In model homes, life is perfect. No kids have scribbled on the walls, the grout hasn’t yellowed between the bathroom tiles and the toast on the breakfast table is perpetually a delicious golden brown (though, as a prop, it may be made of vinyl and has been glued to its plate to prevent the unknowing visitor from trying to sample it).
Multiply that perfection a hundredfold, and you have the window-shopping opportunities that are afforded by home shows in the Chicago area. These events are chances for serious home buyers to sample the wares of a range of builders-or for rubberneckers to peer into a lot of imaginatively appointed houses.
There are basically two types of parades: single-site (all the homes are in one subdivision or neighborhood) or scattered-site (numerous subdivisions and builders coordinate promotional events to show their model homes simultaneously). Single-site shows have the advantage of ease-all the homes are there in one place for the browsing and for easy comparison. Scattered-site shows may take more work for the visitor, but they also promise a greater variety of styles and prices, not to mention variety of neighborhoods.
In both cases, the houses are decorated and the participating builders usually organize entertainment or other promotions for attendees.
On the calendar:
– Saturday through June 18: The Home Builders Association of Lake County (Illinois) presents its annual Tour of Homes, a scattered-site show with 55 houses and townhouses open, 24 of them custom homes. Prices range from $110,000 to $1.5 million. For information, call the home builders, 708-816-4663.
– June 17 through July 9: The Cavalcade of Homes is the largest of area single-site parades, with attendance expected to exceed 40,000. This year’s will be in Naperville at the Saddle Creek subdivision, on 111th Street, east of Illinois Highway 59.
Nineteen builders will participate, offering homes base-priced from $175,000 to $275,000. Entertainment will include numerous appearances by the Jesse White Tumblers and by several Chicago Bears, a petting zoo and pony rides. Tickets are $6, $5 for senior citizens, free for children 12 and under. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last tickets sold at 8 p.m.) every day except July 4, when the show closes at 5 p.m. For information, call the Northern Illinois Home Builders Association, 708-393-4490.
– June 17-25: The Building Industries Association of Northwest Indiana will show seven houses at its annual Parade of Homes, this year at the Spring Rose Heath subdivision in St. John Township, two miles south of U.S. Route 30. The houses are priced from $165,000 to $190,000.
Hours are noon to 8 p.m. every day. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children age 3-12. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity, according to association executive director Sharon Carlotta, who said that 14,500 people attended last year’s show. For information, call 219-736-1575.
– July 15-23: The Home Builders Association of Rockford’s annual Parade of Homes is a scattered-site show featuring 67 houses in Winnebago, Boone and Ogle counties. Hours are 5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Maps showing participating builders will be published in area newspapers during the parade, or are available from the builders’ association. In addition, at each site, information will be available about other participants. For information, call 815-962-1148.
Aug. 5-20: Eight builders are constructing houses in the 2700 block of West Washington Street, where the City of Chicago Home Builders Association will stage its Parade of Homes. The houses will be priced from $110,000 to $170,000.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day (last tickets sold at 6 p.m.). Tickets: $5, adults; $4, senior citizens; free for children 12 and under. For information, call 708-627-7575.
– Late September: The Home Builders Association of the Greater Fox Valley is finalizing plans for its Gallery of Homes single-site show, to be held at Silver Glen Estates, Randall Road at Silver Glen Drive in St. Charles. Six builders will construct nine homes priced from $425,000 to $600,000; seven of the houses already have been sold, according to a builders’ association spokesman.
For information, call 708-879-8003.
