The verdict in three sentences
In Austin, a property management company website built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 ballpark, between 12 000 and 45 000 USD, and more if you ask for a custom owner portal. Kolonell builds the service pages, the listings integration from your management software and the owner inquiry journey for a fixed price of 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks on Starter and Growth. The right yardstick is the 3-year total cost, together with how well the site turns an out-of-state investor into a signed management agreement.
What do Austin agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?
These ranges are prudent ballparks, not official figures. They draw on public rate cards of Texas agencies, minimum project sizes listed on Clutch.co profiles of Austin agencies (often 10 000 USD and up), hourly rates published by local agencies (commonly 125 to 200 USD per hour) and rates visible on Upwork. There are also website platforms built for property managers, sold as a monthly subscription with a setup fee: convenient, but you never fully own the site.
| Criterion | Austin agency | Local freelancer | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build cost, 2026 ballpark | 12 000 to 45 000 USD and up | 3 000 to 12 000 USD | 2 900 / 4 900 / 8 900 USD, fixed |
| Changes outside scope | Often 125 to 200 USD per hour | Often 60 to 120 USD per hour | Quoted before any work |
| Usual timeline | 8 to 14 weeks | 4 to 10 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| Property and team photos | Often offered as an option | Rarely | Not included: your images or a local photographer |
| Service page copy | Often billed separately | Rarely included | Native English or French included |
| Support after launch | Separate maintenance contract | Case by case | 3 months, 6 on Premium |
| Ownership of site and domain | Check the contract | Check the contract | Domain in your name, all access handed over |
Payment is by bank transfer or Wise: 50 % at kickoff, 50 % on delivery. Your project manager calls you on Google Meet at a Texas-friendly hour and sends a written update every week. The team is based in Senegal (GMT), five to six hours ahead of Austin depending on the season, so calls fit into your morning. Full plan details are on our international website offer.
What 3-year total cost should you compare?
A property manager also pays for hosting, maintenance, changes (a new service area, a commercial leasing page) and sometimes a subscription. The table assumes identical maintenance on both sides, since Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted separately.
| Item over 36 months | Austin agency (mid-range) | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Website build | 22 000 USD | 4 900 USD |
| Support included after launch | Depends on contract | 3 months included |
| Maintenance (same assumption) | 175 USD per month for 33 months, i.e. 5 775 USD | 5 775 USD, maintenance quoted separately |
| Adding 6 neighborhood pages over three years | 10 hours at 150 USD, i.e. 1 500 USD | Quoted before work, assumed 1 000 USD |
| Professional team and sample property photos | Option, 1 200 USD | Local photographer booked separately, 1 200 USD |
| Indicative total | 30 475 USD | 12 875 USD |
These figures structure the conversation; they do not predict your invoice. Ask every vendor to fill in the same table.
What does each Kolonell plan include for a property manager?
| Item | Starter 2 900 USD | Growth 4 900 USD | Premium 8 900 USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service pages | Residential management, leasing, pricing | Pages by property type (single-family, multifamily, short-term rentals if you manage them) | Full structure, residential and commercial |
| Rental listings | Link to your management software | Integration of your software's listings feed | Polished integration, filters by area |
| Owner inquiry form | Included | Included, with rent estimate callback | Journeys by profile (investor, accidental landlord) |
| Service area pages | 3 areas | Up to 8 areas | Detailed areas and neighborhoods |
| Bilingual EN/FR version | No | No | Included |
| Timeline | 3 to 4 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks | Written schedule at kickoff, usually 4 to 6 weeks |
| Support after launch | 3 months | 3 months | 6 months |
A custom owner portal, a tenant application module built from scratch or a reporting dashboard is a custom application, quoted separately. Ongoing SEO is also quoted separately. A Spanish version, useful for part of your tenant base, is supplied by you or quoted separately.
What does an Austin property management website need?
Austin's rental market has shifted fast: many homes bought during the price run-up are now rented out by owners living in California, New York or abroad. A property manager therefore sells remotely, through the website. Tenants search on their phones, from Round Rock to Kyle, via Pflugerville, Cedar Park or the West Campus blocks near the university.
- An owner page that reassures: management fees explained plainly, leasing fees, what is included (inspections, maintenance coordination, collections), monthly reporting.
- Service area pages written with real local reference points rather than cloned pages.
- Up-to-date listings pulled from the management software you already use, with the application link.
- Tenant and owner login links to your software's portal for payments and maintenance requests.
- A page for owners who live out of state or abroad, describing how remote management works.
On compliance, let's stay factual. In Texas, managing property for others generally requires a real estate license from TREC, and TREC requires license holders to link from their website to the Information About Brokerage Services notice and the Consumer Protection Notice. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discriminatory wording in listings. The Texas Data Privacy and Security Act has applied since July 1, 2024, with exemptions for certain small businesses, and WCAG 2.1 AA remains the technical reference given the risk of ADA claims. Your designated broker signs off on the notices. This is not legal advice.
Which red flags should you watch for in a quote?
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- A rented site on subscription with no way to export content if you leave.
- A domain registered in the vendor's name.
- Duplicated area pages where only the city name changes.
- A tenant application form hosted by the vendor, collecting Social Security numbers with no security plan: leave that to your management software.
- No mention of the TREC links in the brief.
- Copywriting missing from the quote, even though the fees page is the one that converts.
We delivered a bilingual EN/FR site with verified quote requests, appointment booking and a full back office for TR Signing Group, a notary and apostille service in New Jersey, so US time zones and bank transfer billing are already routine.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Marcus T. runs a property management company with 260 doors, mostly single-family homes north of Austin. A local agency quotes 24 000 USD, 12 weeks, with 150 USD per hour for later changes. Kolonell proposes Growth at 4 900 USD, delivered in 4 weeks; Marcus books a local photographer for 900 USD.
Build and photos: 24 900 USD with the agency (photos as a 900 USD option) versus 5 800 USD, a 19 100 USD gap. With the same hypothetical maintenance of 5 775 USD over 33 months on both sides, the 3-year total is 30 675 USD versus 11 575 USD. Marcus keeps a custom owner portal on the list for later, under a separate quote.
FAQ
How much does a property management website cost in Austin in 2026?
With a local agency, expect a ballpark of 12 000 to 45 000 USD depending on scope, and 3 000 to 12 000 USD with a freelancer. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD.
Can you display listings from our management software?
Yes, from Growth at 4 900 USD we integrate the listings feed or widget your software provides. A listings engine built from scratch is quoted separately.
Are property photos included?
No. You supply photos or book a local photographer, often a few hundred dollars per property according to published rates. An Austin agency can arrange this on site, which is a genuine advantage.
Can the site be in English and French?
Yes, the bilingual EN/FR version is included in Premium at 8 900 USD. Spanish is supplied by you or quoted separately.
How does payment work?
By bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % on delivery, so two payments of 2 450 USD on Growth.
Let's scope your project. Send us your service areas, your management software and your fee structure, and we will come back with a fixed-price plan delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.