Williamson County · 78634 · Hippo Nation

Property Management in
Hutto, TX

Hutto is the newest housing stock in the corridor and the closest to Samsung's Taylor fab. That combination makes management here a different job entirely: warranty claims rather than system replacements, and a rental market where your competition is a professionally-run build-to-rent community two streets over.

3 miles To Samsung's Taylor fab Roughly a 15–20 minute commute
92% Of housing built since 2000 NeighborhoodScout
$1,947 Average rent Zumper, 25 July 2026 — down 2% YoY
+77% Population growth since 2020 World Population Review, 2026
Demand

Three Miles from Samsung's Taylor Fab

Hutto sits about three miles west of Samsung's Taylor semiconductor plant — closer than Round Rock, Pflugerville or Georgetown, and a 15 to 20 minute commute. Per Governor Abbott's November 2021 announcement, Samsung's "approximated $17 billion investment will be the largest foreign direct investment in Texas on record." NIST has since stated Samsung is expected to invest over $37 billion in the region, and reporting has described a potential multi-phase development approaching $44 billion.

Samsung spokeswoman Michele Glaze stated the project "plans to be operational by the end of year," referring to the end of 2026, with roughly 1,500 initial permanent employees and projections of 20,000-plus direct and indirect regional jobs. Hutto is repeatedly cited as the affordable housing alternative for those workers.

One honest caveat, because it affects how you should weight this: the Samsung timeline has already slipped twice from an original late-2024 target. End of 2026 is the current stated goal and remains subject to change. We would not advise an owner to price a lease on the assumption of a hiring wave that has not landed. What is already real is Tesla — Giga Texas is 22 to 30 miles southwest, and Tesla leased and renovated a 35,000 sq ft facility in Hutto itself at 200 County Road 199, alongside a nearby railyard at RCR Taylor Logistics Park.

Housing Stock

92% of This City Was Built After 2000

Per NeighborhoodScout, 92.13% of Hutto's housing was built since 2000, with 5.82% from 1970–1999 and just 1.73% predating 1939. A small core of mid-century ranch homes and a handful of early-1900s houses survive around Old Town, but they are a rounding error against the production housing that makes up the city.

That inverts the usual management job. In Round Rock or Georgetown, the work is aging systems — compressors past service life, panels needing upgrade, roofs at end of life. In Hutto the work is warranty coordination: a five-year-old home with a failing component often has a claim behind it, and knowing which builder covers what, for how long, is worth more than knowing a good HVAC contractor.

The stock itself is consistent: slab-on-grade, typically post-tension, with brick or stone veneer on the front elevation and fibre-cement or frame siding elsewhere — Pacesetter, Perry Homes and D.R. Horton are all active here. Modern 150–200 amp panels are standard. Homes run roughly 1,600 to 2,900+ sq ft, with rentals clustering at three bed, two bath, 1,400 to 2,100 sq ft. Pools are uncommon; one listing analysis found only 23 pooled homes among for-sale inventory.

HOA Compliance

Star Ranch, Emory Farms, Riverwalk: Compliance Is the Job

HOA governance is close to universal in Hutto's newer subdivisions, which means landscaping and architectural compliance is not a side task — it is the recurring management work. Star Ranch Community and Emory Farms Owner's Association are both administered by Goodwin & Company, with Emory Farms carrying a $375 resale certificate fee. Star Ranch dues were estimated near $400 annually per Community Impact in 2018, so verify against current governing documents rather than that figure.

The violations that recur are predictable: unmowed lawns, turf killed by heat and drought stress, unapproved exterior changes, visible sheds and non-conforming fencing. Some Hutto HOAs also impose leasing or rental restrictions outright, which is a thing to establish before you buy, not after.

We keep a rules sheet per community covering landscaping cadence, approved fencing and trash-can requirements, take the notices directly, and resolve the underlying issue with the tenant. In a city where nearly every rental sits inside an association, an owner who has to field those notices personally is not really being managed.

Flood Risk

Brushy Creek Redrew the Floodplain in 2019

Hutto lies in the Upper Brushy Creek watershed. FEMA and Williamson County floodplain maps were revised effective 20 December 2019 on the basis of the Upper Brushy Creek WCID watershed study, and the revised flood levels were generally higher — which moved more properties into the floodplain than the previous maps showed.

