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“There’s a Lot to See Out Here”: Parade of Homes opens Saturday "There's a Lot to See Out Here": 2019 Parade of Homes opens Saturday

The annual event showcases brand-new homes from six CNY Builders

By Cooper Boardman

The finishing touches are being laid. On Hollyshire Way in Clay, it’s time for the 2019 Parade of Homes.

Six houses: fully landscaped, fully decorated. And for more than two weeks, patrons can walk through them—some for sale, and some for inspiration.

“If they’re just looking for ideas: garage doors, paint colors, trim colors, new roofing, furnishings, whatever’s hot on the market. They can get all the ideas here at the Parade of Homes.”

Mary Thompson has been involved with the Home Builders & Remodelers Association and the parade for about 15 years. She’s in charge of the event… and the mad dash to get every home ready before Saturday.

“As exciting as the last-minute rush is, it’s also a little bit stressful. So I guess my favorite part is when we actually get started and the patrons can get in and see what they like about the parade. And get their feedback. ‘I really love that house. Oh, that house was ugly.’ Everybody sees it a little different.”

Some of these homes are built for buyers that have already taken the property. But others, like this one, are built for people who want to get design inspiration. Or even the future owner of this home.

“Hopefully, potential buyers come through the home and they like what they see inside the new homes.”

Barnaba says more 200 people contribute to the building process. A labor that gives every paradegoer what they’re looking for.

“There’s a lot to see out here. And there’s a lot of fun things to do.”

Cooper Boardman, NCC News

The process begins more than a year in advance. Six houses, and a location for the annual Parade of Homes.

The event, staged by the Home Builders & Remodelers Association, continues this year in Clay at the Wildflower Development. A stroll through the street on Thursday feels like you’ve walked on to an HGTV set: saws buzzing, wallpaper stretching and pickup trucks pulling in and out. But by Saturday, Hollyshire Way will be ready to go.

“As exciting as the last-minute rush is, it’s also a little bit stressful,” HBRA Executive Director Mary Thompson said. “So I guess my favorite part is when we actually get started. When the patrons can come in and see what they like.”

Those patrons will have the opportunity to walk through all six houses. A few have been sold already, while others are still on the market.

“Whether you’re looking for new construction, you just want something different to do and poke through or you’re looking to do remodeling… there’s a lot to see out here,” Thompson said.

Houses with the type of detail of those in the parade usually take 5-6 months to build. A “condensed” timeline is applied to the parade homes, constructed in 3-4 months.

“We’re under a hard deadline and we’re challenged to get the contractors to the jobs,” Dan Barnaba said. Barbara is the owner of Eldan Homes, one of six builders on the project. “So we do it in a short time frame.”

He estimates about 200 people work on a single parade house, along with 20-30 vendors that are brought in.

The Parade of Homes begins Saturday, Sept. 14 and runs through Sept 29. It goes from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. during weekdays, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Advance sale tickets are available online for 10 dollars, while tickets at the gate are $12.

 

Reported by

Cooper Boardman

Boardman, a Westport, Connecticut native, is a broadcast journalism student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He serves on the sports staff for WJPZ-FM student radio, WAER FM radio and as a host for CitrusTV, the university’s student television station. Last summer, he was the play-by-play voice of the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Boardman views

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