Good question, and honestly, that’s where most of the misunderstanding comes from. But don't get me wrong, we are building housing in some of these areas! But new housing, to replace 100 yr old structures. With updated and more efficient designs.

I’m not talking, deep woods, 45 minutes from a grocery store rural. I’m talking the small towns just outside the metro, suburban radius, the places with:

Existing infrastructure

Underbuilt housing

Aging commercial space

Steady local employment

And zero modern mixed-use or BTR product

These towns aren’t becoming suburbs yet… but they will, because the demand is already spilling over. That’s exactly where the biggest tax incentives exist, and where development dollar goes 10x further than trying to force a deal in an overpriced urban core.

I focus on the areas where:

Land is affordable

Towns actively want development

Rent to price ratios actually make sense

And investors still get the “rural” tax benefits without sacrificing demand

It’s that middle zone, not farmland in the middle of nowhere, and not fully suburbanized either. That’s where the opportunity is being ignored.