Hopwood Village moving forward after renovations
Ed Cope
Tamara Harwell, regional manager at Hopwood Village Community, is shown in front of one of the refurbished units for sale.
Ed Cope
View of living room in home at Hopwood Village Community.
Ed Cope
Ed Cope View of homes in Hopwood Village Community.
Channel Companies of Haddonfield, N.J., has been pumping 鈥渁 ton of money鈥� into a local land-lease community since it purchased the property in December 2012, according to the regional manager for the company.
鈥淭he whole outlook on Hopwood Village Community is moving forward,鈥� said Tamara Harwell, who is also a Farmington native.
She said they have been renovating some of the vacant manufactured housing and mobile homes there before putting them on the local real estate market.
Located on the Hopwood-Coolspring Road in North Union Township, Hopwood Village Community has been in operation for more than 30 years. Gordon Schafer and Josh Kroll of Haddonfield, N.J., own Channel Companies, which also purchased Edgewood Grove manufactured housing community in Somerset.
Harwell explained that Hopwood Village, 鈥渦nlike other communities, in this one everyone owns his home but leases the lot. So it keeps it a nice community because everyone is invested in it.鈥�
The owners鈥� vision, she added, 鈥渕oving forward is to offer a quality product that will attract a quality person. We are looking for long-term people.鈥� In addition to renovating some of the homes, the owners also have updated and installed new signage at the community and added landscaping. 鈥淲e are currently working on a storm water management system for the community to address some inherited issues. We are working with a local engineer on that,鈥� Harwell said.
鈥漌e are renovating the homes from top to bottom. We are installing a new metal roof (as in conventional stick-build homes) which is maintenance free and lasts a lifetime, new kitchens with stainless steel appliances, and new skirting. The homes are being renovated to better-than-new,鈥� she said. Two of the renovated homes have been sold. One remains on the market. 鈥淲e have teamed up with SWC Properties in Uniontown to sell the homes. We never did this before,鈥� Harwell said.
The renovated homes, she said, are 28-by-48 foot Champion-brand double wides, that also received new siding, new high energy efficient electric furnaces, new windows, new exterior door combinations, flooring throughout using a rubber product that looks like hardwood, new maple cabinets in kitchen with brushed nickel hardware, new countertops, dishwasher, stove and refrigerator.
鈥淭he bathrooms have been gutted so all new ones have a tub-shower combo with a new vanity and the other (off the master bedroom) has a walk-in shower. We use all Moen fixtures.鈥� Each home has two or three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room, large closets and living room. All are 2-by-6 construction, just like a stick-built home, Harwell said. They are well insulated (R-31 value) and meet HUD standards.
There currently are 74 properties on leased lots. Harwell said a small portion of the community is made up of people who own their home and the lot, 鈥渁bout 15 of these.鈥� 鈥淲e have 23 acres left undeveloped and we will be bringing some new homes in November. We have some spaces within the community and then our focus will be moving up into the hillside. We are at the base of the mountain, which is the backdrop to our community.
鈥淲e also have a 118-unit storage facility that is on-site and it鈥檚 always full, not from within the community but mostly from outside rentals.鈥� While the owners of the community maintain streets and common areas as well as snow removal, homeowners do their own lawn work, grass cutting and home maintenance. 鈥淲e have a landscaper who lives in the community who will do it for a minimal fee,鈥� Harwell said.
鈥淲e also held an annual picnic for the community, the first time ever, on Aug. 8. We had the picnic catered by the Sun Porch (a Hopwood restaurant). We also had games and prizes for the children and live entertainment,鈥� Harwell said.
Hopwood Village Community has a mix of ages among its residents. 鈥淎bout 60 percent are 55 and older and we have some young families as well,鈥� she said.
For more information, call the regional office at 724-438-1000 or email Harwell at tammieh@channelcos.com.