New Trends and High End Features Back for 2012 Parade of Homes

Sept. 27, 2012 - PRLog -- Raleigh, N.C. -  The 47th Annual Parade of Homes, N.C.’s largest open house presented by the Home Builders Association of Raleigh–Wake County, will run September 29-30, October 5-7, and 12-14 from 12-5 p.m. & showcase the most up-to-date design trends in new homes. Over 200 homes will be on tour throughout the Triangle for this annual, free tour that is open to the public.

“Aside from having the latest in new home construction and convenience, the tour will showcase distinctive indoor and outdoor living spaces,” said Wes Carroll, president of Upright Builders and the 2012 Parade of Homes Committee Chair. “Unique special features are everywhere throughout their year’s tour.”

Some of the unique features and homes on the tour include:

•   A green home by Dixon-Kirby & Company with reclaimed heart pine flooring salvaged from the bottom of the Cape Fear River and waterworks style fixtures in the master bathroom.
•   New construction standards such as “hauSmart, exclusive to Mungo Homes. This inclusion employs the most progressive ideas in new construction for cutting edge efficiency, affordability and convenience with features such as a smart stash center and a music port to “plug and play” electronic devices.
•   A fully furnished and decorated custom model home by Arthur Rutenberg Homes with a floorplan and trends that are desired by both empty nesters and new homeowners. These include, 2 double set of 8’ tall French doors, large covered paver porch with outdoor fireplace, a surprising storage like a custom-made pantry door that looks like a wall of cabinets, a large great room with an 11’ ceiling with wood beams, unfinished storage area designed into the second floor space (for convenience), high end wine chiller, and wet bar sink, and a large, 5’ x 8’ kitchen island.
•   New trends and finishes in the Ashton Woods homes include green sustainable glass Nana Walls (folding walls) flanking the entire rear of the Leesville Crest,  built in Bosch coffee system in kitchen, wine cellar, a built-in iPad in kitchen for searching recipes and more, and  beautiful outdoor living area with full outdoor kitchen.
•   The Bost Custom Home created a dedicated “x-box” room with dual big screens, a very unique kitchen with 12 f. ceilings with adjacent scullery (mini back kitchen), a large kids study area off of kitchen, and a very unique fireplace profile and indoor fountain.  
•   Savvy Homes teamed up with Edward Walker of HGTV’s Trading Spaces to decorate their Parade model.

Parade homes will be judged prior to the first open house weekend and winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 10, after the Awards Gala that is held the night before. Prizes will be awarded for Gold, Silver & Bronze Awards for the 1st, 2nd & 3rd places.

This year, the parade features 197 homes in Wake County, 2 in Durham and 2 in Chapel Hill, with homes styles that include single family, townhomes and condos. Specifically there will be 21 homes in Apex, 30 homes in Cary, 14 homes in Fuquay-Varina, 3 homes in Garner, 21 homes in Holly Springs, 7 homes in Knightdale, 2 homes in Morrisville, 48 homes in Raleigh, 6 homes in Rolesville, 41 homes in Wake Forest, 1 home in Wendell, 2 in Willow Spring, and 1 home in Zebulon. Homes on tour range in price from $157,700 - $2.5 million.

There are three ways to receive Parade of Homes information. These include:

1) ONLINE - Visit www.paradeofhomeswake.com for the online list of homes - which will be live the week of Sep. 24. Search homes by community, builder, size, etc.

2) IN PRINT - Stop by the HBA office to pick up a book. Please note, one book per person. Parade tour books are available at the HBA office beginning the Wednesday before the first parade weekend. Parade books will also be available at the parade houses during the tour.

3) VIA SMART PHONE - Download the Parade App for your iPhone or Android phone and explore Parade homes online.

Tour visitors are also encouraged to connect online and post their favorite parade home or feature at:
•   http://www.facebook.com/WakeParadeOfHomes
•   http://www.twitter.com/wakehba  use hashtag #WakeParade
•   http://pinterest.com/wakehba/

About the HBA
The Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA) is the voice of the home building industry throughout Wake County, and provides members opportunities for business development, education, professional growth, networking and community involvement. The membership, comprised of builders, remodelers, developers, and sales & marketing professionals, is affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders, which represents over 160,000 member companies nationwide. Currently the HBA is the second largest home builders association in the country. The members of the HBA are building excellence together for the neighborhoods and communities of tomorrow.