For the Hancocks, family is everything. Love for family is deep-rooted in Camelot Homes’ approach to home building, because when you buy a Camelot Home, you become part of the Camelot family. It is this very passion that has forged their success as leaders in the luxury housing industry. And it all began with a chance encounter between two people who would end up falling in love, creating a beautiful
family and taking the Arizona home-building market by storm.
Margaret Kass met her roommate’s brother, J.W. Hancock, when she was 28 years old at a Thanksgiving dinner in San Francisco. But it was not love at first sight. The free-spirited Maggi was completely different from the very proper J.W. But after they started dating, they found they actually had a lot in common. And the rest is history.
Within two years, Maggi and J.W. married. Their love story is unique in that they became partners in marriage and business.
“He was a brilliant builder,” Maggi, now 95 years old, reminisced about her husband. “He adored his craft and was loved by everyone in the industry. He really was a ‘builder’s builder,’” she proudly added.
Never one to sit on the sidelines, Maggi jumped right in and became her husband’s business partner. Together, they made the perfect team. J.W. did the heavy lifting and remained behind the scenes. He bought and developed land, while Maggi was the “face” of the business who went to all the bid openings, handled advertising, customer relations, and oversaw the accounting.
After a few years in commercial building, J.W. decided to return to his roots to explore the burgeoning new homebuilding business opportunities in Arizona. Since then, Hancock Construction, which eventually became Camelot Homes, has been building custom and semi-custom luxury homes.
“We have buyers who are still living in their Camelot home 30 to 40 years later. Many have purchased multiple luxury homes over the years,” Maggi affirms. “We have an incredible product and are a very personalized business. But our success has been due in large part because of our innovative design and customer care.”
“Design and service are what J.W. and I were always committed to,” she added. “We have an incredible product but without great customer service and integrity—something my husband prided himself on—we would not be where we are today.”
Three generations and more than four decades later, this loving and caring family is still passionate about building quality luxury homes, with unparalleled craftsmanship and design. In 1981, Maggi and J. W. retired and passed the reins of the company to their son, Mark. Today, Mark, his wife, Julie, and daughter Cameron are Managing Directors of Camelot Homes; their sons Trent and Chase have just recently joined the company.
Together, they continue to excel at creating custom and semi-custom luxury homes that dazzle the imagination. Their zeal for forward-thinking design, attention to detail and desire to build their customer’s dream home make them the luxury builder of choice.
For Maggi and the Hancocks, their passion is what makes them thrive as a family and business. “I am proud of what J.W. and I have accomplished. I’m also so proud of Mark, Julie, and my grandchildren, who are continuing this great legacy.”
