Construction completed earlier this week on Amplify Tomball, a new build-to-rent community at 17318 N. Eldridge Parkway featuring 170 three-story townhomes, according to developer Ascendant Development. The gated community is now leasing.
And these aren’t exactly bare-bones rentals.
The one- and two-bedroom townhomes range from 1,020 to 1,390 square feet and come with private one- or two-car garages. Ascendant says the homes also feature granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, modern kitchen backsplashes and luxury vinyl plank flooring.
Outside the homes, residents will have access to a saltwater swimming pool, fitness center with yoga and spin rooms, clubhouse, demonstration kitchen, game room, dog park and property-wide Wi-Fi.
The idea is essentially to give renters some of the things typically associated with owning a suburban home—more space, privacy and a garage—without actually buying one.
“Amplify Tomball offers residents the space and privacy of suburban living, without the commitment of homeownership,” Ascendant Development principal Richard Owen said in the company’s announcement.
Amplify Tomball also isn’t popping up in isolation.
Chron reported earlier this year on Cypress Manor, another build-to-rent community in northwest Harris County that opened with 44 duplex-style rental homes. That project similarly leaned into the house-without-the-mortgage concept, offering private backyards, three bedrooms and neighborhood-style amenities rather than traditional apartment living.
The trend comes as Houston’s broader rental market has been busy. Chron reported in April that 4,718 homes were leased across the Houston area in March, a 15.8 percent increase from the year before and the highest single-month total recorded by the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) at the time. The average lease price, meanwhile, had actually fallen slightly year over year to $1,898.
That broader rental activity comes as affordability and uncertainty surrounding homeownership remain concerns for some would-be buyers.
