About Us

About Us

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SmartSouce Realty is a full service real estate company offering sales, leasing, property management, and mortgage services. We are experts at assisting investors in purchasing rental properties. We can help investors find a rental property, originate a mortgage at an aggressive rate, assist in making repairs, get home ready for lease, find a tenant, and manage the property. The more services you choose, the more savings we can provide you.

If you are a first time buyer, we can simplify your home purchase and help educate you in the process. We can explain the loan process in detail, pre-qualify you for a mortgage, and educate you through the whole home purchase process. Any Realtor can show you a property and open a door. Very few can provide consulting service on mortgage services, credit repair, and real estate services. We can discuss down payment requirements, debt ratios, closing costs, cash reserves, fico score requirements, and gift guidelines. If your credit needs repair, we can provide guidance in increasing your credit fico score. If you need assistance in getting pre-qualified for a mortgage, please contact us.

Because we are a smaller real estate firm with lower overhead than other large companies, we pass our cost savings to our customers. We offer sellers aggressive move-up and move-down programs. For owners who have limited equity, we offer a fee for service listing program that will save owners thousands of dollars. Whether you have outgrown your existing home and need to purchase a larger home, need to downsize, or are in a negative equity position, we have a customized listing program to help you sell your home quickly and maximize your profits and sales proceeds.

Call us today at 512-257-9836 and let us help you with your real estate transaction.

STAFF BIOS

Karl Jennings

Karl Jennings

Karl Jennings has dedicated himself to a career in property management as a part of Smart Source Realty’s team of professionals. Karl is a 1998 graduate of Southwest Texas State University with a B.A.A.S. in Business. Karl has 17 years of property management experience and is a member of The National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM)® where he earned his Residential Management Professional(RMP)®designation in August of 2010. Karl has also served on the local NARPM chapter board and is considered a chapter leader.

In 2012, Karl earned his Brokers license and is now a Broker-Associate of Smart Source Realty. Karl currently manages over 70 accounts and as property manager/accounts owner he is responsible for all daily aspects of property management: From handling any property/tenant issue that may arise to marketing properties to communicating with owners about any issues or questions regarding their properties as well as managing all make readies of units.

Put Karl to work managing your biggest asset.
Nancy Filgate

Nancy Filgate

I grew up in Beverly Hills, California and have lived in New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina before returning to Texas after a 25-year absence. These experiences plus my travels and education help me relate to the concerns of a wide variety of Buyers and Sellers. I consider the Austin area an excellent place to reside and would love to share with you my enthusiasm for the many neighborhoods that encompass it. I pride myself on providing unparalleled service and look forward to developing a long-term relationship with you. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss how I can best assist you with your real estate needs.
Ben Hardin, RealtorĀ®

Ben Hardin, Realtor®

Cell: (512) 940-3332 Text Friendly
USMC VETERAN – Semper Fi

I have lived in the Austin area most of my life, and have observed how much the Central Texas area has changed. The Austin economy is booming with many job opportunities and beautiful surroundings. It is obvious why people want to live and work here.

I am a full-time realtor and have been in the real estate business since June 1999. I pride myself as a hard worker for my clients, whether buyers, sellers, tenants or investors, and consider myself a great negotiator. Being a member of Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors, I keep current on the latest changes, news and developments.

There are many mortgage sources available to me who can assist buyers for pre-approval financing. When I began working with a client, I provide them with a packet of information to guide them throughout the entire process.

My clients are very important to me and I always place their interests first.

I would welcome the opportunity to work for you to make your real estate transition as smooth as possible.

Kathleen Townsley

Kathleen Townsley joined Smart Source Realty in 2006, and has been the top producer for the

past ten years. As a former trial lawyer, Kathleen has excellent negotiating and problem-solving

skills. She represents buyers and sellers in Cedar Park, Leander, Austin, Round Rock,

Pflugerville, and the greater Austin area, including Hutto, Taylor, Cibolo, Kempner, Manor,

Burnet, and beyond.


For buyers, Kathleen likes to start with a lender’s pre-approval. If clients have not been

pre-approved for a loan, Kathleen will make lender recommendations. Once the price range has

been established, the home search can begin!

Kathleen loves the buying process. She helps her buyers reach a decision based on a

combination of important factors, such as price, neighborhood, schools, amenities, walkability,

communities, and commutes. She’s happy to show buyers homes all around the greater Austin

area, helping them narrow their search until they find the home that best fits their needs.


Once buyers find a property, Kathleen guides her clients through negotiations, which include

price and many other terms. Once the home is under contract, she helps her clients meet

deadlines for paying the earnest money and option fee. She also helps schedule an inspection

and then does a walkthrough with the inspector. Once the inspection is completed, she helps

her clients determine if they will ask for repairs or ask for an allowance to help them pay for

repairs. Once the repairs are negotiated, Kathleen will work with the lender to help move the

buyers toward closing.


After closing, many new homeowners want to add their personal touches. Growing up, Kathleen

watched her mother and brother transform distressed properties into stunning homes. Drawing

from that experience, Kathleen helps her buyers take a home with good bones and rehab it to

their specific tastes. To help her buyers create their dream home, Kathleen has a vast list of

designers and trades to make their visions into reality.


For sellers, Kathleen has teamed with her brother Billy to offer clients a listing strategy, which

includes recommendations for updates and repairs.The sellers review the recommendations

and develop a plan that best fits their budget and lifestyle. If clients wish to make cosmetic

updates, she and Billy help them make selections, including paint colors, backsplashes,

counters, light fixtures, flooring, door hardware, plumbing fixtures, and landscaping, and then

help them find the trades to do the work. Kathleen’s goal is for her clients to spend the least

amount of money to get the highest sales price possible. Kathleen doesn’t charge extra for

helping her clients get their homes ready for the market.


When Kathleen listed a vacant home for sale in 2010, she called home stagers to get pricing,

but most of them charged sellers $3,000 per month, an expense that is cost prohibitive to most

sellers. So Kathleen decided to stage her clients’ homes at no extra charge. She teams with

Billy to give a staging plan to clients, who then decide how little or how much they want their

homes staged. If the clients still reside in the home, Kathleen and Billy modify their staging plan

per the clients’ wishes, and usually stage with a combination of the sellers’ furniture and their

own. When a home is vacant, they stage with their own furniture to enhance the home’s

appearance.


Kathleen also helps real estate investors find rental properties, then helps them through the

rental process.


Should you wish to speak with Kathleen about your real estate questions, please call her at

(512) 925-9898. She can also be reached at kathleen.townsley@gmail.com.

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