Booming town of Silverwood where homes are $400K and buyers have to sign ‘kindness’ waiver

A quirky California community where homeowners are asked to pledge kindness to their neighbors is rapidly growing, with hundreds of families already buying into the unusual experiment.

Silverwood, a sprawling master-planned development in the Inland Empire city of Hesperia, has sold 225 homes since opening its first neighborhoods last year, according to developer officials.

The 9,000-acre project first grabbed headlines for its affordable prices — starting in the low $400,000s — and for requiring residents to sign a “kindness pledge” aimed at fostering empathy, acceptance and neighborliness.

Now, developers say demand has remained strong despite high mortgage rates and broader economic uncertainty.

“The first year was a success,” Silverwood general manager John Ohanian told Business Insider. “We had strong community engagement, experienced strong buyer interest, and made our place despite no softening in the mortgage market and general economic ups and downs.”

The development sold more than 40 homes within weeks of its opening in April 2025, and sales have steadily climbed over the past year as buyers search for more affordable alternatives to Southern California’s notoriously expensive housing markets.

Developers estimate roughly 300 families will be living in Silverwood by the end of 2026. The long-term vision is far larger: more than 15,000 homes spread across neighborhoods connected by parks, trails and community gathering spaces.

The community sits near Silverwood Lake and is framed by mountain views, with outdoor recreation forming a major part of its identity.

“This property is surrounded by the mountains. You can see Big Bear on one side and a lovely panorama of mountains on the other,” Ohanian told Business Insider. “It wants to be an outdoor lifestyle kind of community.”

The kindness pledge remains one of Silverwood’s defining features.

Inspired by a campaign launched years ago by former Tom Tait, the document asks residents, employees and contractors to embrace values including compassion, respect and community engagement.

“I can’t tell you the number of times residents have stopped me and said how much they appreciate the idea and the way it is being lived out,” Ohanian said. “If this is our legacy at Silverwood, I will be so proud.”

The emphasis on community appears to be resonating with buyers who might otherwise have left California altogether.

Houses in Silverwood currently range from the $400,000s to nearly $800,000 — a price point Ohanian believes fills a gap in the state’s housing market.

“There hasn’t really been an opportunity for people like this,” he said. “Californians feel like they can go to Texas and pay $400,000 for a house or go to Orange County and pay $1 million.”

Silverwood ultimately plans to add between 500 and 700 households each year as it grows into what developers hope will become a modern version of the small-town California communities many residents say they miss.

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