If you’re thinking about buying a house, building a new house, or just redecorating your current one, you should consider attending a parade of homes. A parade of homes is an event that allows builders to showcase their home designs. Often, the new homes are filled with architectural innovations or boast features that have all the makings of the next home design and interior style trends. If you’re planning to attend a parade of homes in your area, there are several things you can do to get prepared so that you can make the most of your viewing experience.
Home Parades: What to Expect
Depending on the sponsor of the event, home parades can reflect different themes. Sometimes a developer simply hosts them to showcase their capabilities. Builders and architectural firms rely on home parades to market their designs and skills. These events, of course, draw people who are serious about having their new home built soon as well as those who are just beginning to contemplate the possibility.
Home parades also attract homebuyers who are interested in witnessing new design features or special features that might be related to green living. Others attend to draw inspiration from the home designs because they’re interested in renovating their home or transforming the decor. In any case, attendees of parades of homes can expect to find a wide range of home styles and features.
Tips to Prepare for Attending a Parade of Homes
If you’re serious about building a home or redesigning yours, you’ll want to carefully prepare for attending one of these events. So, we’ve put together some information to help you get ready and learn how to attend like a pro.
Research the Event
Today, parade of homes attendees can actually begin the event online simply by taking time to peruse the builder’s online event materials. Many sponsors of these events publish home maps and even photos. You can get a sense of what you’re going to be seeing and make some notes of features you want to spend time viewing. Be sure to jot down any questions that come to mind so you won’t forget to ask the builders during your visit.
Tickets
Some parades of homes are highly attended and require a ticket purchase. Typically, when you purchase tickets to these events in advance, you can save money. You can also ensure that you can attend the event on the date and time of your choosing in the event that it is a widely attended parade of homes.
Consider Your Route
Sometimes showcased models are located in one development area. At other times, home parades might be featured in various locations. It can save you time and confusion by planning your route ahead of time. Use the materials supplied by the sponsor of the event online to help you make your plan.
Dress for Comfort
The weather during these events can vary. It’s a good idea to dress with comfort in mind. Definitely, wear supportive, comfortable shoes. You may want to dress in layers so you can remove an overshirt or jacket if the weather is hot. Although the model homes may have functioning HVAC systems installed, the continual opening and closing of doors may affect the interior temperature. Be prepared so that you’re not too cold or too hot as you peruse the houses.
Record the Experience
Whether you write down your impressions in a notebook or app or you take lots of photos with your smartphone, you’ll want to record some of the design details that impress you. You’ll be seeing quite a bit, so don’t leave your favorite design features to memory. There are various apps online that house hunters use to record their impressions of the houses they visit. You might try one of those. Or, you might simply rely on your phone’s camera. In any case, be sure that your smartphone has a full charge before you attend your next parade of homes.
Talk to the Architects / Builders
Take advantage of talking to the architects and builders who are present at these events. They’re happy to field questions about the homes and their design elements. Whether you’re curious about material selections or the latest building innovations, you can learn quite a bit from these experts simply by initiating a conversation.
What Should I Look for When Attending a Parade of Homes?
If you’re gearing up for home parade season, you’ll want to keep in mind some of the things to take special note of when attending. Some home parades feature multiple builders who are, quite literally, in competition with one another to attract potential clients. Therefore, they often go out of their way to show their best work or to include some features bound to excite the event’s attendees.
You might expect to see many brand new innovations like the latest energy-efficient features. You may also witness vintage-inspired features such as craftsman-style cabinetry or a fun retro aesthetic making its way back into contemporary design trends. Look for distinctive architectural details as well as organizational ideas, novel rooms, or even pet-friendly features when you attend.
Attending a parade of homes is both fun and inspiring. Attendees invariably learn a lot about builders and their capabilities. These events can also influence their own choices when it comes to building and designing a home. It’s not uncommon for attendees to love and dislike many elements in a single model home. Many clients wind up drawing inspiration for their home building project by drawing ideas from multiple model homes.
Budingen Architecture always enjoys attending parades of homes. It’s an opportunity for our team to view others’ custom work and discover innovative design ideas. Meeting with attendees who are thinking of having their next home built is what we love. We also learn a lot from them–what they’re looking for and what they need in a modern home. We hope these tips will help you make the most of your next parade of homes visit.