon emailed/​texted back and forth with me for 2 weeks while I was still in LA, finding a few great options close to downtown in my price range. When I arrived in Austin, she met with me at the office on Sunday when literally no one else was working. We planned on going to some places near downtown on Monday afternoon. Monday morning rolls around and my co-​workers tell me I should live in north Austin unless I want to drive 45 minutes to work every day. So I last minute change my mind, and Shannon works her magic and finds 3 viable options. We go to all 3 during my lunch break, and I fall in love with the last place and basically sign the lease on the spot.
Shannon Hodges is an incredible realtor: kind, helpful, and effective. I can’t recommend her enough. Thanks Shannon!

DEBBIE CLARK is the best realtor I have ever worked with – and I have moved 5 times.
1) She is efficient and organized. By the time of my appointment, she had a detailed list of properties, already had the answer to most questions about the apartments, and had already researched rent deals to keep you within your range.
2) She respects your preferences. I was impressed and satisfied by every single property she showed me. My apartment is exactly what I wanted plus what I didn’t know I wanted. She stayed within my budget and location specifications, which most realtors tend to ignore.
3) If you forget to ask the apartment important questions, she will ask them for you. From electricity charges, to rent deals, to general community questions, Debbie knows what to ask to ensure you get the most complete information about the property.
4) She’s honest. During my search, Debbie was very open about what she considered the pros and cons of every apartment. It really helped contextualize my options to make my decision much easier.
Throughout my appointment, Debbie was engaged and on her A-​game. The information Debbie provided really showed her knowledge and expertise. She took the time to tailor the afternoon to exactly what I wanted, and that’s how I ended up with a new apartment in 3 hours.

DENISE MARTIN was top-​notch in helping me find a new apartment from beginning to end. She listened to me and found options that fit the specs I requested, and she gave me internal pros/​cons for each apartment that only her expertise and market knowledge could have given me!
Did I mention I was trying to find an apartment within a week of notice?! I am by no means an easily pleased individual, and this woman gave me awesome service and led me to an apartment that has everything I could ask for, everything I demanded, and MORE! She even helped me with my leasing process and made sure to be available if I needed anything at all. She responds quickly and honestly, and you should contact Denise next time you’re moving!

Ingrid is amazing. even though I wasn’t able to rent an apartment from her and the reason is entirely me, not her, I liked her professionalism, knowledge of the market and willingness to help.
I had looked at a lot of properties and wanted to remain in a certain budget, she took my extremely limited search criteria and came up with a couple of options that I wouldn’t have even thought of considering. Both were very good options, I just had other constraints that prevented me from pulling the trigger.
I would consider engaging Ingrid’s services again and highly recommend her.