Three Generations of Tepes: Seventy-Six Years of Building, Renting, Selling in the Lehigh Valley

For more than seven decades, one family name has stood behind thousands of Lehigh Valley homes: Tepes. From the first house framed in 1950 to the listings on the market today, Tepes Construction, Tepes Real Estate, Tepes Rental, and Tim Tepes Real Estate have constructed, developed, leased, and brokered homes across the Valley through three generations. Very few local families can point to that kind of continuous, hands-on role in shaping where the Lehigh Valley lives.

It all began in 1950, when Louis Tepes Sr. founded Tepes Construction Co., Inc. The mission from day one was simple and lasting: build quality homes that working families could afford and be proud of. His son, Louis "Lou" Tepes Jr., grew up in the business and carried it forward, earning a reputation for craftsmanship, fairness, and value. Under Lou's leadership, Tepes Construction became known across the Valley for twin homes, the modern version of the classic doubles that housed generations of local families, along with custom homes, attached singles, and ranch-style designs. The company also grew into land development and multifamily building and ownership, with its longtime base at Tepes Construction on Center Road in Northampton.

Lou Tepes Jr. gave back to the industry that raised him. He was deeply active in the Pennsylvania Builders Association and the Lehigh Valley Builders Association, and in 2007 he received the PA Builder of the Year Award, one of the highest honors a Pennsylvania builder can earn. Around the same time, he took home two of the 14 major awards handed out by the state builders association for construction and community involvement, including recognition for 50-plus years in the industry. After a life spent building homes and mentoring the next generation, Lou passed away peacefully on September 10, 2025, surrounded by family. His work lives on in thousands of roofs across the Lehigh Valley and in the third generation now leading the family's real estate business.

The Tepes record of leadership went far beyond the job site. Louis Tepes Sr. helped found the Lehigh Valley Builders Association, and Louis Tepes Jr. later served as its president, guiding the region's builders the same way he guided the family company. The Morning Call even spotlighted grandfather Louis Tepes Sr. in a July 5, 1962 feature titled "Free Enterprise Has Real Meaning for This American Citizen," telling the story of a family business that started in the Valley and grew with it. When the Pennsylvania Builders Association named Louis Tepes Jr. its Builder of the Year in 2007, it capped a career that also earned two of the 14 major awards the state association presented that year for construction and community involvement.

Construction was only the start. The Tepes family businesses grew to cover every side of real estate: Tepes Construction for building and developing, Tepes Property Management and Rentals for leasing and managing homes, Treco LLC, the Tepes Real Estate Company LLC, for the company's real estate holdings, and Total Close Settlement Company for the title and closing side of the transaction. In short, if it involved a home in the Lehigh Valley, the Tepes family did it, from pouring the foundation to handing over the keys.

Today that legacy is carried by Tim Tepes, the third generation to lead the family's real estate work. Tim has been a full-time REALTOR since 1990 and is a PA Licensed Associate Broker with Tim Tepes Real Estate LLC at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Cassidon Realty. He has helped more than 2,000 clients buy, sell, and invest in real estate, with 700-plus documented transactions across Northampton, Lehigh, and Carbon Counties. In January 2021, he was sworn in as president of the Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS, the association that represents the region's real estate professionals, and he proudly serves today as a past president. With that, the Tepes name had led every major housing organization in the region across three generations: a founder of the Lehigh Valley Builders Association, a past president of that same builders association, and a past president of the Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS. His specialties run the full family range: residential resale, new construction, investment properties, probate and estate sales, downsizing, and small multifamily assets. Having grown up in a construction and development family, Tim knows what is behind the walls, not just what is on the surface. Nobody knows homes better.

The recognition has followed. Tim has received the Distinguished Alumni Award for his alma mater's honor of his career, has been listed in Who's Who in Business and in the Marquis Who's Who, and the Borough of Northampton proclaimed a Tim Tepes Day in his honor. It is the kind of recognition reserved for someone whose family has shaped the community for more than seven decades.

Beyond building and selling, the Tepes family helps clients put real estate to work for them. As a full-service real estate company, the team handles building, buying, selling, and renting homes, along with investing in real estate. For clients who want to grow wealth and generate passive income, Tim guides investors through 1031 exchanges, which let them defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting the proceeds of a property sale into a like-kind property, and Delaware Statutory Trusts, or DSTs, which allow investors to hold a fractional share of large institutional-grade properties and collect passive income without the day-to-day work of being a landlord. It is one more way the family's more than seven decades of real estate know-how pays off for Lehigh Valley clients.

Seven and a half decades. Three generations. One family standard. From the first Tepes-built foundation in 1950 to the homes Tim lists for sale today, the Tepes name has meant one thing to the Lehigh Valley: homes constructed, developed, leased, and sold by people who live here, who grew up here, and who plan to stay. Award-winning builders. Award-winning REALTORS. Leaders in the associations that shape the Lehigh Valley housing market. That is not just a business. That is a promise.

Nobody Knows Homes Better. Better Service. Better Results. Expect Better.