Welcome To The Bird's Nest, A Tiny Home Community For Women Where Rent Starts At $450
Her village, dubbed The Bird's Nest, has welcomed women from all backgrounds and walks of life.
MPH Photos | Shutterstock When it comes to the American Dream, most of us are just hoping for a safe, affordable community with good neighbors who make you feel at home. That was certainly the goal for 70-year-old Robyn Yerian, and it was also the inspiration behind the all-women tiny home community known as the Bird's Nest that she created in 2019.
After thinking about her future self, according to an interview Yerian did with Business Insider, she realized she wouldn't be able to fully support herself and decided to buy some land and rent it out to others, all of whom happened to be women. Yerian was able to create a thriving community by simply charging tenants reasonable rent.
The Bird's Nest is a tiny home community for women where rent starts at $450.
"I started reading articles on how to make passive income in retirement. During this time, a friend of mine that worked in finance encouraged me to purchase land that I could someday rent out," Yerian told Business Insider.
She explained that her tiny home journey first started back in 2016 after seeing an episode of "Tiny House Nation." It inspired her to get a tiny house of her own. After the construction was completed, Yerian learned of a man in Decatur, Texas, who was building a tiny-home village and charging people $450 to rent land. She moved onto his property in 2017.
What started as a retirement investment has morphed into a thriving community.
When it came time to start her own tiny home community, Yerian did a bit of research before finding and buying five acres in Cumby, Texas, for $35,000, which she withdrew from her 401(k). At first, the land didn't have any electricity or running water.
"It also needed to be excavated and required a new septic system. I spent $100,000 developing the property," Yerian said. "Once updates were completed, I moved my tiny home from Decatur to Cumby in 2022." Now, there are 14 10-by-30-foot concrete pads, which are rented out to tenants at $450 a month.
Before long, Yerian's plots were rented out, and she was living in the community of her dreams. With dogs happily running in yards and neighbors who are more like family than strangers who live nearby, it's understandable why The Bird's Nest has a waiting list nearly 500 people long.
In the Bird's Nest, women can live in R.V. homes or build their own tiny homes.
In an interview with Realtor, Yerian explained that a majority of women in the community are single, and they all keep each other company, along with their nine dogs. "We drive each other to doctor's appointments if needed. We look in on each other if someone has the flu or surgery. We are each other's therapists and sounding board," she continued. "In order to be considered here, you must meet me and the rest of the residents in person. Many of my tenants flew in for the process."
Bird's Nest | Facebook
Yerian's property, which is called The Bird's Nest, has pulled together a diverse and eclectic group of women. She told Business Insider that a lot of the women had contacted her needing someplace to go to escape abusive situations they were in, or were recently divorced, and needed an affordable place to live.
"Rent at The Bird's Nest is only $450 a month. I tell every person that comes here that I'm never going to raise the rent, and I mean it. I've even offered reduced prices to a couple of women that were in bad financial situations. I believe that's how you build a community — showing others they can count on you and you on them."
In this time we're living in, community is integral to joy. Unfortunately, it's in short supply. Yerian's tiny home village is proof that you don't need to exploit others to succeed. True wealth and happiness are much kinder than that.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
