John and Linda Hopkins – Home at Last!

By forming JCW Homes, the Hopkins Hope to Make a Difference They Can See

A “new” Richmond Hill builder with decades of homebuilding experience came home to Georgia about four years ago to put down roots and start his own company, JCH Homes. For nearly 30 years, John and Linda Hopkins moved their household from metro area to metro area as John rose to Senior Vice President with D. R. Horton.One of his projects a few years back was a development inside of Southbridge, and on those visits to check on progress he fell in love with the area. When it came time to hang up his “national” ties, he and Linda, both natives of Atlanta, knew exactly where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do.

 


John says, “We’re not chasing the sun anymore – the sun’s right here.” He and Linda both feel blessed to have the opportunity to start their own building company and to live in Richmond Hill. John continued, “Everyone is so friendly. We love the area and how socially accepting Richmond Hill folks are.”

Linda, who is her husband’s fulltime partner in the business, added, “It feels good to wake up every morning and know that this is home, where we’re going to be forever. No more moves.”

Working his way up through the ranks on the national homebuilding scene, John learned a few crucial things about the homebuilding process and the market’s cycles. He says the Savannah area is in much better shape than other areas of the country. The only thing slowing things down is that “people can’t sell their homes to get here,” he says. “Land prices need to stay consistent,” he went on, “so we can put people into homes. Remember,” he observed, “the rebound of the housing market is like turning a ship, not a boat. It happens slowly.”

The wisdom he gained working nationally is what he looked forward to putting into practice in his own company. He shared one piece of advice that someone once gave him:  “Stay focused on your core business. Get up every morning and tell yourself you’ll do what it takes to be #1 in your own market, whatever that market might be right now. And always, take ownership of the whole problem, never just your part.” Simple but so often overlooked.

One very special event happened to John and Linda eight years ago. They were planning a trip to Hawaii when his boss suggested to him that he and Linda consider going to Africa as part of a mission trip. Linda didn’t have to think about it; she knew she wanted to see Mozambique. John was a little hesitant – until he got there. Their destination was a children’s orphanage. John said that trip changed his outlook on life.

 “They’re on the low end of the economic scale, but the high end of the happy scale,” he said. Even the children in the orphanage were happy, yet they had lost the most important thing in life – their parents. It was then that John and Linda knew they could make a difference they could see. They decided to contribute to the support of the orphanage and to return to Mozambique four years later. Today, they can hardly wait for their third trip.

Right now, JCH Homes’ is focused on its first development, Buckhead Lakes. Located near the intersection of Hwy 144 and Belfast Keller Road in South Bryan County, Buckhead Lakes will mesh true luxury amenities with affordable homes in the low to mid $300s. A full-featured clubhouse with fitness facilities, a walk-in swimming pool, and a small lake will make staying home on the weekend feel like a vacation. John is also involved as a builder in Cathead Landing near Darien, The Sanctuary, Palm Bay, and Brigham Lakes.

For a genuine Southerner and Georgian, nothing feels quite like coming home again. For John and Linda Hopkins, they’re excited to have the opportunity to make a difference right here in South Georgia. They do everything they can to help military families find a quality home and to support them when their loved ones are deployed. Now that’s a real blessing!