Etheredge Property Management, led by Karen Locke, looks after single-family homes, small multifamily blocks, and commercial leases across Texas City — leasing, maintenance, inspections, and full owner accounting under one roof.
Karen Locke founded Etheredge in 2009 after fifteen years on the brokerage side. The firm stays deliberately mid-sized — large enough to staff maintenance seven days a week, small enough that the owner picks up the phone.
We manage property the way we would want our own managed — quietly, thoroughly, and with the books open at the end of every month.
Etheredge began with a single four-plex on Bay Street in Texas City and a simple conviction: owners in Galveston County deserved a manager who actually walked the halls. Fifteen years on, the portfolio has grown to more than two hundred and forty units across single-family rentals, small multifamily blocks, and a handful of commercial leases on Palmer Highway.
Karen still reviews every new lease personally. Maintenance is staffed in-house — not subcontracted to the lowest bidder — and every tenant gets a named contact for after-hours issues. Owners receive a single monthly statement that reads like a sentence, not a spreadsheet, with receipts attached and a clear running balance.
We do not chase volume. The firm takes on a limited number of new doors each quarter so that service never slips below the standard the first client received in 2009.
Flat fees, published up front. No markups on maintenance labour, no surprise line items at year-end. Indicative pricing below — final quotes depend on property type, location, and condition.
Day-to-day management of single-family homes and multifamily units up to fourplexes. Includes rent collection, tenant correspondence, lease enforcement, and a dedicated property coordinator. Priced per door, with no lease-up fee on renewals.
Marketing, showings, full background and credit screening, and lease drafting. We charge one month's rent — capped at $1,200 — for placement, with a sixty-day satisfaction guarantee. If the tenant breaks lease in the first two months, we re-lease at no charge.
In-house maintenance crew for routine work — HVAC service, plumbing, paint, and turnarounds. No markup on labour; parts billed at cost with receipts attached. Emergency line answered twenty-four hours for active tenants.
Documented photographic inspection at every lease start and a walk-through once per year. Reports delivered through the owner portal with flagged maintenance items and a recommended priority list, so small issues never become capital calls.
For retail and light-industrial space along Palmer Highway and the port corridor. CAM reconciliation, percentage rent tracking, and tenant compliance monitoring. Priced as a monthly retainer scaled to square footage, typically $250–$900.
Monthly statements, year-end reconciliation, and 1099 preparation for each owning entity. Exportable to QuickBooks, with receipts and invoices attached to every line. Audit support included for Galveston County tax filings.
Coordination with a Galveston County eviction attorney, court appearances, writ execution, and lockout. Flat fee covers the full process through regain of possession. Rare — our screening rejects fewer than one in twelve applicants — but covered when needed.
Quarterly rent comparables for your portfolio, plus an annual sit-down on strategy — hold, renovate, or divest. Useful for out-of-area owners who want a local read on the Texas City and La Marque submarkets before lease renewals.
Onboarding a new property takes about ten business days from signed agreement to live listing. Here is what happens in between.
Karen visits the property in person, photographs every room, and prepares a recommended rent range backed by three comparable leases within a two-mile radius. No charge for this visit, whether or not you sign.
Management agreement signed, owner portal credentials issued, and any deferred maintenance flagged for the in-house crew. We handle the make-ready scope and quote before listing — never after.
Listing goes live across the MLS, Zillow, and Apartments.com within forty-eight hours. Showings are scheduled by a coordinator. Applicants are screened against a published rubric — credit, income, rental history — with the same standard applied to every applicant.
Lease drafted, signed, and executed. Security deposit held in a Texas-compliant trust account. First rent payment posts to your owner portal on the first of the month, with the statement closing by the tenth.
A cross-section of current inventory — single-family, multifamily, and light commercial across Texas City, La Marque, and Dickinson.
Bay St · 3BR/2BA
9th Ave N · 4-Plex
Palmer Hwy · Retail
La Marque
Dickinson · Duplex
Texas City · 12-Unit
We take on a limited number of new doors each quarter. Reach out, and Karen or a coordinator will respond within one business day.
Whether you own one door or forty, the conversation starts the same way — with a walk-through and an honest rent estimate.
Etheredge Property Management is based in Texas City and serves owners across Galveston County. The fastest way to reach us is by phone during business hours; for after-hours maintenance, active tenants should use the tenant line on their lease.