Student Housing REVEALED: What Students ACTUALLY Want! #shorts
A student housing developer shares their 13-year philosophy of building residential communities near big public universities by prioritizing what students actually want: proximity to campus, strong resident communities, and amenities that exceed typical offerings. This resident-first approach, established in 2013, has continuously evolved and improved over time.
Summary
The speaker reflects on their journey in student housing development, beginning with an observation during their time at a development shop that there was a significant gap between what was being offered to students and what students actually desired. They identified three core student needs: resident community building, proximity to campus, and amenities and experiences that went beyond standard offerings. Based on these insights, the company made a deliberate strategic decision to focus on big four public schools, believing at that time that public education provided the best return on investment for college students. The founding thesis, established in 2013, centered on three principles: selecting locations at major public universities, ensuring pedestrian accessibility to campus, and designing everything from the resident perspective upward. Over the subsequent 13 years, this core philosophy has remained consistent and unchanged, but the execution and quality have continuously improved. Today, the company emphasizes a resident-first approach from the very beginning of market selection through to decisions about amenities, unit design, and overall resident experience post-delivery. The speaker frames this as an evolution where the foundational beliefs have held firm while the delivery mechanisms have become increasingly sophisticated.
Key Insights
- The speaker identified a market gap where student housing developers were not delivering what students actually wanted, particularly around resident community, campus proximity, and comprehensive amenities.
- The company strategically chose to build at big four public schools based on a thesis that public education offered the best return on investment for students relative to the cost of housing.
- The company's founding principles established in 2013—focusing on public schools, pedestrian access to campus, and resident-first design—have remained fundamentally unchanged for 13 years.
- The speaker describes their approach as 'resident first from day one,' meaning resident experience considerations drive decisions from initial market selection through amenity planning and unit selection.
- While the core thesis has not shifted since 2013, the execution has continuously improved, suggesting the foundational strategy was sound but required ongoing refinement in implementation.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] During my time with that development shop, I just I fell in love with student housing. I saw that there was this gap in what uh what was being offered versus what I believed students wanted and they wanted that resident community. They wanted to be close to campus. Uh they wanted they wanted they wanted something that was so much more than what was being offered. And that's really what we sought out. We sought out to build at big four public schools because we believed at that time the best return on investment for a college student was a [0:31] public a public education as it relates to what that resident or what that student is going…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from Student Housing Insight
Subtext: Building Student Housing, Resident First #shorts
Subtext, a Missouri-based student housing developer, has built over $4.5 billion in student housing over 13 years and differentiates itself through a resident-first approach. Rather than prioritizing investor ROI first, they focus on maximizing resident returns, believing this strategy ultimately delivers stronger investor returns.
From Zero to Capital: The Irreplaceable Deal #shorts
Two inexperienced real estate entrepreneurs secured institutional capital for their first development deal by leveraging an irreplaceable property location. Their partnership with Cain Anderson, located near where one founder lived in college, became a transformative learning experience that launched a successful relationship resulting in 14+ subsequent deals.
Student Housing: Parking vs. Transit - What Students Value MOST! #shorts
Student housing preferences depend on market-specific factors like parking availability and transit quality. Universities with limited on-campus parking see students willing to pay premiums for walkable locations, while those with abundant parking enable students to live further away and commute.
Unlock Affordable Living: The Secret Student Apartment Hack! #shorts
A student housing company addresses affordability challenges by offering units with varying price points based on bedroom features. Interior windowless bedrooms are priced $75-$100 lower per month than windowed rooms, with move-in perks like daylight lamps to improve the living experience.
Student Housing Crisis: Affordability & Top Deals Rule! #shorts
Affordability is becoming the primary driver for student housing decisions, with students increasingly willing to relocate or choose alternative asset classes like conventional housing and scattered-site portfolios to secure better deals. Students across multiple university markets, including Washington DC, prioritize finding the best value and location, even if it means traveling further.