Parade of Homes opens doors
EDMOND — Metroarea homebuilders are throwing the doors open to nearly 100 new houses this weekend and next for the Parade of Homes Spring Festival, delayed for a month because of the coronavirus.
After so many folks were cooped up at home for so long, will more people than usual tour the parade houses?
Or, with many people still staying put, will fewer? Or about the same?
Turnout remains to be seen at the parade homes, which continue open free to the public from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, then again June 5-7. Parade books are at OnCue locations. Details and maps to the houses are at https://www. paradeofhomesok.com/.
New houses will be open across the Oklahoma City area, but the featured community is in Edmond: Cross Timbers, a development with three neighborhoods — the Ridge, the Lakes, and Creekside — on the south side of Covell Road between Sooner Road and Coltrane Road in Edmond.
“Just like in every sector of the economy, the only certain thing lately has been uncertainty,” said Rusty Appleton, executive director of the Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association.
Variability has defined homebuilding here so far this year.
Through April, builders started 1,798 houses, 6.6% more than in the first three
months of 2019, according to Normanbased Dharma Inc.'s Builder Report. The publication tracks home construction in Oklahoma City, unincorporated Oklahoma County, Bethany, Blanchard, Choctaw, Edmond, Midwest City, Moore, Mustang, Newcastle, Noble, Norman, Shawnee and Yukon.
April starts were down 20% and March starts were down 15 percent compared with the same months in 2019.
The year started with a bang. January starts were up 63.1% and February starts were up 28.5% compared with year-ago figures.
“Starts are down, reflecting that uncertainty,” Appleton said.
Builders' thinking seems to be reflecting popular thinking as the state continues to reopen business and commerce.
“Builder attitudes have been a mixture of caution and `business as usual,' “Appleton said. “Since construction was deemed essential, our industry was working away while most folks were stuck at home. As we have moved toward summer, many builders
are reporting increases in showing traffic and sales, which is an excellent sign. But, no one knows if that will hold out into the third and fourth quarters of 2020.”
People touring the parade homes should be ready for restrictions related to the coronavirus, he said.
“Builders have been given guidance on sanitation and maximum crowd size based upon information provided
by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce,” Appleton said. “It looks like we will be moving into Phase 3 of the governor's plan during the parade, so restrictions may lessen as we go. Masks are not required, but are encouraged. Having said that, some builders may have more stringent requirements than others, so the public should be prepared to meet those requirements.”