Cooler time to view cool homes

You didn’t miss Parade of Homes. You just missed a hot, sweaty Parade of Homes.

The annual marketing event for the Home Builders Association of the Greater Rockford Area starts this weekend, with a few more homes and fewer degrees than last year.

“You’ve got the serious buyers who are thinking of their building dream and the tire kickers who are looking at floor plans and materials,” said Brad Zimmerman, owner of Zimmerman Home Builders. “Then you’ve got some people for who it’s an event, it’s like going to the movie. ... I get the same ladies every year. They look at the decorating.”

Builders hope showcasing their model homes will prompt orders for next year at a time where new home sales are at their lowest in five years. Through August, 830 new homes have been sold, according to preliminary figures from the Rockford Area Association of Realtors, down from 1,079 at this time last year and between 845 and 972 the previous three years.

“It’s more of a normal level around here, last year was crazy. It’s really not a good assessment to compare it to last year’s number,” said Tim McDonnell, owner of McDonnell Components and immediate past president of the local home builders association. “We are down just a bit this year, but there’s a lot of activity. Everywhere you go, you see new homes being put together. I really feel that a lot of this downturn is more of a nationwide thing than local.”

This year, there are 49 homes in the tour from 33 builders, both up from last year.

Because the event is later in the year, more homes could be completed in time, especially in rural areas where roads were closed to heavy trucks well into the construction season. There also are more condominiums in the show this year as builders bank on the aging Baby Boomer market.

The range of homes are from under $150,000 to more than $600,000.

Parade of Homes is a way for builders to show the quality of their wares at a time where they’re competing heavily both with other builders and with the falling prices of existing homes, said Dennis Sweeney, executive vice president of the builders association. Consumers want to know they’re getting the best “bang for their buck,” he said.

“You’re trying to reassure people, give people confidence that a new home is something they can afford to buy if they want to buy one,” he said.

Builders hope the cooler weather than last year’s event will draw more traffic, though they’re mixed on whether that will lead to faster sales for these specific homes. May and June are busier months for homebuyers, but there’s hope that September will bring those making plans for next year.

“The Parade of Homes is generally not a tool, as far as I’m concerned, to sell homes, but it’s something you need to be in to keep your name out there,” McDonnell said.

“I’ve had a lot of people call me as much as a year or two later and, having gone through a Parade house, say, ‘We really like what we saw.’ ... It’s not an instant gratification.”

Staff writer Thomas V. Bona may be contacted at 815-987-1343 or tbona@rrstar.com.

Parade of Homes entries

Rockford south of Spring Creek Road

1. McDonnell Construction, 1536 Meadow Lark, Newburg Green
2. McDonnell Construction, 2527 Sandhutton Ave., Waldon Woods
3. Mulford Grove Development, 1266 Willow Grove St., Mulford Grove
4. John Slack Construction, 1419 Brady, Boulder Creek
5. John Slack Construction, 1451 Boulder Creek Way, Boulder Creek
6. Northern Illinois Construction Management, 1441 Stone Bridge Crossing, Boulder Creek
7. Gracious Living Homes, 254 Lily Lane, The Villas at University Centre
8. Zimmerman Home Builders, 1467 Castlehill Drive, Woodhaven
9. Buckley Homes, 7521 Blairmore Dr., Stonehaven
10. Howlett Homes (ARC Home) 1822 Grandchester, Leeland Place

Rockford north of Spring Creek Road, Loves Park and Machesney Park

11. Bell Harbour Development, 3155 Brook Harbour Dr., Bell Harbour
12. AMP Builders, 3412 Bell School Rd., Townhomes of Riverside
13. McDonnell Construction, 2619 Edson St., Hudson North
14. Zentz & Associates, 4201 Willows Lane, Willow Ridge
15. Blue River Homes, 4204 Sparrow Hawk Dr., Park Hills
16. Buckley Homes, 4515 Rainbow Court, Hawthorne Ridge
17. Stonebridge Homes, 6306 Parks Edge, The Sanctuary
18. Slabaugh & Sons Builders, 1260 Key Largo Ct., River Key

North Winnebago County, Machesney Park, Roscoe, Rockton, South Beloit

19. Contry Homes, 8421 Mitchell Rd., Timberlyne Hollow
20. Chris Kaeding Builders, 12228 Joncey Drive, Kinnikinnick Creekside
21. Keystone Custom Builders, 6179 Hathaway Trail, Kinnikinnick Creekside
22. MD Construction, 7566 Deer Crossing, Hidden Creek
23. Carl Freeman Builders, 13138 Hidden Creek Lane, Hidden Creek
24. Powermark Homes, 15105 Prairie Way, Manchester Crossing
25. Chris Kaeding Builders, 7283 Cody Run, Manchester Crossing
26. Heritage Signature Homes, 6680 White Oak Lane, Villas of Oakfield
27. Howlett Homes, 15308 Twin Oaks Lane, Twin Oaks
28. Howlett Homes, 1511 Fern Lane, Twin Oaks
29. Jarrett Custom Homes, 177 Hawick, Rockton, IL
30. Zentz & Associates, 2095 Williamson Parkway, Stone Ridge
31. C&G Creek Development, 11809 River Hills Parkway, Condos at Old River Hills


West Winnebago County, Winnebago, Ogle, Oregon, Mount Morris, Stillman Valley and Davis Junction

32. Cunningham Construction, 612 Highland Drive, Winnebago Highlands
33. Northern Illinois Construction Management, 109 Katies Way, Kable Place
34. Sean Adams Custom Carpentry, 975 East Austin Ct., Sinnissippi Point
35. McCanse Builders 3588 S. Daysville Rd., Oregon
36. Wenberg Home Builders, 9616 White Tail Trail, Deer Run Estates
37. Howlett Homes, 1100 Santa Fe, Ogle Crossings
38. Sean Adams Custom Carpentry, 406 Heartland Dr., Parkview East

West Boone County, Cherry Valley, Loves Park

39. Zentz & Associates, 352 Rivers Edge, Rivers Edge
40. Legacy Homes, 5344 River Run Parkway, River Run
41. Contry Homes, 681 Boz Way, The Preserve
42. Collier Custom Homes, 978 Weatherfield Way, Stonegate
43. Stonebridge Homes, 102 Callaway Cove, Crosscreek of Inverness

East Boone County, Belvidere, Poplar Grove, Caledonia

44. Woodfield Homes, 13113 Charleston Place, Newbury Place
45. Woodfield Homes, 485 Burled Wood, Burled Wood
46. Gerstad Builders, 116 Dawson Creek, The Trails of Dawson Creek
47. Keystone Custom Builders, 678 Red Deer Trail, Deer Hills II
48, Oehlberg Construction, 662 Red Deer Trail, Deer Hills II
49. Howlett Homes, 4575 Spotted Deer Trail, Deer Hills