Maronda Homes
Founded and headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Maronda Homes was created in 1972 by Robert J. Wolf, and more than 50 years later, it remains a private, family-owned and operated business. After years of working in the home building industry, Wolf ventured out on his own to build superior new homes that were cost-effective so that more individuals could afford a new construction home. Stringing together parts of his children’s names — Marietta, Ronald, and Daniel—Wolf formed the name for his company, “Maronda.”
Today, the company operates in eight states across the East Coast: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Numerous Maronda Homes can be found throughout the Commonwealth, including several new developments coming this year.
“We are very excited to announce that we have five new communities set to open in 2024,” said Division President Tim Creahan. “They are Hartwood Farms, located in Indiana Twp. and the Fox Chapel School District, Cimarron in Moon Twp., Willow Estates located in North Huntingdon, Pemberley Manor located in Peter’s Twp., and Amherst Village located in Mars.”
According to Creahan, Maronda Homes has options for every type of home buyer in the market.
“During the planning stages, we look at a piece of land and decide what would serve the market best in any given location,” he explained, noting that various factors influence this decision including location, amenities needed, land cost and demographics. The company then designs the community to best accommodate the location.
Whether working with a first-time homebuyer or a family looking to upgrade or downsize, Maronda Homes is dedicated to building quality homes that fit every budget, whether constructing single-family homes, townhomes, ranch-style homes or paired villas.
The company also offers options for buyers who may not want to build a home from scratch. In select communities, Maronda offers inventory homes, which are homes that are completed or almost completed. In addition, the company offers buyers the option of ‘leaseback’ homes, which is typically used as an investment option.
Also known as a ‘holdover,’ the buyer purchases a unique, pre-built, brand-new model home, and the builder agrees to lease it back for some period of time. At Maronda, this timetable is usually 12 months (with the option to extend month to month), so the property can be used as a model home. According to Creahan, all of the five new communities listed above will have leaseback opportunities.
He adds that there are many reasons to take advantage of a leaseback, including the ability to utilize the property as a long-term investment.
“When purchasing a leaseback, you would own the home but not live in it until the fixed amount of time agreed upon is up. Maronda would be ‘renting out’ your home during this time, paying you a fixed monthly rate to use as a model home,” he explained. “Depending on the financials of your situation, sometimes the mortgage on your model home will be covered by the rental income received from Maronda during the leaseback period. This means the return on your investment would be almost immediate.”
Leaseback buyers are also able to lock in their interest rates when they purchase a model home, and upon the leaseback termination, can choose to move in or to keep the home as a rental property to continue receiving that monthly rental income. These homes are also top-of-the-line, and feature the most modern amenities.
“Model homes showcase everything that’s new and exciting about homeownership: the most elegant floor plans fully equipped with upgraded features, built in the perfect location on the most sought-after homesite, and beautiful staging with trendy, brand new furniture,” said Creahan of the move-in ready condition. “And we can guarantee that Maronda will maintain your home in pristine condition despite the length of your lease. Model homes are, and always will be, 100 percent move-in ready upon completion of the lease terms.”
Maronda offers leaseback homes across all divisions, and they can be found on the company’s website by clicking on the “model home” menu tab. A green banner in the top left-hand corner of the model homes notes which homes are available for lease.
Customization is Key
The Maronda Homes experience allows customers to personalize their homes. Each customer meets with a sales representative on-site to select the options and home site that best suits their needs, and once they have finalized this piece of the process, they visit Maronda Homes’ selection center for finishing touches, choosing flooring, cabinets, countertops and backsplashes.
“This allows our homeowners to put a personal touch on their homes, aligning their vision with their build,” said Creahan.
Prices for a Maronda Home range from roughly $290,000 to $900,000+ depending on floor plan and location. Incentives are offered in various locations, and differ based on the home type and homesite the buyer selects.
Maronda Homes offers various financing options through its-house preferred lender, RMC Home Mortgage, which was created as a joint venture between Maronda Homes and FBC Mortgage, LLC to help simplify and make the mortgage process easier for buyers. While this partnership allows Maronda Homes to offer exclusive incentives, buyers are not required to use RMC for financing. On-site sales representatives can share more about the incentives available with prospective buyers.
According to Creahan, the company embraces modern technologies and sustainable practices to ensure that each new home is as efficient as it is beautiful. Every home is 100 percent BEE Smart Certified Energy Efficient, meaning that they are designed, produced and installed to meet strict requirements for energy efficiency. Homes with the BEE Smart certification are actually more energy efficient than ENERGY STAR® certified homes.
“Maronda Homes is dedicated to building homes that meet strict guidelines, which involves the integration of new technologies, functional design and energy efficiency into all the homes we build,” said Creahan. “Our homes use less energy for heating, cooling and electric service to deliver significant savings on annual utility bills. Over the years, a typical Maronda homeowner can save thousands of dollars in energy costs.”
Quality workmanship is the cornerstone of every Maronda home. By controlling more of the construction process than typical home builders, Maronda ensures that each phase meets high standards of efficiency. To ensure that nothing is overlooked, Maronda’s inspection protocol includes comprehensive checklists and periodic walkthroughs that exceed industry standards.
“Each home is inspected as it’s being built to verify it meets our program standards,” said Creahan. “This process of value-engineering protects your investment so it functions as well tomorrow as it does today.”
Maronda Homes takes such pride in its craftsmanship that it stands behind every new home with four different types of warranties. These include a one-year limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, and a two-year limited warranty (in partnership with 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty) to provide two full years of systems surety coverage for items like wiring, piping and ductwork in electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, ventilating and mechanical systems.
Maronda Homes and 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty also provide 10 years of structural defect coverage for load-bearing components (footers, foundations, etc.) beginning on day one of closing, which is transferable to improve resale value and further protect the buyer’s investment. Maronda also partners with top quality manufacturers, suppliers, and installers to provide home owners with additional product guarantees.
Current Maronda homeowners appreciate the craftsmanship that the company provides as witnessed by testimonials on their website.
“After months of looking and researching, we found ourselves back at Maronda Homes,” said Kateryn J. “Maronda offered us not only the size of house we were looking for, but also the quality. The choices and options available to us allowed us to personalize our home to suit our family perfectly while maintaining affordability.”
“I know that people are normally quick to complain and reluctant to compliment, which is why I wanted to send this email,” say homeowners Holly and Greg. “We have been beyond impressed with Maronda and wanted to say thank you for all that you’ve done for us. We have and will continue to let everyone know our satisfaction with Maronda Homes.” NH