Who built those houses next to the freeway in Erlanger?

ERLANGER, Ky. − "Who in the heck would build a house there?''

That was Erlanger resident Bob Hahnel's initial reaction to two new houses nearing completion less than 100 feet from Interstates 71/75 on the west side of the freeway, about a mile south of the Buttermilk Pike exit.

A trailer sits next to the houses with a banner facing the freeway that reads "Now Open,'' referring to Georgia-based America's Home Place's new building center at 681 Dolwick Drive in Erlanger.

America's Home, which builds houses on property their clients already own, is using the trailer as a temporary office until it can move into one of the model homes it intentionally built near the freeway to attract attention, said General Manager Brent Walker.

"We want to let everybody know we're here,'' Walker said. "It's definitely making an impact. We've had clients say they drove down the highway and saw the sign and the houses and wanted to know more about us.''

The marketing tactic worked on Hahnel and his wife, Colleen, who hired America's Home to build a house on their farm in Corinth, Kentucky , after making little headway with other builders.

"We had several other companies come and want to give us prices (on a new house) but never showed up again,'' said Bob Hahnel, who retired several years ago as project manager at Jones Lang LaSalle, a global real estate services company.

He said the model homes near I-71/75 weren't quite what he and his wife had in mind. But America's Home offers a variety of floor plans that were not on display, and the couple eventually hired the company to build a three-bedroom, ranch-style house with a finished basement on their farm.

The Hahnels declined to say how much they paid for the house, which is under construction, but the price was right, according to the husband.

America's Home's prices start at about $250,000 and can run as high as $600,000, depending on the floor plan, according to Walker.

The company, founded in 1972 by CEO Barry Conner , builds houses within a 50-mile radius of each of its 50 building centers, which are located mainly in the South and Midwest.

America's Home opened the Erlanger center to fill the gap between its centers near Columbus, Ohio , and Bowling Green, Kentucky , Walker said.

The company has 17 homes under construction in the Cincinnati area since opening in Erlanger in October 2023, Walker said, noting his company caters to a niche market of clients who mainly live or own property in rural areas.

"We (America's Home) see a lot of potential for growth in this area, where people have a lot of acreage and want to build their own houses,'' said Walker.

The company hopes to build 40 to 50 houses a year from the Erlanger location, he said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who built those houses next to the freeway in Erlanger?