That matters concretely: federally-backed mortgages require flood insurance in Special Flood Hazard Areas, and an owner working from a pre-2019 understanding of their parcel may be wrong about whether they are in one. Williamson County floodplain management applies within Brushy Creek SFHAs.

Alongside flood, two climate risks set the rest of the maintenance calendar. Blackland Prairie expansive clay drives foundation movement — the single most common cause of foundation distress in Central Texas homes — which is managed with soaker hoses, drainage and grading rather than repaired after the fact. And freeze: the University of Houston Hobby School found 31% of Texas residents reported storm-related water damage after Winter Storm Uri, with only about 18% believing insurance would likely cover it. Slab homes with attic plumbing runs and garage water heaters are the exposure, and winterisation is the answer.

Regulation

What We Confirm Before Onboarding a Hutto Property

Hutto is the city in our service area with the thinnest publicly-verifiable regulatory picture, and we would rather say that than pretend otherwise. We could not verify a Hutto or Williamson County single-family rental registration ordinance or a short-term rental ordinance from public sources. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, so we confirm current requirements directly with City of Hutto Development Services before onboarding rather than telling you a requirement does not exist.

What is established: the City of Hutto adopts the 2018 International Residential Code, processes building permits and certificates of occupancy through GovWell, and Williamson County ESD #3 handles fire review. Certificates of occupancy or inspection are required on changes of tenancy or ownership in some contexts — another reason to confirm rather than assume.

Statewide rules apply regardless: Texas has no rent control and no landlord licence, landlord-tenant relations are governed by the Texas Property Code, and a third party managing single-family rentals for others must hold a TREC broker's licence or work under one.

A Hutto Specific

You Are Competing Against Build-to-Rent

National and regional developers chose Hutto as a Texas debut market for purpose-built rental communities. If you own a scattered-site house here, these are the homes your applicants tour before they tour yours.

294 YardHomes Cottonwood Creek Completed November 2025 on 28 acres at 401 County Road 199 — cottage homes of 635–1,391 sq ft with fenced yards, Ring doorbells and keyless entry.
219 Bell Yard Aspen Heights Partners' launch community for its single-family-rental brand — two-, three- and four-bedroom homes with attached garages on 36 acres.
570 Homes added by two communities Legacy MCS reported in May 2026 that YardHomes Cottonwood Creek and Village at Hutto Station together added this much professionally-managed supply.
231 Aspen Heights Hutto, proposed A PUD at 9261–9213 FM 1660 South for farm-style two-to-four-bedroom rentals — more supply still in the pipeline.

These homes come with smart-home packages, stainless appliances, luxury vinyl plank and on-site management as standard. That is the finish level and service level your listing is measured against — which is why in Hutto we advise owners on presentation and turn speed more aggressively than anywhere else we work, and why a soft rent market here rewards retention over rent increases.

The Local Market

Rents Softened While the Population Ran

Hutto grew roughly 77% in six years and the rental supply grew with it — including 570 professionally-managed homes from two build-to-rent communities alone. The result is a market where demand is genuinely strong and pricing power is not.

$1,947 Average rent, all types Zumper, 25 July 2026
$1,950 3-bedroom average Zumper, July 2026
$2,245 4+ bedroom average Zumper, July 2026
−2% Year-over-year change Zumper, July 2026
$345K–$381K Median sale price Range across providers, 2025–26
1,400–2,100 sq ft Typical rental size Observed listings, 3 bed / 2 bath

Zumper put the Hutto average at $1,947 a month as of 25 July 2026, down 2% year over year, with three-bedrooms at $1,950 and four-plus-bedrooms at $2,245. Zillow has carried a $2,250 median house rent, but that figure appears dated to 2023 and reads high against everything current — treat it with caution.

The for-sale market cooled alongside it, with median prices across providers landing somewhere between $345,000 and $381,000 and days-on-market lengthening substantially against the prior year. Zillow's home value index showed a year-over-year decline. Those figures diverge because they measure different things — index values versus medians of actual closings — so treat any single one as directional.

