Key Takeaways

  • A new short-term rental community in Stillwater, Oklahoma includes 12 modular tiny-home units near Oklahoma State University
  • Each rental has 361 square feet of living space and sleeps up to three guests
  • The project shows how factory-built housing is starting to move into short-term rental development, especially in markets tied to universities, events, and weekend travel.

A developer in Stillwater, Oklahoma is building America’s first short-term rental community out of foldable modular tiny homes, and they’re already live on Airbnb, waiting for the first guests to book.

The project, called Pasadera, used 12 factory-built Boxabl Casita units in the short-term rental compound located on three acres south of Oklahoma State University, according to a Realtor.com report,

Each rental includes 361 square feet of living space and sleeps up to three guests.

The units shipped and deployed far faster than any stick-built alternative, so if you’re in a time crunch or want a quick investment, the idea is a dream — as long as you don’t mind touting tiny homes, that is.

Punnett, a 20-year veteran builder, told the outlet, “About eight years ago, I started looking hard at the future of homebuilding—especially the growing skilled-labor shortage we’re all facing. In 2021, I came across Boxabl and was immediately impressed by their factory-built, unfolding technology. It just made perfect sense: complete quality control, incredible speed, and durability that traditional stick-built homes can’t match.”

His first Boxabl project consisted of 12 stacked units in Oklahoma City in 2025.

He wanted his new “Pasadera” development to be “designed as a peaceful, resort-style retreat with fully furnished units perfect for OSU football weekends, parents visiting students, business travelers, and short- or mid-term stays,” he said.

What Boxabl’s modular model means for STR investors

The core investor pitch here is speed-to-revenue.

Boxabl units are manufactured in a factory and arrive ready to unfold on-site, sidestepping the supply chain delays and cost overruns that have hammered traditional STR development strategies in recent years.

Related: Miami’s new 40-story short-term rental tower is open for business

“Factory-built tiny homes like Boxabl apply automotive assembly-line logic to housing, producing units in hours rather than years at lower prices,” says Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones. “The foldable design solves the historic shipping problem of modular construction, allowing two units to fit on a single truck while arriving completely finished and built to resist weather, mold, and fire.”

“The model works across multiple use cases, including backyard ADUs, affordable housing communities, vertical duplexes, and short-term rentals, making it one practical and scalable response to the country’s shortage of over 4 million homes,” Jones continued.

Stillwater’s STR market currently runs about 32.5 percent occupancy at a $233 average nightly rate, per available market data.