Renting by room in Houston TX

[Alex Bush]

Hi everyone, I'm in the process of purchasing my first property. I'm planning to house hack and getting a big (2500+ sqft) 5br/3bt house. I'll live in one room and rent out 4 other.

My house is a single family, in Katy TX (~34 min drive to downtown) and I was wondering if anyone could share their experience renting by room in this area and Houston in general? What kind of rent should I expect on average? Is expectation in this market to rent furnished or unfurnished? Any other thoughts/tips?

[Viraj Chaudhary]

In my experience, Katy is largely valued for its schools and suburb amenities (nice parks/trails, supermarkets, etc.). With the growth Katy has seen (i.e. West Houston hospitals) in its economy and home prices, I could definitely see many individuals who would want to get access to these benefits by renting rooms, rather than paying sky high housing prices. 

The one big caveat here is that Covid has made many hesitant to having too many roommates, if any at all. You should still see enough demand for 'affordable housing,' but just something to keep in mind.

As for what the place could rent for, it will vary greatly by the specific neighborhood within Katy. Feel free to DM the address for the property you're looking at. I can pull some data for you on what similar homes rent for in that area, and whether any were rented furnished. Also take a look at Craigslist to see if you can get a ballpark for rental rates for furnished places and/or by the room.