Gateway West by Stanley Martin Homes - Hyattsville, Maryland

Nikki O.

I have experienced multiple MAJOR issues in my new construction home, from mold to water heater electrical fires, 3x AC unit malfunction, driveway incorrectly poured which required a rip & replace per the County, major appliance damages at installation, refrigerator internal mechanism required replacement, master shower major repair (twice) due to incorrect installation & no subfloor/ moisture barriers installed at construction, and unfortunately I am still experiencing issues at my 1 year warranty with my kitchen flooring.

SM’s flooring contracted Installer intentionally installed mismatch tiles in my kitchen as a part of my 1 year home warranty repair of defective tiles they installed at construction. I reported this to the warranty team immediately, and the work has been pending completion for six months. Most of this time due to delays and denial of their errors and poor craftsmanship. Apparently, Exceptional Choice floors (SM’s chosen contractor) no longer has the finish of flooring in stock that I originally purchased, and are now refusing to install flooring that matches the original finish due to their lack of inventory and/or the discontinuance of the original flooring. I have requested to review flooring samples that they currently have in stock that matches my original finish & they are refusing to do so (photos attached). Additionally, I am being told that if they damage any of my beloved during their subsequent repairs, they will not be responsible.

Each time I have to communicate with the warranty team to correct their errors, I am treated condescendingly, as if they are doing me a favor. A home that I thought would be turn key, has required multiple major repairs and countless hours of my work days, as most contractors do no work on weekends.

Beth M.

Buyer beware - stay away at all costs.

Horrendously shoddy construction. The appliances have been failing within 2 years of purchase due to improper installation and terrible electrical work, with negligible support of items that should be covered by the warranty. The walls are paper thin and we can hear our neighbors constantly. The windows are single pane, meaning they are terribly insulated for both heat and sound - there's constant road and construction noise. The HOA is not concerned with safety or livability, only with the appearance of the units in sight of potential buyers. The grass and trees are all dying, one of the "nature preserve" areas was recently burned down due to local kids playing with fireworks, and the fencing next to our house has been destroyed, apparently by school kids cutting through the neighborhood.  If you have an issue and it is not something that visibly impacts the saleability of the model units, they do not care at all.

Rachael D.

Bought a home in this community and absolutely love it! I have been here since August 2023 and the quality of the home is great and all issues have been minor but stanley Martin would fix them very promptly. The proximity to Dc is wonderful and makes for a pleasant drive in to the city with no highways! Also having the metro so close is awesome. It’s only a 15 min walk or 2 min drive.

The area has amazing restaurants, local parks and trails, and cute coffee shops. I truly believe Hyattsville is on its way up and am super excited for this community to grow.

Lee B. I.

The house is OK. We moved in at the beginning of December 2024. Aesthetically pleasing but some of the design choices are very odd. In what’s meant to be the main bedroom in the Hugo, the television is off to the side of the bed (there’s only one logical place to put the bed in that room due to the doors and windows). When you opt for the 4th level, there’s no linen closet on the third floor where two of the bedrooms are, making it a bit of a logistical nightmare. The windows are thin. You literally feel colder standing next to them in the winter.

On top of that, we weren’t given many options in the build, really just how much hardwood/laminate and carpet we would have and what color the cabinetry would be. I considered a Ryan Homes neighborhood but decided against it based on location, but it was completely different there. We were able to choose everything from the railings to the cabinet hardware. We even had the choice between a bigger walk-in closet or a soaking tub. Speaking of hardware, everything is cheap. Curtain rods are tension and have fallen multiple times since moving in. The model home is also a little misleading as the hardwood flooring includes the second stairwell and hallway on the third floor and it doesn’t in the actual build but I will say that Marcus allowed me to see a home that someone hadn’t moved into, so I did know this (but it’s still a little misleading).

Phase 2 is clearly being built with less care and attention to detail than phase 2. The driveways into the garage have very clean straight lines in phase 1, but not in phase 2. The parking spaces are very clearly defined with white line separating them in phase 1. Phase 2 is a free for all. There are trash cans and complimentary doggie bags to clean up after your pups in Phase 1 and not one to be found around phase 2.

