Star Ranch Townhomes Austin Review: 46-Unit Golf Course Community Where $1,800/Month Gets You a Garage and a Fairway View
The math on Star Ranch Townhomes caught my attention before the golf course views did.
A 2 bedroom townhome here starts at $1,800 a month. Apply the current special (one month free on a 12-month lease), and your net effective rent drops to $1,652. That’s $1.27 per square foot for 1,301 square feet of space with an attached garage, wood floors, and a patio facing the Golf Club at Star Ranch.
For context, the nearest competitor offering similar square footage in the Star Ranch master planned community is Double Eagle, half a mile away, managed by the same company, at the same price point. The Fairways at Star Ranch, 0.11 miles down the road, starts lower at $1,167 but that’s for a 725 square foot one bedroom apartment. Not a townhome. Not even close to the same product.
I’ve tracked over 1,000 apartment communities across the Austin metro for 14 years. Star Ranch Townhomes is one of just 46 units in the entire community, managed by a small private company called Tack Management. That size and management setup change everything, from how fast maintenance shows up to how flexible they are on lease terms.
It also means almost nobody has reviewed this place online. Two Google reviews. That’s it.
So this review pulls from the property data, the management company’s track record at their sister property Double Eagle, and what I know about how small private operators run in this market.
Here’s what you’re actually getting for the money.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Address | 230 Klattenhoff Lane, Suite 101, Hutto, TX 78634 |
| Year Built | 2018 |
| Total Units | 46 |
| Management | Tack Management LLC |
| Unit Types | Townhomes (attached garage) and Flats |
| Bed/Bath | 2 BD/2 BA and 3 BD/2–2.5 BA |
| Square Footage | 1,156–1,590 sq ft |
| Base Rent | $1,800–$2,150/month |
| Net Effective Rent | $1,652–$1,973/month (with 1 month free on 12-month lease) |
| Security Deposit | $1,000 |
| Application Fee | $60 |
| Admin Fee | $95 |
| Minimum Lease | 9 months |
| Pets | 2 max, 175 lbs, no breed restrictions, $200 deposit + $150 non-refundable, $0/month pet rent |
| Parking | Attached garage (townhomes), open parking (flats) |
| Walk Score | 50 (Fairly Walkable) |
| School District | Hutto ISD |
Best For
Renters stepping up from apartment living toward homeownership. The property’s own website says it outright: “Many of our renters choose Star Ranch Townhomes as a spacious transition from apartment living to buying a home.” At 1,300 to 1,500+ square feet with a garage, patio, and no shared walls on the townhome units, this feels more like renting a small house than living in a complex.
Families who want Hutto ISD schools and golf course quiet without a mortgage. The community sits directly on the Golf Club at Star Ranch, so your backyard view is fairways, not parking lots. Hutto ISD schools are assigned to this address, though the specific school names differ depending on where you look. Confirm your assigned schools with Hutto ISD directly.
Pet owners who’ve been burned by breed restrictions and monthly pet rent. No breed restrictions. No monthly pet rent. Two pets up to 175 pounds combined. That’s one of the more generous pet policies in the Hutto market.
Commuters on the SH-130/SH-45 toll corridor. If your job is in Round Rock, Pflugerville, or northeast Austin, the toll road access here is hard to beat. Samsung’s Taylor fab, Dell’s Round Rock campus, and Baylor Scott & White Pflugerville are all within 15–20 minutes.
Skip If
You need on site amenities like a full fitness center, business center, or resort pool. This is a 46-unit community. A pool exists, but don’t expect the clubhouse, dog park, and yoga studio you’d find at Rushcreek or Glenhaven down the road. You’re paying for interior space and location, not community perks.
You want a one bedroom or studio. The smallest unit here is a 2 bedroom at 1,156 square feet. There are no one bedroom or studio options.
You need walkable access to restaurants, groceries, or transit. Walk Score is 50. Star Ranch Retail and the Commons at Star Ranch are within walking distance for basic errands, but this is a car-dependent suburb. The nearest Capital Metro transit stop is 12 miles away.
You have a tight timeline and need immediate responsiveness from a large management office. Tack Management’s office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 2 PM. That’s a five-hour window. No weekend office hours. Small management companies can be more flexible and personal, but they also don’t staff a 24/7 maintenance hotline or a full-time leasing team.
Get a personalized
Location Deep Dive
Star Ranch Townhomes sits inside the Star Ranch master-planned community in Hutto, directly on the Golf Club at Star Ranch. The physical address is on Klattenhoff Lane, but the actual units line Muirfield Bend Drive, facing the course.
