Ann and Scott Kemmitt owned their 3,000-square-foot home in Maple Grove for nearly three decades. Once their two sons grew up and moved out, the empty nesters wanted to be done with home maintenance.
"I am an electrician. I am outside all day," Scott Kemmitt said. "I didn't want to come home and weed the garden and cut the grass."
The couple sold their home and eventually leased a house in Beacon Ridge, a new neighborhood of single-family rental homes in Plymouth, becoming part of the newest trend in Twin Cities suburban living. Neighborhoods of single-family rental houses are planned or have recently been built in four Twin Cities suburbs. Altogether, more than 360 such houses could go up in Maple Grove, Plymouth, Woodbury and Inver Grove Heights — some with rents topping $4,000 a month.
City leaders say they welcome this new type of rental that meets a growing demand for flexible housing options.
"What we hear from people all the time is they want to rent and they want the option for a maintenance-free lifestyle but they don't want the shared walls," said Joe Hogeboom, Maple Grove's community and economic development director. "This really appeals to a lot of people. I think we will see a lot more of this in the metro and in Maple Grove, and it will be really welcome here."
Watermark Equity Group, based in suburban Chicago, is the developer behind four of these new neighborhoods. They're marketing the communities as suburban living with resort amenities, including pools, clubhouses, dog parks and fitness trails. The homes have high-end finishes and smart-home features, such as cameras at their front doors and keyless entry.
Rent also includes concierge-style services. Staff members plow driveways, mow and fertilize lawns, and maintain appliances.
"It's really a new product in the marketplace over the last four to five years, primarily in the South," said Ian Peterson, Watermark's director of operations. "You see a lot of these in Phoenix, Dallas, Fort Worth and even Florida."