Central Ohio's Parade of Homes starts Thursday, giving home shoppers a chance to visit nearly 60 homes —including, for the first time, apartments.
For the third straight year, the parade will be on multiple sites, instead of showcasing one community as it did for decades. The Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, which hosts the parade, made the switch in order to showcase a wider range of homes, and because of difficulties developing one high-end site with multiple builders.
"I understand many people loved the old format, and it served the BIA and our members well for many years. But the reality is, due to opposition from local governments and communities, it’s incredibly difficult to develop a site to host an event like we used to have," said BIA Executive Director Jon Melchi.
"Our previous format was also limiting in terms of variety of products buyers could see."
This year's parade, like last year's, includes condominiums, townhomes and patio homes in addition to single-family homes, scattered throughout central Ohio from Ashville to Marysville.
And for the first time, the parade features rentals — 10 apartments, townhomes and homes for lease.
"It’s certainly a change for us, but it’s reflective of the market today," Melchi said. "Roughly half the housing units built in central Ohio are for lease, and with a 95% occupancy rate, there's great demand and interest in these properties."
But the heart of the tour is 47 homes in about 40 communities, ranging from a 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-level townhome condominium in Reynoldsburg for $290,000, to a 6,356-square-foot six bedroom home in Jerome Village in Union County listed at $2.45 million.
Those in search of the architectural pizzazz of earlier Parade of Homes tours can get their fix in a few communities showcasing million-dollar homes: Jerome Village, in Union County, which will feature homes priced at $1.1 million, $1.55 million and $2.45 million; Evans Farm, in Lewis Center, which will include a home priced at $1.175 million; Maple Glen, in Galena, which will include a home priced at $1.65 million, and Quarry Trails, which will include a $1.3-million condominium.
Those looking for a more affordable option can find a handful of neighborhoods with homes under $400,000, including Willow Reserve condominiums in Reynoldsburg ($290,000); Boulder Reserve in Delaware (two models, $334,000 - $344,000); Farmstead patio homes, near Grove City ($363,985); Villas in Renner Park townhomes in Lincoln Village ($379,900); Buckstone Bend in Obetz ($374,900); Retreat at Sugar Farms patio homes in Hilliard ($389,990); and Autumn Grove in Grove City ($382,000).