Those who visit this year’s parade of homes in Clay might walk away inspired by the smallest or largest concepts, according to one of the event organizers:
“We’ve had a great crowd so far, and the nice thing is when people leave, they’re so happy, they really have gotten ideas, whether it be something as simple as new cabinets and door pulls, or they’ve found a dream house that they like the floor plan and they’re planning to build. So it’s the simple things all the way to the big things. People have been really happy with these twelve homes.”
Mary Thompson is Executive Director of the Home Builders and Remodelers of Central New York, which puts on the parade. It’s been underway since Saturday, and the 12 houses by 12 different builders on a farmstead development in Clay are the most in a decade.
Thompson says the size of the event this year is a reflection of a slowly improving economy and pent-up demand. She says that increase should include a lot of greener homes, due to more stringent requirements for new home construction, and that remodeling can also provide a huge savings for homeowners looking to cut down their utility bills:
She says the reasonably strong market for these large, upscale homes and the continuing boom in Downtown housing is actually not a concern for her organization in terms of competition. In fact, Thompson says it’s a perfect combination:
Thompson says a study by Focus Greater Syracuse has found most baby boomers are retiring to the suburbs, which contributes to a healthy variety of housing options in the area. With more than a week to go, she says about half of the parade homes are available for sale. They’re priced from $358,000 to $575,000.
More information on the parade and special events is available at the Home Builders and Remodelers website, hbrcny.com.