Hutto is the fastest-growing city in the Austin metro by percentage, hitting 9.4% annual growth in 2024. The 78634 ZIP code more than doubled from 22,791 to over 46,000 residents since 2010.
That growth matters for renters because it means infrastructure is still catching up. Restaurants are mostly chains along the Highway 79 corridor. Grocery options include an H-E-B on Gattis School Road, roughly 3 miles west. Old Town Hutto has some local character with 19th-century storefronts and community events like Old Tyme Days and the Crawfish Festival, but this isn’t a walkable urban neighborhood.
The real location advantage is the toll road corridor. SH-130 runs along the east side of the community, and SH-45 connects west to I-35. That combination makes commutes north to Georgetown or south to the airport faster than most places in the metro, as long as you’re willing to pay tolls.
Commute Times from Star Ranch Townhomes
| Destination | Drive Time | Distance | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Taylor Fab | ~15 min | 12 mi | SH-130 N |
| Dell Round Rock HQ | ~18 min | 10 mi | SH-45 W to I-35 |
| Baylor Scott & White Pflugerville | ~8 min | 4.5 mi | SH-130 S |
| Downtown Austin | ~30–35 min | 28 mi | SH-130 S to SH-45 to I-35 |
| Austin-Bergstrom Airport | ~37 min | 29 mi | SH-130 S |
| Round Rock Premium Outlets | ~15 min | 9 mi | SH-45 W |
| ACC Round Rock Campus | ~18 min | 9.6 mi | US-79 W |
School zoning in Star Ranch gets tricky. Gattis School Road splits Hutto ISD to the north and Pflugerville ISD to the south. The property sits north of that line, and most listing sources place it in Hutto ISD. Apartments.com is the outlier, listing PISD. The specific elementary and middle school names also differ depending on the source, so call Hutto ISD directly to find out which schools go with your address. Hutto High carries a 5/10 GreatSchools rating.
Pricing and True Cost
The advertised rent range of $1,800–$2,150 tells you part of the story. Here’s the rest.
Net Effective Rent (1 month free on a 12-month lease)
Using the daily multiplier method: (365 − 30) ÷ 365 × base rent.
| Floor Plan | Style | Bed/Bath | Sq Ft | Base Rent | Net Effective Rent | Net Effective $/Sq Ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Townhome | 2/2 | 1,301 | $1,800 | $1,652 | $1.27 |
| Type C Interior | Flat | 2/2 | 1,156 | $1,850 | $1,698 | $1.47 |
| C Golf | Flat | 2/2 | 1,301 | $1,865–$1,900 | $1,712–$1,744 | $1.32–$1.34 |
| Type B Interior | Flat | 3/2 | 1,369 | $1,925–$1,950 | $1,767–$1,790 | $1.29–$1.31 |
| B | Townhome | 3/2 | 1,415 | $1,935–$2,000 | $1,776–$1,836 | $1.26–$1.30 |
| A | Flat/Townhome | 3/2 | 1,490–1,510 | $2,000–$2,100 | $1,836–$1,927 | $1.22–$1.28 |
| D Floor Plan | Flat | 3/2.5 | 1,590 | $2,075–$2,200 | $1,904–$2,019 | $1.20–$1.27 |
| F Floor Plan | Flat | 3/2 | 1,522 | $2,150 | $1,973 | $1.30 |
Units with golf course views run $35–$85 more per month than units facing inward. That’s the premium for waking up to fairways instead of another building.
Move-In Costs (Estimated)
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| First month’s rent (3 BD example) | $2,000 |
| Security deposit | $1,000 |
| Application fee | $60 |
| Admin fee | $95 |
| Pet deposit (if applicable) | $200 |
| Pet non-refundable fee (if applicable) | $150 |
| Total without pets | $3,155 |
| Total with one pet | $3,505 |
Important: Apartments.com lists $181 per month in required fees on top of base rent here. The breakdown isn’t published, but at other Tack properties it typically covers trash, water, and amenity charges. On a $2,000 base rent unit, you’re actually paying $2,181 a month before utilities. Budget accordingly.
How This Compares Locally
| Property | Built | 2 BD Starting | 3 BD Starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Ranch Townhomes | 2018 | $1,800 | $1,925 |
| The Fairways at Star Ranch | 2009 (ren. 2023) | $1,167 | $1,500+ |
| Glenhaven at Star Ranch | 2009 (ren. 2024) | $1,000 | $2,020 |
| Double Eagle | 2014 | $1,800 | $1,800+ |
| Skyview North | 2022 | $1,042 | N/A |
| Rushcreek at Star Ranch | 2023 | $1,135 | $2,068 |
Star Ranch Townhomes costs more than every competitor except Double Eagle. So what are you paying extra for? The 2018 construction, townhome layout, and attached garages. Whether that’s worth the premium comes down to how much you care about having a garage and your own space versus having a pool, fitness center, and a bigger management team behind you. The Fairways and Glenhaven offer more community amenities for less money but in older buildings. Rushcreek is newer with better amenities but at a similar price point for comparable square footage.
