Pet-Friendly Developer Opens 230-Home Community in Fort Worth

Pet owners who want to live in Fort Worth, here’s a rental community marketed specifically for you.

NexMetro Communities, a developer of rental communities across the Sun Belt, opened the 230-home Avilla Trails in Fort Worth.

Among the available homes in the community, the one-bedroom units start at $1,692 a month.

Who rents a one-bedroom unit?

“Singles with dogs,” Brad Hunter, the principal of Hunter Housing Economics, wrote in Forbes about the build-to-rent sector.

Hunter estimated that the sector will reach some 700,000 total units by the end of 2025.

The sweet spot is the 60 million U.S. households, about half, who own a dog. These dog owners prefer to open their back door to let out their pets

Some 60 million American households, about half, own a dog, and most of those dog owners prefer to open their back door to let their pets out — hence, a house is desired.

Being pet-friendly is nothing unique in the build-to-rent sector. On its website, Avilla makes it a point to say it a bit louder.

“Furry friends are welcome! Your pets can enjoy running in your private back yard, or going for a walk on Avilla neighborhood walkways and grassy areas.”

Renters at the Avilla Trails will still have to keep an eye on their pets. The community is east of the intersection of Chisolm Trail Parkway and Altamesa Boulevard — not exactly the hinterlands, but certainly not rural. It’s one of Fort Worth’s vibrant growth areas.

Single-family rentals continue a nationwide trend of builders offering an alternative to renting in large apartment complexes or buying a home. In both cases, vacancies and inventory are thin.

NexMetro has built 7,000-plus homes, with more than $1 billion in properties completed or in development. In North Texas, NexMetro developments include Avilla-branded communities in Fort Worth (Fossil Creek), Grand Prairie, McKinney, Celina, and Justin.

Linda Coburn, managing director of NexMetro in Dallas-Fort Worth, said many of its residents could buy but choose to rent. In a statement, he repeated what many of his colleagues have said about the rental market.

“Demand for single-family rental homes remains incredibly strong as consumers seek this unique lifestyle experience that combines the best of a single-story detached home and mortgage-free, maintenance-free leased living,” Griffis said in a statement.