Lastly, the HOA is not good at all. Like it’s almost impressive how horrible they are. They are not here to serve the residents at all. They said they can’t enforce not allowing residents of the condominiums next door parking in our reserved spaces yet they have towing company signs around the neighborhood. I also inquired about extending the sidewalk as residents have to walk through grass if you’re not in your garage. They pretty much said it’s not their problem and ignored the request.a When they don’t want to resolve an issue, they simply stop responding in the portal.

Overall, would I recommend the neighborhood? Probably not.

Christopher H.

Very happy with my decision to buy a home in this neighborhood. It's a great location with easy access to local shops and restaurants, as well as great proximity to the metro to get almost anywhere in DC quickly.
The build quality of my home has been great, only a few small issues which Stanley Martin was happy to address under warranty. I know some neighbors who have had some more serious issues with plumbing, but again SM was quick to fix those issues.
Unfortunately we have a handful of neighbors who apparently didn't do any research into Hyattsville or this area and are trying to blame Stanley Martin for preexisting issues with the high school next door and general crime in the area. In my opinion, Stanley Martin has been more accommodating and helpful than they are required to be in working to resolve these issues, which will take time and community engagement to fix.
Overall, I look forward to many years in this home and neighborhood.

Michael S.

In February 2024, my wife and I began our journey find our newly build home with Stanley Martin, and the experience has been excellent. Marcus and Lovin, the on-site sales staff, have provided outstanding customer service from our first visit up to today. The construction team has been great to work with, and even now, after closing, they continue to assist us with our follow-up walkthrough and repairs.

As first-time home builders, we did our research thoroughly. We visited the Stanley Martin community day and night, talked to residents, and observed the neighborhood. Ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for my wife, kids, and family is a priority. From our research and firsthand experience, I can confidently say that any one-star reviews of this neighborhood are unfounded. Such reviews do not recognize the continuous effort Stanley Martin puts into building a great community.

Regarding the community, we feel very safe here—much safer than when we lived in DC. If you are a one-star reviewer, I'd be interested to see how you rate other neighborhoods like DC and VA. We walk our dogs at any hour without fear, and I'm often out as early as 5:30 am. I see packages left on doorsteps, car windows down, and garage doors open without any issues. Our neighborhood is safe, and the residents look out for each other. It's disheartening that some judge the community based on one or two isolated incidents that were not Stanley Martin's fault. Such incidents can happen anywhere. As newcomers, we need to remember that we are joining an already established neighborhood, we did not discover it and Stanley Martin feels the same way because they have openly discuss issues with the community. We have a responsibility to help improve safety and be a welcoming addition while respecting existing residents and schools.

Hyattsville is a fantastic community with rich cultural diversity. I lived here more than 25 years ago, and it's wonderful to see the positive changes. The New Metro (green, yellow, and soon the purple line) is within walking distance, DC is just 10 minutes away, and there are restaurants, a movie theater, and shopping options nearby. Beltway routes are also conveniently close. It's the perfect location.

If you’re considering buying a home here, don't let 1 star reviews deter you, they should have done more research or lived in a gated community with round the clock security and even then they would have had an issue as well. This is a great community on the rise, and the homes are beautiful. You will love it! Michael

Virginia K. S.

We closed on our home in February of 2024 and from start to finish we have had an excellent experience with Stanley Martin. Marcus and Lovin are the on-site sales staff. From my first visit until today, they have provided great customer service. The construction staff were great to work with and even now, beyond closing, they have been helpful with directing us to the right people for our follow-up walk through and repairs.

Having never built a home before, we didn't know what to expect with the process but the entire team at Stanley Martin made it easy and worry free.

As for the community, we have never felt unsafe living here. In fact, we feel way safer than we did living in DC and I am not scared to walk my dogs outside alone at any hour of the day or night. My neighbors are great and it's sad to see that some of them are judging the community off of one or two isolated incidents that were not the fault of Stanley Martin. These things could happen anywhere. This is a community in transition and I hope that people moving here also take into account that we are technically the gentrifiers buying and building these expensive homes and we have a responsibility to work with the community to help improve safety, and to be a welcoming new addition to the neighborhood while respecting the culture and people who were here before us.

