Renting is a popular choice for many residents in Kansas City, prompting the need for apartment construction to keep up with the constantly growing demand. Most of us know downtown Kansas City is a hot spot for apartment development, but would you believe 40 percent of the residences in Overland Park are now multifamily? The apartment, once considered the main option for young adults getting their first place or people who couldn’t afford a house, has increasingly become home to what’s called the renter by choice market. Many people who can afford to buy a home are choosing to rent instead, and the builders are keeping up with 2,900 units built in 2013, up 62 percent from the previous year. But that’s only the beginning—7,000 new units are predicted to be available over the next few years in Kansas City.

Many buyers, of course, still covet the traditional single-family house. The apartment boom is coming at the same time the local housing industry is coming off a robust year, with more than 4,000 permits issued for single-family homes and average sales prices up for new and existing homes. Renting an apartment in Kansas City is still appealing for large demographics of residents, from young professionals to empty nesters looking for smaller digs.