About Us
The RidgeCrest Story
Curt and Karen Willar opened RidgeCrest Home Sales in November of 2004 with the hopes of providing affordable, well-built homes, while gaining the reputation of a great place to purchase your home! Buying a home is the single most important decision you may make. Our goal is to identify your housing needs by asking the right questions, help you select the perfect home, and remain within your budget. We strive to ensure your happiness before, during, and after the sale, providing 100 percent satisfaction. We do business with honesty and integrity, throughout the entire buying process. No one should ever forget the excitement of buying a new home. This commitment and dedication to our client's needs has allowed us to grow and expand our services, always striving to be the best possible place for you to buy your "Dream Home!"
We got our start in the manufactured housing business with the purchase of Ridge Crest Community, a 105 site, land lease community. With the Community near occupancy, we felt our experience provided us with the perfect background to sell manufactured homes as RidgeCrest Home Sales. Our Sales Center, located on RT 150 between Beech Creek and Howard, is a dream come true.
Karen S. Willar, Owner
"No matter how many homes I sell, for me, the best thing is seeing our home owners smile when they receive the keys to their new home. Keeping the fun in the experience is most important to me."
As the owner of RidgeCrest Home Sales, Karen oversees the daily operations of the business including sales and marketing. She is the head sales representative for the company, and is the main point of contact for clients when they are planning and purchasing their dream home.
With over 30 years experience in retail business, Karen has a strong background in providing customer satisfaction both before and after the sale. Since 1989, she has been employed with Nittany Travel/American Express as a million dollar leisure travel agent. During that time she helped her parents in the daily operation of Ridge Crest Community, a 105 site single sectional community, and L. McGill Mobile Home Sales. After her parent's retirement in 2004, Karen purchased Ridge Crest Community with her brother Raymond McGill. With Ridge Crest Community near full occupancy, her and Curt decided to open a sales center. RidgeCrest Home Sales opened in November of 2004, conveniently located on RT 150, featuring single, multi section and modular homes.
With her strong sales background and experience, Karen was able to close her first multi-sectional home deal within three weeks of opening. "I try to do things differently here, which sets us apart from our competition - We ask the right questions, and always try to give prompt and honest answers! I try to keep our customers informed and educate home owners on what to expect when purchasing their home. My favorite comment is from customers stating they came back here because they felt I went above and beyond to ensure they received the best possible service."
As the business continued to grow, she was able to start work on her dream project, a 14 lot modular home development. After 3 years of planning, the model home sales center was completed providing a base for not only Eagle Valley Place, but our clients planning a modular home build.
In addition to running the daily operations of RidgeCrest Home Sales and Ridge Crest Community, Karen continues to work as an independent contractor of Nittany Travel. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband Curt and children, Reed and Arminta. Karen and her family love to travel, and enjoy visiting Europe and the Caribbean. She also is an artist enjoying stained glass, knitting, painting, and "loves to dumpster dive" to find trash to treasure items! She enjoys camping, gourmet cooking and is an avid Penn State football and basketball fan, attending games whenever she can.
Curtis J. Willar, P.E.
"My years of experience in construction and engineering have prepared me to deal with any obstacle regarding your site construction."
As co-owner of RidgeCrest Home Sales, Curt coordinates construction and set-up of all manufactured and modular homes. A Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Curt is experienced in all phases of site development and construction. He visits prospective home sites with buyers and walks them through what work will be required to construct their dream home. Curt obtains all the permits needed for construction and ensures the work done is correct, and costs are not exceeded. After the home is on site, he certifies it has been set up according to H.U.D. and state regulations.
Curt also works with Dan Fegley, Service Manager, to ensure all homes are serviced in a timely manner and to the customer's satisfaction.
Prior to owning RidgeCrest Home Sales, Curt had 25 years of experience as a Professional Engineer. Originally he was a Consulting Civil Engineer working in the design of site development, subdivision, highway, bridge, water, and wastewater design. He then spent 11 years as a Field Engineer on-site on civil engineering construction projects before becoming a Project Manager for a Heavy/Highway construction firm. There he spent his time estimating, doing project administration, cost accounting, and field re-design of large construction projects. He managed construction of large water and wastewater systems, as well as PennDOT projects.
After the initial success of RidgeCrest Home Sales, it quickly became clear that Curt needed to join Karen as a full time partner in the business. Although he enjoyed his previous position working on large scale engineering projects, Curt likes the flexibility that comes with owning a business. He is able to plan his work schedule around spending time with his children, Reed and Arminta. Since making his move to RidgeCrest Home Sales in 2005, the company has continued to grow and make great strides each year.
Tia Willow, Office & Marketing Manager
"I enjoy the challenge of coordinating marketing, sales, & service to make sure RidgeCrest Home Sales is always... definitely more than you expect!"
Tia Willow started at RidgeCrest Home Sales in November of 2007. As Office & Marketing Manager, she handles all of our marketing and advertising, as well as managing the daily functions of the office. In addition, she is a licensed sales representative for the company and assists potential home buyers in their purchase. She enjoys the many different aspects of her job in that every day is something new.
Originally from Turbotville, Tia and her husband Eric moved to Centre County in 2005 when they bought their first home. A graduate of Penn State University, Tia has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and has worked in sales and marketing since graduating in 2003.
Prior to starting at RidgeCrest Home Sales, Tia worked in both the insurance and real estate industries. She has experience in print, radio and internet marketing, as well as sales support and working with clients.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their son, Ethan. On the weekends, they can usually be found working on home improvement projects, visiting Bald Eagle State Park, or hanging out in the backyard. She loves spending summer vacations at the beach and enjoys any reason to be outdoors!
