From Houston, for Houston
Checkmate Real Estate was founded on a simple idea: the best real estate outcomes don’t happen by luck — they happen by strategy. Founder Austin Jones, known across the city as “Austin from Houston,” built the firm to bring an investor’s discipline to every client, whether they’re buying a first home in Pasadena or assembling a multifamily portfolio across the Houston metro.
The chess theme isn’t a gimmick. It’s how we think. Every transaction is a board with pieces in motion — pricing, timing, financing, negotiation, and risk. Our job is to see the whole board, think several moves ahead, and put you in a winning position before the other side even realizes the game has started.
An operator’s advantage
Because Austin is an active investor and operator, Checkmate works the full board of real estate — residential, multifamily, retail, industrial, and land. That range means we can underwrite an investment the way a buyer should, position a listing the way a seller needs, and connect the dots between asset classes that single-lane agents miss.
We’re proud to be brokered by Keller Williams, pairing local, boots-on-the-ground knowledge of Houston and Pasadena with the resources of one of the largest real estate organizations in the world.
More than transactions
Austin also hosts REI 101, a podcast that breaks down real estate investing for everyday people in plain language. It’s the same philosophy that drives the firm: educate first, build trust, and help our Houston-area neighbors make confident moves.
“In chess and in real estate, the player who thinks three moves ahead wins. Our job is to do that thinking for you.”