No reliable Hutto-specific single-family vacancy rate exists. RentCafe and Point2 data indicate roughly 17–20% renter occupancy citywide, but that is a tenure figure, not a vacancy rate, and using it as one would be misleading. What the numbers do support is a clear strategy: in a market with new professionally-managed supply and softening rents, retention and days-on-market discipline beat rent-growth ambition.

Coverage

Where We Manage in Hutto

Single-family homes make up roughly 85% of the Hutto market, and almost all of it is post-2000 subdivision or purpose-built rental product.

Master-planned communities

HOA-governed production housing

  • Star Ranch
  • Riverwalk
  • Emory Farms
  • Emory Crossing
  • Cottonwood Creek
  • Cotton Brook
  • Prairie Winds
  • Flora
  • Firefly Pointe
  • Brooklands
  • Mustang Creek
  • Carmel Creek

Established subdivisions

Older Hutto stock and the Old Town core

  • Legends of Hutto
  • Glenwood
  • Huttoparke
  • Hutto Square
  • Hutto Highlands
  • Lakeside Estates
  • Park at Brushy Creek
  • Enclave at Brushy Creek
  • Durango Farms
  • Mager Meadows
  • Country Estates
  • Old Town Hutto

Build-to-rent communities

Purpose-built, professionally managed

  • YardHomes Cottonwood Creek
  • Village at Hutto Station
  • Bell Yard
  • Villas at Star Ranch
  • Villas at Cottonwood Trail
Demand Drivers

Why Tenants Choose Hutto

Semiconductor-corridor access at a price point Round Rock no longer offers, in a district building for its own growth.

The Samsung and Tesla corridor

Samsung's Taylor fab is three miles east; Tesla operates a 35,000 sq ft Hutto facility and a nearby railyard, with Giga Texas 22–30 miles southwest. SH-130 and US-79 also open up Round Rock, Pflugerville and Austin employers including Dell.

Hippo Nation schools

Hutto ISD runs eight elementary schools — Lee Martinez opened in Fall 2025 as the first built under the 2023 bond — feeding three middle schools, the Ninth Grade Center and Hutto High. TEA rated the district "C" at 76/100 for 2024-25, its third consecutive C, with a 93.6% four-year graduation rate against a 90.7% state average.

Creekside High School, 2027-28

The $522 million bond approved 6 May 2023 is funding a second comprehensive high school, converting and expanding the Ninth Grade Center for the 2027-28 school year. Rapid growth means the district rezones frequently, so attendance zones need verifying by address each year.

Price and the Co-Op District

Hutto is the affordability answer for households priced out of Round Rock and Austin. The East Williamson County Higher Education Center brings TSTC, Temple College and Texas A&M–Central Texas to a 57-acre campus, and the Hutto Co-Op District is redeveloping downtown.

Pricing

What It Costs in Hutto

The same published fee schedule as every other city we serve. No location surcharge, no setup fee.

What You Pay

$100Monthly Managementper month, any rent
$1,200Leasing Feeflat, when we place a tenant
$200Lease Renewalincludes a mid-tenancy inspection
$100Inspection Feeper inspection

Three Things You Never Pay

$0Setupsetup and onboarding
$0Claim Handlinginsurance and warranty claims
$0Vacant Monthswhile the home is vacant

And the One Percentage

10%Repair Coordinationof vendor invoice, capped at $250 per job

On a $400 repair that's $40. On a $12,000 roof it's $250, not $1,200.

Month to month. No fixed term and no termination fee — cancel with 30 days' written notice.

Flat $100 monthly management, any rent, no tiers. Leasing is $1,200 flat. Lease renewal is $200 and includes one mid-tenancy inspection. Repair coordination is 10% of the vendor invoice, capped at $250 per job. Home-warranty and insurance claims carry no fee. Inspections are $100, with move-in and move-out performed as standard. Tenants pay a one-time $150 lease administration fee at signing and an application fee — there is no recurring monthly resident fee.

Services

Everything We Handle for Hutto Owners

Every service below is available across Hutto — including warranty-claim coordination on newer homes, which is a materially different task from the repair management an older city needs.

Hutto FAQ

Property Management in Hutto, Answered

How close is Hutto to Samsung's Taylor fab?

