Inside a luxury Texas tiny-home village for retirees

Liberty Tiny Village is a resort-style, 55-and-older tiny-home community in Aubrey, North Texas, founded in 2022 on 7.5 acres between master-planned subdivisions and family farms. Owned by Melissa Hayes and her husband, Phillip, the village has 11 occupied lots and markets itself to retirees and soon-to-be retirees looking to downsize into upscale, moveable homes.

The homes are under 400 square feet and sell for $75,000 to $160,000. Because they are classified as recreational and can be moved, residents don’t pay property taxes on the structures. Most buyers pay for their homes outright and then pay $950 a month in lot rent, which covers water, sewer, trash, landscaping, and WiFi.

Kristene Newton, the village’s tiny-home designer, said, “The senior community can get into one of these homes, pay for the home, and the lot rent is going to be cheaper than moving into an apartment—or sometimes even assisted living.” Zillow put the median home-sale price in Aubrey at $303,550 and typical rent at $2,267 in December.