Hillcrest

Independent Assessment

Hillcrest's evidentiary posture is strong and converging: its own manager's site, Portland Press Herald's repeated news and sponsored coverage over multiple years, and independent manufactured-housing directories (MHBO.com, 55communityguide.com) all consistently describe it as a 55-plus independent-living community, with no source found treating it as all-ages or contradicting the age restriction. MHBO.com's listing data describes Hillcrest explicitly as a land-lease community, with home site lot rent of approximately $450 to $750 per month -- meaning homeowners own their individual manufactured home but lease the underlying lot from the community's operator, State Manufactured Homes. Hillcrest's founding date of 1944, confirmed by the December 2024 80th-anniversary coverage, makes it one of the longest-continuously-operating age-restricted communities tracked in this state's inventory, a further distinct signal of a genuine, established operation.

Who May Find This Community Appealing

Buyers age 55 or older seeking a genuinely more affordable path to homeownership in the high-cost Portland metro area, without the full purchase cost of underlying land, are the clearest match for Hillcrest. Its long, continuous family ownership since 1944, structured activity programming (fitness room, library, scheduled transportation, twice-monthly medical-appointment support), and proximity to the MaineHealth campus may particularly appeal to buyers who value an established, service-oriented operator over a newer or less structured community.

Homes, Builders & Development History

Hillcrest was founded in 1944 by Bob and Agnes Desfosses and has been continuously operated by their family since, now in its third and fourth generations (daughter Theresa Desfosses, granddaughter Tina, son-in-law Gordon Smith, and great-grandson Jacob Smith), operating as State Manufactured Homes, Inc. The community totals 300 home sites just off Route 1 in Scarborough. In December 2024, State Manufactured Homes marked its 80th anniversary with an anniversary sale on new homes at Hillcrest, with pricing starting at $349,300.

Current Pricing & Market Positioning

New homes at Hillcrest started at $349,300 as of December 2024 Portland Press Herald coverage of State Manufactured Homes' 80th-anniversary sale. Current used or resale home pricing separate from that new-home figure, and whether pricing has changed since, could not be independently confirmed. Buyers should request current new and resale pricing directly from State Manufactured Homes, along with the specific lot rent for any home site under consideration.

New Construction vs. Resale Considerations

Hillcrest continues to place new manufactured homes on existing land-lease sites, with new-home pricing starting at $349,300 as of December 2024 coverage, alongside an established base of resale/used homes given the community's 80-year operating history. Buyers should confirm current site availability for both new placements and resale purchases directly with State Manufactured Homes.

Taxes, Insurance & Special Assessments

Hillcrest sits in the Town of Scarborough, Cumberland County, Maine. Because the underlying land is leased rather than owned in this land-lease community, property-tax treatment for the home itself typically differs from a conventional owned-lot home -- buyers should confirm the specific treatment directly with the Scarborough Tax Assessor's office. Maine's own Fair Housing Act (5 M.R.S. Section 4581) uses the modern, post-1999 HOPA formulation for its 55-plus exemption -- a legal nuance discussed in more detail on this state's own overview page.

Community Layout & Lifestyle

Hillcrest is organized as a long-established, land-lease manufactured-home community with structured resident programming, including a dedicated program director, age-appropriate classes, and holiday events, alongside scheduled transportation for errands and medical appointments. The activity center (library, fitness room) and outdoor pavilion give residents a shared gathering point, while the dog park and paved-driveway home sites support a settled, service-oriented, lower-maintenance lifestyle distinct from a newer, amenity-heavy condominium campus.

Shopping, Healthcare & Airport Access

Hillcrest is located just off U.S. Route 1 in Scarborough, Maine, near the MaineHealth campus, with residents reported to be within about a 15-minute drive of beaches, restaurants, shopping, medical facilities, and downtown Portland. Public transportation access is available, and the community itself provides scheduled transportation for grocery shopping, errands, and twice-monthly medical appointments.

Age Qualification & Material Ownership Restrictions

Hillcrest is consistently and repeatedly described as a 55-plus independent-living community across its manager's own site, multiple years of Portland Press Herald news and sponsored coverage, and independent manufactured-housing directories (MHBO.com, 55communityguide.com), with no source found contradicting the age restriction or describing the community as all-ages. Presented here as legally age-restricted 55+ on the strength of this consistent, multi-source, long-running confirmation.

Tradeoffs & Limitations

Buyers should understand clearly that Hillcrest is a land-lease community: the home itself is owned outright, but the underlying home site is leased from State Manufactured Homes rather than purchased, a meaningfully different long-term ownership and equity structure than a conventional owned-lot subdivision like Crystal Spring Estates elsewhere in Scarborough. Reported lot rent of $450 to $750 per month is a real, ongoing cost on top of any home financing, and buyers should ask directly about the specific rent for any site under consideration, historical rent-escalation patterns, and what happens to the home if the underlying land use or ownership changes in the future. Current used/resale home pricing at Hillcrest separate from the $349,300 new-home starting price reported in December 2024 was not confirmed.

Comparison With Nearby Communities

Hillcrest's Scarborough-area alternatives include Crystal Spring Estates (newer, owned-lot modular single-family homes) and The Cottages at Pine Meadow (a smaller cottage-condominium community whose recorded address is actually in neighboring Saco). Hillcrest's land-lease structure and 80-year operating history make it a genuinely more affordable, more established alternative to those two newer, owned-lot communities, giving Scarborough-area buyers a real choice across ownership structures and price points.

Current Listings

State Manufactured Homes (statemanufacturedhomes.com), Hillcrest's on-site management, can provide current new and resale home pricing, available site inventory, and current lot-rent figures directly.

Is Hillcrest age-restricted?

Yes. It is consistently described as a 55-plus independent-living community across its manager's own site, multiple years of Portland Press Herald coverage, and independent manufactured-housing directories.

Do homeowners at Hillcrest own the land under their home?

No. Hillcrest is a land-lease community: residents own their manufactured home outright but lease the underlying home site, with lot rent reported at approximately $450 to $750 per month.

How long has Hillcrest been operating?

Since 1944. It celebrated its 80th anniversary in December 2024 under State Manufactured Homes, Inc., the family-owned dealer that has managed it since founding.