Parade show homes open year-round

Although the 2012 Fall Parade of Homes has formally ended, you still have plenty of opportunity to revisit those fantastic show homes that you saw during the three weeks of Parade.

Once again, tremendous crowds enjoyed the fabulous weather and came out interested in visiting the 126 new show homes. It was a whirlwind tour for many and one couldn't be expected to visit every home, no matter how hard they tried. I know I certainly did.

Many people have the mistaken notion that show homes are only open during the Spring and Fall Parade of Homes. Therefore, they try to get in as much viewing time as possible during the three weeks of each Parade and bemoan the fact that they missed others.

In fact, they are open year-round and, although the hours may not be the same as during Parade, they are able to accommodate all interested clients.

So, now that your interest in a new home has been piqued by the Fall Parade, the timing is perfect to follow up with another visit.

The crowds are always huge for the three weeks of Parade. Although you received an excellent welcome and introduction to each new home, it was undoubtedly busy and it may have been difficult for you to have a private conversation with the sales representative regarding the more intricate details of the new home.

The purchase of a new home is an important decision and, now that you have visited the best new homes in Manitoba, you undoubtedly have a number of questions that you would like to ask.

You can see the entire Parade of Homes magazine with all 126 of the wonderful houses on the Manitoba Home Builders' Association website at www.homebuilders.mb.ca or the Winnipeg Free Press website at www.winnipegfreepress.com. The magazine has a listing of all of the homes, where they are located, a brief description of each and the base and selling prices.

Whether it was the neighbourhood or the builder or the particular home that interested you, it's all in the Parade magazine.

The important thing to remember is that almost all of the fabulous show homes that you saw during the Fall Parade of Homes are still available for viewing. The Parade may be over but the opportunity to purchase your new dream home has just begun.

Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 13, 2012 F8