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60th Anniversary for Parade of Homes SM
8/13/2008
Builders Association of the Twin Cities Presents the
60TH ANNIVERSARY Parade of Homes FALL SHOWCASESM
The 60th Parade of Homes Fall ShowcaseSM tour will begin September 6 and run through October 5, 2008 and is the oldest and largest new home tour in the country. This fall a total of 497 new homes and neighborhoods will be open to the public Thursdays through Sundays. Homes are open from 3:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursdays and Fridays and from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm, Saturdays and Sundays. Admission to all of the homes is free except for two Dream Homes, Parade HomeSM #105 and #177, where a charitable donation of $5.00 will be requested at the door.
“As always, the Parade of HomesSM is your very best shopping opportunity for new homes,” said KC Chermak, 2008 president of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC), and President of Pillar Homes Partner, Inc. “No matter what your family makeup or your lifestyle needs, you are sure to find a Parade HomeSM that will be just perfect.
“Right now is a great time to buy a new home,” continues Chermak. “We’re still in a “buyers market,” which means you will find great values, but not for long. The inventory of unsold homes continues to decline while the cost of materials is beginning to rise, meaning these new homes just may offer the best value you’ll see in quite some time.”
Parade of HomesSM Guidebook and Web site make touring a breeze
It’s easy to plan your personalized tour ahead of time. Start by getting your free copy of the Parade of HomesSM Guidebook at any metropolitan area Holiday StationStore (you can check online at www.paradeofhomes.org to locate the Holiday nearest you). The Guidebook includes directories that help you choose homes by builder, price, location, and even homes that can accommodate wheelchair visitors. And if you want to get even more customized, just head to the Internet.
All Parade HomesSM models are featured online at the Parade of HomesSM Web site, www.paradeofhomes.org. Use our convenient search engine to find homes by price range, builder and location, of course, but you can also select square footage, school district, and number of bedrooms, baths and garages. You can use the key word search to look for specific features or amenities, like geo-thermal heat or hickory cabinetry. All the Parade HomesSM are cross-referenced to individual builder pages that provide additional information about each builder, plus a listing of the builder’s current neighborhoods and price ranges. Then click on the link to view most of the builders’ own web sites.
You’ll find quick links to our featured homes, homes with color photographs and virtual tours, as well as the two Dream Homes and homes that are certified or pending certification under the Minnesota GreenStar program. It’s easy to navigate and when you find a home or a builder you may want to see, just save them in your own personal Tour Planner. This feature lets you save your favorites as long as you like, and even make notes for future reference.
Dream Rooms, Dream Neighborhoods, Green Dreams, and Events galore
This fall we’re featuring a Dream Room Mini Tour, showcasing nine exceptional rooms that reflect the latest in new home trends. We have selected six fantastic neighborhoods to highlight, and you can easily find the eight homes that are participating in the MN GreenStar Certified Green Homes and Remodeling program. You’ll also want to plan your tour around the over 100 special events going on during the tour. From educational (all of the MN GreenStar homes offer green seminars) to fun, relaxing and tasty, these are events you won’t want to miss, and all are free and don’t require reservations. Find all the details about the homes and events in the Guidebook as well as online. You can even register to receive weekly emails reminding you of all the events coming up in the next week.
Parade of HomesSM prices range from $119,900 to $3,150,000
As usual, Parade HomesSM span a wide range of prices. Jyland Distinctive Homes, Inc. has the most expensive home, priced at $3,150,000. Parade HomeSM #172 is a five bedroom, six bath, 5,044 square-foot home designed to be an oasis from a busy life, a vacation home without the long drive located at 1590 Locust Hills Circle in Wayzata.
The lowest priced home is #309 by S.W. Wold Townhomes, Inc. This 888 square-foot, one-bedroom townhome is priced at $119,900 and located at 1357 Jasmine Court SE in Cambridge. There are three lowest priced single-family homes, priced at $159,900. Novak-Fleck, Inc. has a two-bedroom, split-entry home, #261, located at 11594 - 79th Street NE in Otsego. #304 is a split-entry, two-bedroom home by Semler Construction, Inc. at 3270 - 235th Avenue NW in St. Francis. And next door, #305 is by Scott Olmstead Builders, Inc., a two-bedroom split-entry home located at 3282 - 235th Avenue in St. Francis.
Homes to tour all around the extended metro region
Homes are on display all across the extended Twin Cities area. You’ll find most Parade HomeSMmodels located in current growth suburbs such as Woodbury, Blaine, and Maple Grove. There are homes in closer-in cities, too, including 10 in Minneapolis and five in St. Paul. Additional inner-ring suburbs with Parade HomesSM include New Brighton, Shoreview, St. Louis Park, New Hope and Robbinsdale. Models are also open for viewing in a number of outlying towns including Centerville, Hastings, New Prague, Victoria, Zimmerman, and Somerset, Wisconsin.
All Parade of HomesSM model homes are clearly marked with bright yellow signs displaying their distinct Parade of HomesSM number. These numbers correspond to the mapped sections of the Parade of HomesSM Guidebook and web site.
Dream Homes Inspire
The 2008 Parade of Homes Fall ShowcaseSM will showcase two Builders Outreach Foundation Dream Homes, a $1,795,000 MN GreenStar home in Minnetrista by Pillar Homes Partner, Inc., and a $1,889,000 home in Edina by Carl M. Hansen Companies. Visitors to these two fabulous homes are asked to make a $5.00 donation to the charitable arm of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC). All proceeds will go directly to the Builders Outreach Foundation’s work of building new, single-family homes for low-income families.
Visitors invited to enter prize drawings
This fall you can win a fabulous vacation to Hawaii (pick your Dream Hawaiian destination) from NWA WorldVacations. When you visit any of our eight MN GreenStar homes you can also register to win a Ford Escape Hybrid car from M&I Banks as part of their Green promotion. Register at any Parade HomeSM to win the Hawaii vacation, and on-line at www.paradeofhomes.org to win either prize.
60th Anniversary Parade of HomesSM Royalty coronation
In celebration of our 60th Anniversary, we’ve included some fun and historic information throughout our Guidebook. We found great photos of the Queen of Homes and her attendants from the 1950s, and in that spirit, we are crowning our own royalty on the final day of the Parade of HomesSM. The drawing contest (Draw Your Dream Home) was open to children of BATC members under age 12. All participants are named Parade of HomesSM Lords and Ladies, with the winning artists crowned Prince and Princess.
The Builders Association of the Twin Cities, presenters of the Parade of Homes EasyStreetSM, Spring PreviewSM, Fall ShowcaseSM, and the spring and fall Parade of Homes Remodelers ShowcaseSM represents over 1700 member firms involved in all phases of the home building and remodeling industries, and is dedicated to providing a diverse selection of quality and affordable housing to the Twin Cities area.
Parade of Homes EasyStreetSM, Spring PreviewSM, Fall ShowcaseSM, and Parade of Homes Remodelers ShowcaseSMare service marks of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities.
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