Utah Valley Parade of Homes Gets Underway

The parade will get underway today. 

And what parade is that?

The annual Utah Valley Parade of Homes ... same as last year and the year before that and so on. But, unlike many parades, with this one it's the people who do all the walking. This is a parade of homes - new homes.

The Utah Valley Parade of Homes will officially open today and run through July 27. The doors to the homes, however, will be closed Sunday and Monday. Hours are from noon to 9 p.m. This year there will be 25 homes that will be open to visitors.

Those homes will range in price from around $112,000 to more than $2 million.

There will be no fixed site location. The homes will, in fact, be scattered about Utah County.

Tickets for this year's show will be available at any Far West Bank and the Utah Valley Home Builders Association, 1457 E. 840 North in Orem. Tickets will also be available at the Provo Town Center or at any one of the 25 home locations. Vendors will be set up in the garage areas at each of the homes to display a range of products and items for the home. Tickets are $7 each. Children under three are free.

Parade visitors will see the latest in architectural design, home products, landscaping and decorating. First time, as well as seasoned, home buyers will want to discover the new and exciting ideas that this year's show has to offer.

At the time individuals buy a ticket, they will be given an official Parade of Homes program that will give a description of the home, as well as the addresses. A ticket will be necessary for each individual walking into the homes.

Here are some of the facts about this year's show:

  • The most expensive home carries a price tag of more than $2 million.
  • The largest home comes with 11,047 total square feet. There are four homes with more than 9,000 square feet, four with more than 7,000 square feet, and 12 homes with a price tag of $400,000 or more.
  • One home will have secret passageways.
  • Two of the homes have mother-in-law apartments.
  • One home has a playhouse with a slide.
  • Several homes have home theaters.
  • Several more have allowed for bonus space.
  • Most of the homes either have side-entry or rear-entry garages.
  • One home has a European-style steam room.
Other features popular in this year's homes include covered porches, patios and decks. The larger master suites and larger master baths are two more things that seem to be a growing trend. As with many homes today, large windows are popular to capture the available views of the surrounding mountains and to let in a lot of natural light.

Solid-surface countertops are found in almost every home this year. Granite is probably the most popular material.

With interest rates at an all time low, now is a perfect time to look at buying a home or moving up into a larger home. Or, in the case of empty-nesters, moving down into a smaller home.