The Property Manager's Make-Ready Checklist for Central Texas Rentals

If you manage rentals in Round Rock, Austin, or anywhere across Central Texas, you already know the make-ready is where deals quietly die. Sign off too early and you'll be back next week. Sign off too late and you've lost a month of rent. The fix isn't more inspections — it's a sharper checklist.

Why a Sloppy Make-Ready Costs More Than the Repair

A unit that gets re-keyed twice, painted twice, or carpeted twice is a unit that doesn't make money. Most callbacks come from three places: missed punch-list items the GC quietly skipped, deferred wear that should have been flagged at move-out, and HVAC or plumbing issues that don't show until tenant load is back on the system. Catching these before sign-off is the entire job.

The Pre-Sign-Off Checklist

Walk every unit in this order. Don't trust the punch list — trust the walk.

Exterior and entry: door hardware operates cleanly, weatherstripping intact, threshold not cracked, mailbox key works. Anyone who's been called out for a stuck deadbolt knows this is where you start.

Kitchen and laundry: every appliance tested under load, garbage disposal tested with water running, dishwasher run a full cycle, ice maker hooked up and producing, dryer vent verified clear (this one matters in Texas — lint clogs are a fire risk and an insurance flag).

Bathrooms: every fixture run for at least 60 seconds. Look for slow drains, weak hot water, running toilets, caulk separation around tubs and showers. Re-caulk is a 20-minute job at make-ready and a 2-hour callback later.

HVAC: filter changed and dated, condensate line cleared, thermostat cycled through heat and cool, vents pulling air at every room. Texas heat will expose any of these in the first week, and the call always comes on a Saturday.

Floors and walls: nail holes patched and sanded smooth (not just spackled), paint cuts clean at trim, baseboards re-set or replaced where damaged, carpet seams checked, hard floors free of installation debris in corners.

Smoke and CO detectors: tested with batteries dated, count matches code for the unit's bedroom configuration. This is the single biggest liability item that gets skipped.

When to Bring in a Specialist

Most make-readies need one trade — paint, repair, clean, done. The ones that need more usually involve water (slow leaks under sinks, around toilets, behind washers), HVAC (age plus deferred maintenance), or fence and exterior damage that can't be patched cosmetically. If a unit needs two of those three, you want a single vendor running the turnover, not three sub-vendors fighting for schedule. Repair-tier work coordinated under one job means one walkthrough, one invoice, and one accountable party if something gets missed.

Before and After: One Heavy Make-Ready, Start to Finish

These are our own photos from a recent heavy turn, not stock images. The house came back to us beat up, and it went back on the market rent-ready.

Entry hall. Grimy door, a hole in the wall and a stained floor became clean walls, a fresh door and clean tile.

Bedroom. Stained, debris-covered carpet and scuffed walls became new carpet and fresh paint.

Back door and dining area. A filthy floor at the back door became clean tile, with the dining area and kitchen ready to show.

Service Areas

Reid Services handles make-readies, repairs, painting, fence and deck work, and light kitchen and bath remodels for property managers and investors across Round Rock, Austin, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Hutto, Leander, Manor, Elgin and Liberty Hill. We work as a single-vendor solution so PMs aren't chasing four trades for one turnover.

Get a Make-Ready Quote

If you're vetting vendors for your next turnover or want a second set of eyes on a problem unit, call (512) 945-4944 or email Tim@reidservices.org. We get estimates back in 24 to 48 hours and start work within 5 days of approval or sooner. We'll walk the property with you before quoting — no charge, no pressure.

See our full make-ready and rent-ready services: reidservices.org/service-page/make-ready-turnover-services

Tim Reid

512-945-4944

Reid Services