Screening and Qualification
Tack Management doesn’t publish screening criteria for Star Ranch Townhomes. No credit score minimums, no background check policies, no eviction lookback periods. None of that shows up on the property website, Apartments.com, or any other listing site.
Here’s what I do know, based on the management company’s sister property and what I’d expect from a 2018 build at this price point.
Income Requirement
The sister property Double Eagle (same management, same onsite manager Alex) lists a 3x rent income requirement through ThriftyApartments. Expect the same here. That means:
| Unit Type | Base Rent | Monthly Income Needed (3x) | Annual Income Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 BD Townhome (1,301 sq ft) | $1,800 | $5,400 | $64,800 |
| 3 BD Flat (1,369 sq ft) | $1,925 | $5,775 | $69,300 |
| 3 BD Townhome (1,415 sq ft) | $2,000 | $6,000 | $72,000 |
| 3 BD Flat (1,590 sq ft) | $2,150 | $6,450 | $77,400 |
They’ll check your income against the base rent, not the net effective rent. The free month concession doesn’t lower the bar for qualifying.
If 3x rent is too high for your income, I keep a running list of apartments that don’t require 3x rent across the Austin metro.
Credit and Background
No published minimums. For a 2018 build at this rent range, I’d expect you need somewhere around 600–620 credit for a clean approval. Below that, you might face a higher deposit or get approved with conditions.
ThriftyApartments lists the sister property Double Eagle as accepting broken leases, evictions, and lower credit scores. Whether that flexibility extends to Star Ranch Townhomes hasn’t been confirmed.
Small private managers like Tack often review applications individually rather than running them through automated screening software. That can work in your favor if you have a story behind a blemish on your record. But it also means there’s no published policy to point to.
If you have screening concerns, contact me before applying. The $60 application fee is non-refundable. I can check what Tack Management is currently accepting and whether Star Ranch Townhomes is the right fit for your profile, or if Double Eagle or another Hutto property makes more sense. That’s what a locator is for.
Don’t waste $60 on an application you’re not sure about.
What to Watch For
Star Ranch Townhomes has two Google reviews. Both are five stars. Both are brief. That’s not enough to tell you what it’s actually like to live here.
So I’m pulling from the management company’s track record. Tack Management runs Double Eagle Townhomes half a mile away with the same onsite manager, Alex D. Double Eagle has 10 Yelp reviews at a 3.0 average. Here’s what the pattern looks like across those reviews.
Alex and Maintenance Response
Alex gets called out by name in the Double Eagle reviews, and it’s mostly positive. An eight-year resident called her “wonderful to deal with” and said maintenance gets done fast. A newer resident described her as “fantastic” during the leasing process. This tracks with what you’d expect from a small operation where the manager handles everything personally. You’re not dealing with a corporate call center. You’re calling Alex.
Deposit Disputes
This is the red flag. At least two Double Eagle reviews are about getting burned on the security deposit. One reviewer wrote that units weren’t cleaned properly before the new tenant arrived, and even documenting everything on the walk-through didn’t prevent charges at move-out. Another described difficulty reaching the property owner when Alex couldn’t resolve the issue.
With a $1,000 deposit at Star Ranch Townhomes, you need to protect yourself. Photograph everything at move-in. Every scuff, every stain, every scratch. Do the inspection form and keep a copy. Send a follow-up email to alex@tackmgmt.com listing everything you found, so you have a written timestamp.
Owner Accessibility
The owner behind Tack Management is Timothy Timmerman. He also runs Tack Development, Star Golf Development, and several other companies. His office is at 230 Klattenhoff Lane Suite 100, same building as the property’s leasing office. But at least one Double Eagle reviewer said the owner wouldn’t return their calls when they tried to go above Alex. That’s not unusual for small private operators. It just means Alex is your only real point of contact.
Small Community Trade-Offs
46 units means quiet. It means you’ll know your neighbors. It also means there’s no dedicated maintenance staff at the property, no 24/7 emergency line, and limited community amenities. A pool exists, but beyond that it’s thin. Other listing sites mention a fitness center, hot tub, outdoor kitchen, and walking trails, but the property’s own website doesn’t back any of that up. Ask during your tour what’s actually available right now.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Star Ranch Townhomes is a solid product at a premium price, run by a company with a mixed track record and almost no reviews to go on.
