AH
Ashton HarrisColdwell Banker Apex, Realtors
 ← Leasing Guide
McKinney · Melissa · North DFW

Luxury leases, done right.

Hi y'all, I'm Ashton Harris, a full-time Realtor based in McKinney. High-end lease homes are a world of their own. The best ones move quietly, the terms are negotiable, and the stakes are real on both sides of the table. I focus on 12-month and longer leases, the kind serious tenants and serious landlords actually want. This is a corner of the market I know well, and most agents don't touch it.

💬 Text Me About a Luxury Lease 📅 Book 30 Minutes
Who I help

Three kinds of folks call me about luxury leases

Executive and luxury lease homes in our area generally run $3,000 to $10,000+ a month. If you're in that range, you're usually one of these three people:

✈️

Executive relocations

You're moving to North DFW for work, sometimes on short notice, sometimes sight-unseen. I handle video tours, vet the homes and the landlords before you fly in, and negotiate lease terms that fit a corporate timeline. You land with the keys ready.

🏗️

Building a custom home

Y'all are building in Melissa, McKinney, Prosper, or Celina, and you need somewhere nice to live for 12 to 18 months while the build finishes. A bridge lease keeps your family comfortable and your kids in the same schools. This is one of my favorite situations to solve.

🧭

Trying an area before buying

Smart money rents first. Lease in Stonebridge Ranch or out on Melissa acreage for a year, learn the commute, the schools, the feel. Then buy with total confidence. A 12-month lease gives you a full year of living there for real. And when you're ready, I'm already your agent and I already know what you love.

The niche nobody talks about

Building in Melissa? You need a bridge lease.

Melissa is one of the fastest-growing custom-home corridors in North Texas, and every family building out here hits the same question: where do we live for the next year?

The answer isn't a cramped apartment or a hotel. It's a well-negotiated 12-month-plus lease on a high-end home nearby. Close to your build, close to your schools, with terms that flex when your builder's timeline slips. (And y'all… the timeline always slips.)

Builder-matched lease termsI negotiate lengths and extension options that track your actual build schedule, including flexibility at the tail end.
Stay in your school zoneWe target homes that keep the kids exactly where they are. No mid-build school change.
Your next agent, already in placeWhen the build wraps, you've got a Realtor who knows your family for the walk-through, and for selling or leasing your current home.
Both sides of the table

Tenants and landlords. I work both.

Luxury leases only go smooth when both sides are handled by somebody who's done it before. Here's what that looks like:

For luxury tenants

Representation, usually at no cost to you

  • In most DFW lease deals, the landlord pays my commission. You get full representation without writing me a check.
  • Full MLS access plus coming-soon homes that never hit Zillow.
  • I vet the home and the landlord before you tour: ownership history, maintenance track record, HOA rules.
  • I negotiate more than rent: move-in dates, pet terms, maintenance response times, renewal caps, early-termination language.
  • We read the lease together before you sign. No surprises at move-out.
For luxury landlords

Protect the asset. Find the right tenant.

  • Pricing to the executive market, not a Zestimate guess. I pull real lease comps from your actual community.
  • Professional photography and marketing that attracts the tenant your home deserves.
  • Serious screening on every adult: income verification, credit, background, rental history, employer confirmation. Applied equally to every applicant.
  • 12-month and longer lease terms built to protect a high-value home: maintenance standards, walk-through documentation, renewal strategy. Turnover is the enemy of a luxury rental.
  • Thinking about selling instead? I'll model both paths, lease income vs. sale, with real numbers so you decide with clarity.
Real words from a real lease client

"We were just leasing."

★★★★★

"Ashton made us feel like we were his number one priority… and we were just leasing! Even though he obviously had clients that were bigger fish than us, you would have never known it based on the level of professionalism, communication, and commitment he gave us."

"He was responsive, honest, gave us his actual opinions, and cared about helping us find the right home for our family. We will absolutely be working with Ashton again when we're ready to buy our forever home."

— Verified Google Review · Lease Clients, North DFW
Where I work

The communities I know street by street

Luxury leasing is hyper-local. These are the communities where I do the most high-end lease work, plus the surrounding luxury corridor I cover every week.

McKinney

Established luxury, master-planned amenities, historic charm
Stonebridge Ranch Craig Ranch Adriatica Village Tucker Hill Trinity Falls Painted Tree Historic Downtown

Melissa

Custom builds, acreage living, the second-fastest-growing city in North Texas
Liberty North Creek Villages of Melissa Wolf Creek Farms Milrany Ranch Legacy Ranch Acreage corridors

The Luxury Corridor

Prosper, Celina, Fairview, Lucas, Allen and the estates in between
Windsong Ranch Whitley Place Star Trail Light Farms Mustang Lakes Twin Creeks Fairview & Lucas estates
Straight answers

Luxury lease questions I get all the time

How do I find a luxury rental home in McKinney or Melissa?
The best ones rarely sit on Zillow for long, and some never hit the public sites at all. Working with me gets you full MLS access, early looks at coming-soon listings inside the Coldwell Banker Apex network, and somebody who knows which communities actually fit your lifestyle. In most DFW lease deals the landlord pays my commission, so this costs you nothing in the majority of transactions. One note: I focus on 12-month and longer leases. If you only need a few months, I'll point you the right direction, but it's not my lane.
What does a luxury lease actually cost around here?
In McKinney and Melissa, executive-level lease homes generally start around $3,000/mo and run past $10,000/mo for big custom homes on acreage. Landlords at this level typically require documented income of 3x the rent, credit and background checks on every adult, and verifiable rental or mortgage history. I'll pre-qualify you against those before we spend a dime on applications.
I'm building a custom home. Where do we live during the build?
A bridge lease: 12 to 18 months in a high-end home near your build. I negotiate the lease length to match your builder's timeline, push for flexibility at the tail end (because the timeline always slips), and keep your kids in the same school zone. It's one of the most common situations I handle out here, and almost nobody else focuses on it.
Should I lease out my home instead of selling it?
Sometimes that's the smart move, especially if you're holding a low mortgage rate, relocating temporarily, or waiting out the market. I'll run both paths for you with real numbers: projected lease income against what your home would net in a sale today. Then you decide. No pressure either direction. I do both sides of this business every week.
Do you handle short-term or month-to-month leases?
My focus is 12-month and longer leases. That's where I can do my best work for both sides: tenants get stability and negotiating power, landlords get protected assets and less turnover. If you need a 3-month furnished rental, I'm happy to point you toward the right resources, but it's not the lane I work in.
Is a Realtor even worth it for a lease?
At the luxury level? More than anywhere else. The dollars are bigger, the lease terms are more negotiable, and the screening cuts both ways. You want the home vetted as much as the landlord wants you vetted. And since the landlord usually pays the commission in DFW lease deals, tenants get real representation at no cost in most transactions. There's no version of this where going alone helps you.

Let's find y'all the right one.

Whether you're relocating, building, or listing a high-end home for lease, text me what you're working with and I'll tell you exactly how I'd handle it. No pressure, no pitch.

💬 Text Ashton · (214) 714-0997
Prefer a call or a calendar? Call me · Book 30 minutes · Read the full leasing guide
Coldwell Banker Apex, Realtors · Licensed Texas Real Estate Brokerage
Sponsoring Broker: Lori Arnold · TREC License #590914-BB
Ashton Harris · Texas Sales Agent · TREC License #690533-SA · McKinney, TX
All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act and the Texas Fair Housing Act, which make it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation. All tenant screening criteria are applied equally to every applicant.
Information About Brokerage Services (IABS) TREC Consumer Protection Notice TREC.texas.gov