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November 16, 2006 — Dan Ryan Builders Offers Several New Communities Throughout the Area

By Nicole Belanger
Special to the Gazette

When Dan Ryan builds a new home in the area, he tells his staff to build it as if it were their own home.

"Our common thread is value, We're trying to create value for the homeowners," said the award-winning owner of Dan Ryan Builders, whose offices are headquartered in Frederick.

For the past 16 years, Ryan has been building new homes in Frederick, as well as Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia for a total of 11 counties in the region.

Quality home building is in his blood since his grandfather began building homes in Pennsylvania many years ago. In fact, the company was recently named on the list of 100 top home builders in the country by Builder Magazine. This is the second time in the past two years Dan Ryan Builders has been included on that list.

"What sets us apart and makes us unique in our industry is that we are a large, regional homebuilder, but we're privately held," Ryan said, adding that he has no plan on letting larger companies acquire his business, as many builders do.

Because of this rich history, Ryan said he is proud that his company can offer products that local residents are looking for, since his family lives right here.

With 37 established communities under his belt, the builder has plenty of experience giving homeowners the details they are looking for and he is looking forward to continuing that service.

"I'm planning on being here for a long time," he said.

The builder is constructing homes at Rivercrest II in Frederick City, where 32 sites are still left. Homes there -- mostly single family properties -- start at $479,900 and run up to 3,500 square feet.

In Rivercrest, Ryan rolled out several new designs for homes, called the Buckingham, Canterbury and the Avalon. All are two-story homes with garages and stone or brick fronts, as well as luxurious owner suites, something many buyers are looking for these days.

In Thurmont, the builder is working on homes for those over the age of 55 in a special community called JerMae, which sits right on the Maple Run Golf Course. Homes there include town homes, single family ranchers and villas. They range from the mid-200s to the mid-300s.  Ryan has been working on that community for over a year.

He also has several communities being built in neighboring Washington County, southern Pennsylvania and the West Virginia panhandle, he said.

Although the housing market has slowed over the past year, affecting all homebuilders, Ryan said he welcomes the change.

"The interest rates are outstanding right now, the economy is doing well and the housing market is still healthy," Ryan said.

When the market was running at a frenetic pace just s few short years ago, things were thrown "off kilter" he said. Now, things are back to normal and buyers can concentrate on working with quality builders, Ryan explained.

Although Ryan provides luxury homes, he also ears his products for first-time buyers. He wants to continue to build in Frederick, a community that many of his buyers have fallen in love with over the years, but he admits that there isn't as much space available as there used to be.

"I feel fortunate to have a couple of good communities there right now," he said.

Courtesy of The Gazette