Parade of Homes

Housing Market Opening New Doors for Home Buyers
Now is the time to make homeownership work for you

Choosing to buy a brand-new home is an exciting decision and is sure to fill your heart and mind with plenty of questions. What do I want in my new? Is it a good time to buy? Should I choose to build from scratch?

Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City Parade of Homes has been helping to answer those questions since 1947. The annual parade is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see the latest in new-home development and design from the area’s top builders while learning about the state of the housing market and how it affects you. From traditional family homes to today’s new choices for active adults, urban living and going green, the parade presents exceptional and alluring options for you to discover.

The Parade of Homes kicks off Sept. 7 and continues through Sept. 21 with 435 new homes located throughout the metropolitan area featuring choices from more than 190 area home builders and more than 200 new-home communities. Prices range from under $100,000 to more than $2 million featuring creative and inspiring floor plans and designs from which to choose.

Homes are not one size fits all, and this year’s Parade of Homes celebrates that distinctiveness. From the cool looks of downtown condominiums and lofts to villas and patio homes designed for carefree living in retirement, today’s new homes can meet the demands of virtually every lifestyle and budget.

This year’s Parade of Homes also marks the debut of Build Green Kansas City, a new local program designed to promote environmentally friendly homes. Build Green Kansas City provides resources to help homebuyers and home builders use the National Association of Home Builders Model Green Building Guidelines in constructing homes are more energy efficient, more comfortable and more cost effective.

Consumers visiting the Parade of Homes will also learn much about today’s housing market. While housing markets in locations such as  Florida and California may be struggling, things are looking up in Kansas City, where news stories are touting how much better life is for homebuyers here than in other parts of the nation.

Competitive prices, low mortgage rates and new first-time buyer tax incentives have combined top open the doors of homeownership to family’s who may have been willing to wait. Whether you choose to buy a new home of build your own masterpiece, the experts agree that buyers who take advantage of the market today will benefit before prices and rates rise during the coming year.

In the following pages of this special Parade of Homes booklet, you’ll find a complete listing of all 435 homes on this year’s parade along with maps to help you locate the homes you’d like to view. For more complete information on each of the entries, you can pick up a free copy of the 2008 Parade of Homes Guide packed with more than 240 pages of home listings and resources for new-home shopping. Free copies of the guide are available at each community on the parade as well as at Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City office at Interstate 435 and Holmes Road.

The most complete source for the Parade of Homes can be found at the tour’s official Web site at www.kcparadeofhomes.com. Online you’ll find complete home listings, an interactive search engine allowing you to quickly identify the homes that meet your criteria and budget and links to hundreds of local home-building Web sites. You’ll also have access to the resources available on the HBA’s Web site, including articles on new-home ownership and information about the more than 1,000 local HBA member companies.

The time is right for you to open up to the possibilities of new-home ownership. The Parade of Homes opens Sept. 7 and continues through Sept. 21 with all homes open for free daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Welcome to the Parade of Homes!