About three miles east, a 15 to 20 minute commute — closer than Round Rock, Pflugerville or Georgetown. Samsung's initial $17 billion investment is expected to exceed $37 billion regionally per NIST, with roughly 1,500 initial permanent employees. One caveat we would give any owner: the timeline has slipped twice from an original late-2024 target, and end of 2026 is the current stated goal. We would not price a lease on a hiring wave that has not landed yet.

How do I compete with the build-to-rent communities in Hutto?

On presentation, speed and service, because you will not win on amenities. YardHomes Cottonwood Creek (294 homes), Village at Hutto Station and Bell Yard (219 homes) offer smart-home packages, new appliances and on-site management as standard. That means make-ready quality and days-on-market matter more here than in any other city we serve, and it means renewing a good tenant is worth more than a $50 increase.

My Hutto home is only a few years old. Do I still need management?

The work is different, not absent. Newer homes generate warranty-claim coordination rather than system replacement — knowing which builder covers which component, for how long, and filing before the window closes. Add near-universal HOA compliance, foundation moisture management on Blackland clay, and tenant handling, and a five-year-old house is no less work than a twenty-year-old one. It is just different work.

Does Hutto require rental registration?

We could not verify a Hutto or Williamson County single-family rental registration or short-term rental ordinance from public sources — and we will not tell you a requirement does not exist on that basis. We confirm current requirements directly with City of Hutto Development Services at onboarding. What is established is that the city adopts the 2018 IRC, processes permits and certificates of occupancy through GovWell, and requires certificates of occupancy on changes of tenancy in some contexts.

Is my Hutto property in a flood zone?

It needs checking against the current maps, not older ones. FEMA and Williamson County revised the floodplain effective 20 December 2019 based on the Upper Brushy Creek WCID watershed study, and the revised levels were generally higher — moving more properties into the floodplain than before. Federally-backed mortgages require flood insurance in Special Flood Hazard Areas.

What are the most common maintenance issues in Hutto rentals?

Foundation movement from Blackland Prairie expansive clay, freeze-related pipe bursts in attic runs and garage water heaters, hail and wind roof damage against 2–3% wind/hail deductibles, HOA landscaping violations when drought-stressed turf dies, irrigation and backflow-preventer damage, and builder-warranty claims on newer homes. The mix skews to prevention rather than repair because the stock is so new.

Which Hutto neighbourhoods do you manage in?

Star Ranch, Riverwalk, Emory Farms, Emory Crossing, Cottonwood Creek, Prairie Winds, Flora, Firefly Pointe, Legends of Hutto, Glenwood, Huttoparke, Park at Brushy Creek and the Old Town core, among others. Star Ranch and Emory Farms are both administered by Goodwin & Company, whose processes and fee schedules we already work within.

Service Areas

Other Areas We Serve

We manage single-family rentals across the suburbs north of Austin.

See all service areas →

Sources

How we check the Hutto numbers

Every figure on this page is attributed where it appears. These are the primary sources behind them — go and check us.

Last reviewed

Market figures reviewed August 2026 and attributed inline to NeighborhoodScout, Zumper, Zillow, RentCafe/Point2, World Population Review, Community Impact, Legacy MCS, the Texas Education Agency, the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs, NIST, the Office of the Governor of Texas and FEMA/Williamson County. Rent and price figures vary by source and month and are directional; Zillow's $2,250 median house rent appears dated to 2023. No reliable Hutto-specific single-family vacancy rate exists — the 17–20% renter-occupancy figure is a tenure measure, not vacancy. Roof lifespans, HVAC age distribution, panel capacity and pool prevalence are regional norms inferred from listing data rather than Hutto datasets. HOA dues come from aggregator sources and a 2018 article and are verified against current governing documents at onboarding. No Hutto rental-registration or STR ordinance could be verified either way; we confirm directly with the city. Samsung's timeline has slipped twice and remains subject to change. Nothing on this page is legal or insurance advice.

Own a Rental in Hutto?

Get a free rental analysis. We will benchmark your home against the build-to-rent communities competing for the same tenant, check your builder warranty coverage, and confirm your parcel against the current floodplain maps.