You’re paying $1,800 to $2,150 a month for a townhome on a golf course with 2018 finishes and an attached garage. That’s competitive for what you get in space and finishes. But you’re getting that product from a 46-unit community managed by a company that runs three total properties in Hutto. No corporate leasing team. No regional manager to escalate to. Office hours that end at 2 PM on weekdays. No weekend office hours at all.
The deposit issues at Double Eagle concern me enough that I’d tell anyone signing a lease here to treat the move-in inspection like a legal proceeding. Document everything. Keep every email.
And the screening situation is a black box. If you have a clean profile with 650+ credit and 3x income, you’ll be fine. If you’re carrying a broken lease or a collections account, I can check with Tack Management before you spend $60 on an application. But I can’t promise what their current criteria look like. They don’t publish them.
The community amenities are thin compared to what you’d get at Rushcreek (2023 build, pet spa, EV charging, fitness center with yoga studio) or Glenhaven (resort pool, clubhouse, one-mile jogging trail, playground) at similar or lower price points. You’re choosing Star Ranch Townhomes because it feels like living in a house, not an apartment complex. The garage is the draw. Not the pool.
If that trade-off works for your lifestyle, this is one of the few places in Hutto where you can rent a townhome on a championship golf course without a mortgage. If you want full-service apartment living with community amenities, there are better options within half a mile.
FAQ
What’s the actual monthly cost after the concession ends? The free month special applies only during the initial 12-month lease term. Your monthly payment stays the same throughout the lease. The free month gets averaged across all 12 payments, which is why the net effective rent is lower than the sticker price. At renewal, you’ll pay the full base rent unless Tack Management offers a renewal concession. Ask about projected renewal rates before signing.
Do the flat units have garages, or just the townhomes? Only the townhome floor plans (C, B, and A designations) include attached garages. Flat units have open parking. The property listing says “Garage Spaces” as a general feature, but the garage comes with specific floor plans only. Not every unit gets one.
What are utilities like in Hutto? Hutto isn’t covered by Austin Energy. You’ll set up electricity through a retail electric provider (Texas is a deregulated market, so you can shop rates). Water and sewer go through the City of Hutto. Natural gas is through Texas Gas Service. I’ve put together a utility setup guide that covers the full process for the Austin metro suburbs, including Hutto.
Is the Golf Club at Star Ranch included for residents? The property’s own website says “easy access to the course whenever you like,” which sounds like it could mean included rounds. Double Eagle’s Yelp listing specifically mentions “free access to golf at Star Ranch.” But neither source spells out the terms clearly. Ask during your tour exactly what golf access comes with the lease and whether there are any fees or restrictions.
Can I do a 9-month lease? The property accepts 9-month minimum leases, but there’s a catch. The property pays 0% locator commission on leases under 12 months. That means on a 9-month lease, the property doesn’t pay locator commissions, and the free month concession only applies to 12-month leases. The shorter lease costs you the concession and costs me the referral. If you need a shorter term, it’s still an option, but you’ll pay full sticker price.
Bottom Line
Star Ranch Townhomes works for a specific renter. Someone who wants space that feels like a house, with a garage, on a golf course. Someone who prefers the quiet of a 46-unit community over a 300-unit apartment complex. And someone who doesn’t need walkable urban amenities or a large management operation.
The net effective rent of $1,652 to $1,973 per month is competitive for what you’re getting in raw square footage and interior finishes. No other rental in Hutto puts you on a golf course fairway with an attached garage at this price point, except Double Eagle, which is the same management company and four years older.
The unknowns are real, though. Almost no resident reviews. A management company with mixed feedback at their sister property, especially around deposit returns. Unpublished screening criteria. Limited community amenities. Office hours that end before most people get off work.
If you’re moving to Hutto or the north suburbs and this sounds like it might fit, I can check current availability and confirm what Tack Management is looking for on applications right now. I’ve been inside hundreds of communities across this market. I’ll tell you straight whether Star Ranch Townhomes makes sense for you, or whether one of the five other options within a mile is a better call.
Need help finding the right apartment in Hutto or anywhere in the Austin metro?
I’m Ross Quade, a licensed Texas REALTOR® (License #679806, brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group LLC, Broker License #562021) and U.S. Army veteran who’s spent 14+ years helping renters find the right apartment in Austin. My service is free to you. The property pays my referral fee from their marketing budget, and your rent is the same whether you use a locator or not.
Text me at 512-360-0852.
