An article in CoStar regarding student housing, reinforced what I already know. Student housing is a good investment and not all student housing is created equal. As a parent with two students in college, and a third student one year away, I spend a lot of money on housing. My first experience was when we arrived in Gainesville four years ago. We found that student housing is big business and extremely competitive in terms of rental rates. For less than $600 a month, my son had his own room and bathroom in a fully furnished apartment in a student complex. It was secure, had tons of amenities and activities geared around the college student. Even though he wasn’t living in the dorms, I feel like he still had a dorm-like experience.
Our second son is attending college in Fort Meyers and though he is living in the dorms, there is a student housing complex nearby identical to the one my son in Gainesville lived in. It is expected to be completely rented out in the next couple of months because the university just bought up a large multi-family complex close to their campus to convert into off campus dorms. In terms of investments, it is no wonder student housing is popular. Remember, the closer to campus, the higher the premium.