FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Matt Derrick
HBA
(816) 733-2213

Online Tools Help Consumers in Buying New Homes

Searching for a new home is a virtual science, requiring consumers to weigh all the variables to find just the right mix of price, location and amenities they want in a new home. For more than 60 years, the Parade of Homes has served as one of the most popular ways for local consumers to find new homes and area builders, and the parade’s official Web site plays a key role in helping to pinpoint new homes you want to see with ease and precision.

Located online at www.kcparadeofhomes.com, the official Web site features complete information on all 435 new homes, 269 neighborhoods and 191 local builders. Each entry on the parade includes a page with illustrations, floor plans and complete home details. You can search homes based on location, style, school district and price. Entries also include links to home-builder Web sites where you can learn more details about the contractor, additional homes by the same builder and available amenities and other special features the builder offers.

Once you’ve identified the homes you want to see in person, you can e-mail information about these homes to your family and friends. You can also print information about the homes you want to visit, including maps and directions. Interactive Google Maps allow you to pinpoint exact driving directions, making it easy to plan your own personal tour route.

The parade Web site is also the place where you can be the first to learn about the winners of the Pick of the Parade and Distinctive Plan & Design awards. The awards competitions held in conjunction with the Parade of Homes honor outstanding new-home construction and design. The winners will be unveiled online during the evening of Sept. 10 including photos of the award-winning homes.

The Parade of Homes is produced by the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City (HBA). That means when you visit the tour online, you can find information about the buying process, the housing market and other vital information on the Web site. You can also search the HBA’s directory of members, which includes more than 1,000 local home-related companies including home builders, remodelers and product and service providers. The HBA is also your gateway to Build Green Kansas City, a new local program designed to help consumers and builders use national guidelines in building environmentally responsible new homes.

Information on the Parade of Homes remains online until the annual Spring Homes Tour next year, allowing you to re-visit www.kcparadeofhomes.com as a reference guide for months to come.

The 2008 Parade of Homes opens Sept. 7 and continues through Sept. 21 with homes open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. For more information visit at www.kcparadeofhomes.com.

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