Home Builder Offers Affordable Housing In Leesburg

In a time of rising gas costs and mounting foreclosures, homeownership does not seem for some as feasible as it may have years ago. Carol Konkel is quick to point out that affordable housing options exist just steps from Leesburg's historic district.

Konkel serves as property manager for Leesburg Mobile Park and several months ago reached out to Ken Semler, president of Willow Pond Homes, which produces manufactured homes. Semler is now at work bringing his homes to the mobile park and already has several lots displaying Willow Pond's product.

The two have teamed up to launch the Hometown Heroes Affordable Home Program, which reaches out to community members like police officers, firefighters, nurses and teachers, encouraging them to become homeowners in desirable downtown Leesburg. Semler describes the program as "an affordable housing option for those who otherwise couldn't afford a home."

The program, to encourage homeownership, offers incentives like paying the prospective buyer's security deposit and first month's lot rent with any new home purchased from Willow Pond. The company will also arrange financing for qualified buyers and guide them through the process.

Semler said the location of the mobile park is ideal for those who work in town, but can't afford to live there.

"You're three blocks from downtown, you can walk to the shops and the [W&OD] trail. There are so many amenities within two to three blocks. That coupled with the homes and bringing in young professionals, we can help redevelop the location which benefits everybody," Semler said.

The homes produced by Willow Pond cost no more than $80,000, and some have as many as three bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Semler also said the homes are Energy Star certified and have front porches, to give the "traditional neighborhood design." Semler said that giving people the opportunity for homeownership is invaluable.

"With an apartment, when you rent you have zero to show for it.

[When you buy a home] you have something to show for what you paid over the years. You don't have to worry about restrictions on painting or putting nails in the walls-it's your home," he said.

Konkel said the fact that the homes are custom built makes it extremely desirable for homebuyers.

"With a lot of companies it's this is what they have, take it or leave it. Willow Pond Homes is one of the few where we can get more custom-sized homes," Konkel said.

Semler said the mobile park's smallest lots could accommodate a 500-square-foot one-bedroom home, while its largest can accommodate 1,000 square feet.

"For the location and price point you're not going to beat that in Leesburg," he said.

Semler is quick to point out the benefits of manufactured homes, which are factory built and tend to cost significantly less than standard built homes.

"Your car is built in a factory. Your watch is built in a factory. Why not your home? The materials are never rained on and are precisely cut," Semler said, adding that manufactured homebuilders also are able to add extra features for a much lower cost. "A whole house of crown molding will cost you thousands of dollars. It costs us 250 bucks."

"Manufactured homes are the wave of the future, even for home additions," Konkel adds.

Konkel said that the time for the Hometown Heroes program is ideal, as the park currently has 11 vacant lots and has demolished some of the older mobile home units as residents have moved out. Since the old farmhouse on the property has recently been torn down, the park also boats a fair amount of green space, as well as a playground. Both she and Semler admit that perhaps the biggest challenge for the mobile park is getting people to abandon the stereotype of a mobile home community. The solution to that, they say, is getting people to come and take a look at some of the models Willow Pond has at the park.

To that end, Willow Pond will be hosting an open house of the new homes at the park on Saturday, Aug. 2 and Sunday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The current residents of the mobile park, which Konkel describes as "a mix" of young families and retired people, have already begun inquiring about Willow Pond's new homes and some have voiced their desire to buy one themselves. The two hope the response from the outside community, particularly those targeted in the Hometown Heroes program, is equally as enthusiastic.

"Everybody likes to see a police officer or two in the neighborhood. It gives a sense of community and safety. If there's an emergency in town they all live way far away. This is a way to get them in to the town," Semler said. "That's what we're trying to promote. This is a way to promote a feeling of community."