I'm a current tenant of a Crosstown rental home and, so far, I'm baffled over these other reviews. From the get go, Debbie was absolutely amazing. She was really responsive when I first contacted her as I was preparing for a last-minute move from California to Austin. And she turned out to be the sweetest person in the world. She went out of her way and above and beyond all expectations. I arrived really late on a Saturday night and she came to let me in at MIDNIGHT! so I didn't have to get a hotel. Not only that, she had ensured that everything was clean and taken care of when I got there, and she even brought over snacks, tea, cups, and some cat food for me! Oh, and I can't forget that she was on the phone with me during my drive, making sure I found my way. Actually, as I'm writing this now, I feel so bad for not writing it sooner!
As for Jim, he's mostly just hands-off. I wouldn't call him super friendly, but he's pleasant enough, responsive, and takes care of things immediately when I contact him. And actually, I much prefer him leaving me be rather than having a landlord that's always poking around.
Both Debbie and Jim do kind of come across as no-nonsense people when it comes to the money, application, etc. But I can appreciate that they're trying to do their jobs and probably have to deal with a lot of irresponsible and non-serious applicants and renters. I actually prefer this kind of approach.
The only thing kind of disappointing about the house when I moved in was the yard. By the looks of it, it hadn't been taken care of in months and months. It was mostly dirt with heaps and heaps of leaves. I took the time to rake up all the leaves, and since I've moved in, some people have been by one in a while (not regularly by any means, though) to care for it. However, the workers say they've been sent by the homeowner, not the landlord.
I hope the rest of my experience while renting from Jim and Debbie goes just as well, including the whole move-out process, which can be a pain anyhow. So far, I have no reason to believe I'll have any problems.
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