DALLAS—It has become somewhat commonplace in newer class-A student housing properties to offer high-end amenities. With all of these similar amenities, differentiation has become somewhat difficult, which is why proximity to campus will always be the number one amenity. In this GlobeSt.com exclusive , Beau Jaussi of CollegePlace Partners shares his insight into student housing investments, trends and amenities. GlobeSt.com: To what do you attribute the growth in student housing investments? Beau Jaussi: There are a number of factors that have contributed to the recent growth. Student housing has so far proven to be a relatively stable asset class, with consistent housing demand, from what appears to be a recession-resistant demand driver in the anchor universities. There's also been a general increase in knowledge of student housing in the real estate industry as a whole, which has led to a larger number of buyers in the market. With more and more participants joining in, efficiency in closing transactions is key. To help differentiate ourselves, we believed it was important to align ourselves with superior partners, such as our Los Angeles-based law firm Sklar Kirsh LLP , which has handled everything from negotiating purchase agreements, loan documents, securities work and everything in between. GlobeSt.com: What college towns in Texas have the most student housing investing going on? Jaussi: Austin and College Station, as you could anticipate, have had a tremendous amount of development and acquisition within those two markets. In just the most recent past, Lubbock and San Marcos had very explosive growth as well. Additionally, Baylor has recently seen a large amount of development, which actually has led to a bit of oversupply within that particular market. Though student housing as a whole continues to show strong demand, there is still the chance that markets can become overbuilt. GlobeSt.com: Student housing has taken a page out of resort development in many respects. Is this because of student demand, investor demand or both? Jaussi: These types of resort style amenities, from pools and high-end workout facilities, to tanning beds and outdoor grills and fire pits, are often used as a differentiation tool by the owners of the properties. It has become somewhat commonplace in newer class-A properties for the amenities to be top end. However, as all class-A properties now have similar amenities, differentiation has become somewhat difficult, which is why as we know in nearly all aspects of real estate, location is key. Proximity to campus will always be the number one amenity. GlobeSt.com: What types of trends are dominating student housing? Jaussi: Rent growth and pre-leasing overall continue to be strong, though you will have pockets where there are issues, such as a Baylor. Developing mid-rise core properties near or adjacent to campus has really taken off the last few years, as garden-style properties further from campus have fallen more out of favor. Smart units and properties are becoming a thing as well, as having connectivity to your security system, payment options, real time maintenance requests and reports, etc. Truly anything that allows for convenience to today's students will help to win the day with potential students. GlobeSt.com: What else is going on in student housing that is worthy of mention? Jaussi: Student housing is really just getting started. It is nowhere near maturation and really only a small part of all privately held student housing is controlled by the few large groups, leaving a lot of opportunity to take advantage of. As more and more kids go to school, there's going to be a need for more and more off-campus housing. Universities are landlocked and land is a scarce resource that is likely to be better used for academic and student recreation buildings than housing for students on campus. DALLAS—It has become somewhat commonplace in newer class-A student housing properties to offer high-end amenities. With all of these similar amenities, differentiation has become somewhat difficult, which is why proximity to campus will always be the number one amenity. In this GlobeSt.com exclusive , Beau Jaussi of CollegePlace Partners shares his insight into student housing investments, trends and amenities. GlobeSt.com: To what do you attribute the growth in student housing investments? Beau Jaussi: There are a number of factors that have contributed to the recent growth. Student housing has so far proven to be a relatively stable asset class, with consistent housing demand, from what appears to be a recession-resistant demand driver in the anchor universities. There's also been a general increase in knowledge of student housing in the real estate industry as a whole, which has led to a larger number of buyers in the market. With more and more participants joining in, efficiency in closing transactions is key. To help differentiate ourselves, we believed it was important to align ourselves with superior partners, such as our Los Angeles-based law firm Sklar Kirsh LLP , which has handled everything from negotiating purchase agreements, loan documents, securities work and everything in between. GlobeSt.com: What college towns in Texas have the most student housing investing going on? Jaussi: Austin and College Station, as you could anticipate, have had a tremendous amount of development and acquisition within those two markets. In just the most recent past, Lubbock and San Marcos had very explosive growth as well. Additionally, Baylor has recently seen a large amount of development, which actually has led to a bit of oversupply within that particular market. Though student housing as a whole continues to show strong demand, there is still the chance that markets can become overbuilt. GlobeSt.com: Student housing has taken a page out of resort development in many respects. Is this because of student demand, investor demand or both? Jaussi: These types of resort style amenities, from pools and high-end workout facilities, to tanning beds and outdoor grills and fire pits, are often used as a differentiation tool by the owners of the properties. It has become somewhat commonplace in newer class-A properties for the amenities to be top end. However, as all class-A properties now have similar amenities, differentiation has become somewhat difficult, which is why as we know in nearly all aspects of real estate, location is key. Proximity to campus will always be the number one amenity. GlobeSt.com: What types of trends are dominating student housing? Jaussi: Rent growth and pre-leasing overall continue to be strong, though you will have pockets where there are issues, such as a Baylor. Developing mid-rise core properties near or adjacent to campus has really taken off the last few years, as garden-style properties further from campus have fallen more out of favor. Smart units and properties are becoming a thing as well, as having connectivity to your security system, payment options, real time maintenance requests and reports, etc. Truly anything that allows for convenience to today's students will help to win the day with potential students. GlobeSt.com: What else is going on in student housing that is worthy of mention? Jaussi: Student housing is really just getting started. It is nowhere near maturation and really only a small part of all privately held student housing is controlled by the few large groups, leaving a lot of opportunity to take advantage of. As more and more kids go to school, there's going to be a need for more and more off-campus housing. Universities are landlocked and land is a scarce resource that is likely to be better used for academic and student recreation buildings than housing for students on campus.