In Rodrock Development communities throughout Johnson County, Moms Council events are giving new homeowners opportunities to get to know each other, and have some good old-fashioned fun. These events, like last month’s Memorial weekend pool opening parties, are a nod to a gentler time gone by, reminders of the importance of strengthening community ties.

Decades ago, Rodrock Development founder and owner Darol Rodrock created these events as a way to help his new neighborhoods get off to a great start. “It’s an idea that has worked everywhere it is introduced,” says Tom Langhofer, general manager of Rodrock Development, “and still does.”

Community volunteers help plan and organize the year-round community events. Events vary by community, and may include Spring Egg Hunts, Memorial weekend pool opening parties or July 4th Bike-a-Thons. According to Langhofer, the goal is always the same: give new homeowners opportunities to get to know each other, and have fun.

“Moms Council activities help new neighbors build a sense of neighborhood belonging and connectedness. This can be particularly important to corporate relocation clients new to the area,” says Langhofer.

“These events have become Rodrock Development traditions. For decades, the commitment to offering year-round Moms Council events have set Rodrock Development communities apart,” says Langhofer.

In December, the much-anticipated holiday hayrides feature huge Belgian draft horses traversing through luminary-lit streets, sleigh bells ringing. Residents of all ages gather to sing carols and savor hot cocoa.

“For most of us, buying a house is more than an investment, it’s creating that personal definition of home,” says Rodrock, “the gathering place for family and friends.” According to Rodrock that focus has been the driving force behind all Rodrock Development-created communities for more than thirty-five years.

Rodrock admits that his motivation is part professional, a lot personal. As a child he spent a number of years living in a Winfield, Kansas orphanage with no home to call his own. “When I look back on my life, I want to know that I did more than just buy and sell land. I’ve seen for myself that, in addition to providing a great new-home value for homeowners, we’re also helping new neighborhoods come together in positive ways. To me, it’s one of the most gratifying aspects of what we do.”

Well-known in Johnson County real estate circles, Rodrock Development now numbers more than sixty new home communities in its extensive development portfolio. According to Langhofer, the company motto “Building Better Communities” has served as the impetus behind the company’s new-home communities in Overland Park, Lenexa, Olathe and Shawnee. “More than twenty five thousand people come home to a Rodrock Development community in Johnson County every day,” says Langhofer. “It’s a commendable record.”

A record that Langhofer holds is well earned. “Darol holds steadfast in his commitment to building communities of lasting value,” says Langhofer. “In addition to the Moms Council events, he rewards homebuyers who invest in his new communities early on by committing to the installation of recreational and aesthetic amenities during a community’s earliest development stages, a major departure from industry norms.”

Langhofer cites as standard Rodrock Development business practice the commitments to extensive common-area landscaping, stone entrance monuments, wrought-iron perimeter fencing, swimming pools and playgrounds and more order to make each Rodrock Development community “the best they can be from day one, rather than waiting until final development stages. This is a major departure from industry norms,” says Langhofer.

Today, Rodrock Development offers new-home communities with homes from the low $200,000s to the $500,000s plus. “We’re proud of the fact that in today’s market, especially, every one of our communities features developer-picked, proven area builders adding exciting new two-story, ranch and reverse story and a half plans that homebuyers are really resonating with,” says Langhofer.

Another standard company business practice is to encourage homebuyers to compare all options before making what may be the biggest investment decision they’ll ever make. “In addition to evaluating a community’s amenities or a home’s unique features, we also recommend that homebuyers assess the developer’s financial soundness before taking any home-buying leap,” says Langhofer.

“Now, more than ever, it makes sense to take a good, long look at the developer behind the community,” says Langhofer. “Homebuyers deserve to know that the community they’re considering has the financial strength and stability behind it to ensure its long-term success. That ‘great deal’ on the home of your dreams could turn into a major heartache if the community developer isn’t fiscally sound.

“We can point to Rodrock Development communities that are aging gracefully throughout Johnson County as great examples,” says Langhofer. “In every price range, Rodrock Development communities offer a well-rounded amenities package, proximity to highways, schools, shopping and office parks, and developer longevity and stability,” says Langhofer.

For more information on Rodrock Development communities, including directions, school districts, builder profiles, floor plans, available homes, community and area amenities, community manager phone numbers and more, visit the developer’s web site at www.rodrock.com.

Exclusively marketed by Prudential Kansas City Realty, all Rodrock Development community Welcome Centers are staffed by full time Prudential Kansas City real estate professionals. Tour hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 5:00 p.m.