Builders open doors to public

With 20 homes throughout southwest Missouri from Springfield to Ozark to Kimberling City, area home builders are showing off their skills during the 2009 Parade of Homes.

Orchestrated by the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield, the parade opens the doors of newly built or renovated homes to people who want to see the latest trends in home building.

This year's parade runs 1-6 p.m. June 19-21 and June 26-28. Admission is free, and attendees can use the map (see page 19) to visit the homes they find most appealing.

The price range for this year's homes starts at $109,900, and the most expensive home on parade is a $1.29 million property in Reeds Spring. Something new this year is a model log home, Ruth said.

"We've got a huge variety of pricing and a lot of different homes," said HBA Operations Manager Charlyce Ruth. "We've got two on Pershing Street that are remodeled homes. ... A lot of (the homes) are simpler."

While the number of parade entries is down slightly from last year, when there were 27 homes, Ruth said HBA was "pleasantly surprised" to have entries in the double digits amid the recession. Ruth said builders pay fees of .75 percent of the price of the home, with a cap of $2,500, to participate in the annual event.

"The parade is an event we've done since 1954, and it's something people anticipate," Ruth said. "The builders know that this is the best form of advertising for them, because people can get out and see their product and visit with them."

Ruth estimated that about half of this year's parade entries are custom homes, meaning that there's already a buyer in place.

"Obviously, the builder would be more than happy to build them a home just like (those on parade), for somebody else, and make modifications to whatever the potential homeowner would like to have," she said. Because tickets aren't sold for the parade, Ruth said it's hard to peg the number of visitors.

"The less expensive homes don't see as much traffic as the million-dollar homes, because everyone wants to go see the biggest and most exciting house on parade," Ruth said. "But the lower-priced homes (draw) more people who are looking for homes."

As in years past, the St. Jude Dream Home - a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital - is on the parade. The St. Jude home will, however, be closed on the last day because the raffle winner who will receive the house will be announced via an on-site telethon. At press time, ticket sales were approaching the halfway mark; 6,000 tickets for $100 apiece can be sold for the house. For raffle ticket information, visit www.springfieldhba.com.