Bearkat Cottages is a 37-cottage, 152-bed, newly constructed (2021) student housing community located at 340 Bowers Blvd in Huntsville, Texas, a ~10-minute walk to the Sam Houston State University campus. The property comprises 64,203 rentable square feet across 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-bedroom cottage layouts (1,046 SF to 2,459 SF), each two stories with private bedrooms, private bathrooms, walk-in closets, and modern finishes including granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and full-size in-unit washers and dryers.
As a purpose-built, by-the-bed student community walking distance to a flagship Conference USA university, the asset is positioned to benefit from one of the most stable demand backdrops in Texas student housing. SHSU enrolls ~21,000 students, with approximately 78% of its undergraduates living off-campus and only ~4,100 on-campus beds available - leaving a substantial majority of the student body dependent on the off-campus rental market. SHSU's recent move to Conference USA, continued investment in academic programs (including the College of Osteopathic Medicine), and high regional rankings in social mobility and value support sustained enrollment and a deepening rental demand pool.
The opportunity is fundamentally a stabilized, cash-flowing student housing asset with embedded mark-to-market rent upside. The property is physically new, requires little to no near-term capital expenditure, and is operating on a by-the-bed lease structure with a meaningful spread between in-place rents and pre-lease rents underwritten in the pro forma. The cottage format - with no clubhouse, no pool, no shared amenity buildings, and tenant-paid electric and water - provides an efficient operating profile and below-market expense load relative to traditional garden-style student housing.
With a true walk-to-campus location, premium 2021 construction, an efficient operating profile, and a deep and durable demand base from a ~21,000-student flagship university, Bearkat Cottages represents a compelling, stabilized student housing acquisition opportunity worthy of further diligence.