Managing a home well requires trust, earned over time. It requires relationships with reliable providers across many trades. It requires the expertise to know what matters and what doesn't, what's urgent and what can wait. It requires a system — not just a list of contacts, but an actual operating model for keeping a complex home running well.

I had spent my career building systems. I knew how to build this one.

Stardust Home Services is what I built. It's the service I needed and couldn't find — a single point of contact for your home who knows it deeply, holds the full picture, manages the complexity, and is accountable for outcomes. I built it for people like me. And if you recognize your own life in what I've described, I'd love for you to meet us.

Busy Austin homeowners are increasingly recognizing that their time is their most valuable resource, that managing their home reactively is expensive, and that having a trusted partner who holds the full picture is worth a premium.

Here's what we've learned from years of managing home projects on behalf of our clients.

Start with references, not just reviews. Online reviews are useful for a first impression, but they're easy to game and difficult to verify. A contractor who has worked in your neighborhood — whose past clients you can call and ask specific questions — is a much stronger signal. Ask specifically whether they showed up on time, whether the final cost matched the estimate, and whether you'd hire them again. That last question tells you everything.

Verify licensing and insurance before any work begins. In Texas, plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians are required to hold state licenses. You can verify credentials on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation website. Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation. A contractor who hesitates to provide these documents is a contractor to avoid, regardless of their reviews.

Get at least three bids on any significant project. Not because you should always choose the lowest, but because bids reveal a great deal about how contractors think about your job. A bid that comes in dramatically lower than the others usually means something is missing — either the scope is incomplete or the materials are substandard. The most informative part of getting multiple bids isn't the numbers — it's what each contractor says when you ask them to explain their approach.