Do kids cut through to get to the school? Yes. Because otherwise it takes an extra 10 minutes to get to school if they have to walk all the way around. So kids do what kids are going to do, they find a short-cut. Building walls and fences never work, whether it's at the southern border or in our own neighborhood. If people want to get through, over, or under, they will find a way out of necessity or convenience. The motivation doesn't have to be nefarious in nature. We should be looking for a solution with them, not focusing on keeping them out. This isn't a gated community after all.

I would also add that Hyattsville is a great community that has rich cultural diversity. I lived here more than 20 years ago and it is great to see all of the positive changes coming to the area. The Metro (green, yellow and soon to be purple line) is in walking distance, DC is 10 minutes down the road, we have restaurants, a movie theater, and shopping all a walk or quick car ride away. Routes 50, 295, and 495 are all conveniently close by as well. It truly is the perfect location.

If you are looking to buy a home here, don't let other reviews steer you away from making a good decision. This is a great community on the rise and the homes are BEAUTIFUL. You won't regret it.

Saswathi N.

MAJOR EDIT#2:
I have edited my review from 1 star to 4 stars because my quality of life and feeling of safety have improved after a demonstrated good faith effort from the Stanley Martin representatives to listen to community needs and address the safety issues. I moved here in Nov 2022, and saw some serious crime. The builder initially did not provide fencing that was durable enough to prevent vandalism by local bad actors and it was constantly being torn down, leading to a lot of foot traffic, and facilitating the previously mentioned violent crime incidents. Community members spoke up about it and you can read more about the issues as they were in early may 2024 in this article from streetcar suburbs: https://streetcarsuburbs.news/new-homeowners-want-safe-streets/

BUT, especially since news coverage of crime in May of 2024, the Builder has been responsive, collaborating with homeowners and the county, and has significantly improved fencing as well as added cameras to help police if an incident occurs. This has effectively reduced foot traffic, and improved the quality of life in this community for homeowners. So, my experience with the builder has changed and in good faith, I have improved my public review of Stanley Martin given their response, especially due to the correspondence from Joseph Trubiano, who has taken time to listen to community needs beyond just building a bunch of houses. If any prospective buyers are interested, Here are the letters from Stanley Martin(represented by Mr.Trubaino) to Gateway West Homeowners about how they have addressed safety concerns: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_bQqu938DMiacli-az6LY1kH8LtBkHVf?usp=sharing

I hope seeing these letters serves to show prospective buyers how the issues of safety have been addressed in the capacity of the builder, which in my opinion, is more than many builders would do when faced with community concerns. Separate from the safety issues, there are ofcourse warranty issues and things to be worked on as I approach my 1-year warranty mark regarding repairs ( improper installations, overly sensitive circuit boards etc), hence not a 5 star review, but overall, since the collaborative efforts to address safety began in June 2024, I have had a positive experience and renewed respect for this builder.

Separate from the builder I personally have loved the neighbors here. The engagement in social things like planning happy hours and block parties is amazing. Also the engagement in organizing trash pickups and sharing safety issues to work on together is great. I have joined the neighborhood watch myself and the efforts are heartening. Homeowners have built a great place to come and feel connected in a way that I had not had in previous communities in the US. Efforts are underway to build a strong and safe community as the builder sells the last of the homes and hands over community management to homeowners.

---------Review from 5/5.2024 below
MAJOR EDIT:
I edited my review from 3-star to 1-star because
SECURITY ISSUES: On May 2nd, there was a stabbing and theft incident right in front of my home. My 1yr old son and babysitter were just about to go on a walk before I saw the police and pulled them back in the house. The police Instagram post in the pictures shows the suspects in the playground where our kids play everyday. The stabbing was in the same spot that a shooting happened on Jan 5th, 2024. After the shooting, many homeowners requested better security measures so Stanley Martin installed some cameras and promised better fencing to route foot traffic, but they never gave homeowners anything in writing, and the fences they installed in mid-April were torn down in key places within a day and still not repaired. They were flimsy fences, nothing close to what was needed. THEN a stabbing happened in the community, after a string of car break-ins, package thefts and daily stream of trespassing. Stanley Martin needs to seriously reassess the community planning to make residents and future homeowners safe in this community.