HBA annual parade of homes includes one for a mission
The Homebuilders Association of Wayne and Holmes Counties’ upcoming parade of homes includes this home, located at 8664 Akron Road in Marshallville. The ranch eventually will be sold, and proceeds from the sale will go to Central American Medical Outreach.
With the area facing a housing shortage and new construction flying off the shelves, so to speak, a parade of homes might seem a little on the gratuitous side. Yet the Homebuilders Association of Wayne and Holmes Counties’ annual parade of homes, sponsored by Holmes Lumber, is anything but. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
This nine-home display that stretches from the West Canaan area to Wooster, to Smithville and Orrville, and to Doylestown will be available for viewing Sept. 20-22 and Sept. 27-29. In a departure from a year ago, three of the nine homes in the parade will be for sale.
Don’t expect them to last, though. With housing at a premium in the area, they won’t likely be available for long. They will be there long enough for the people who built them to have their work on display, even if two-thirds of it is not for sale.
“Last year we didn’t have any homes for sale,” said Jennifer Downs, executive director of the parade. “We just happen to have three this year. It’s just to promote the building industry, the housing market and things such as that. Basically, there’s different types of builders, and they want to market their brands. They want to have a custom-built home to a more simple cost-efficient style of home. It just depends on what you’re looking for.”
Builders whose works will be on display — in order of the suggested parade route — include Sommer & Swartzentruber Contractors, Capstone Homes, 89 Homes & Building Improvements, Weaver Custom Homes, Schrock Custom Homes, MD Custom Builders (two entries), the CAMO project home and Yoder Builders.
The CAMO home, located at 8664 Akron Road in Marshallville, in many ways is the marquee property on the parade route. It may not be the biggest of the entries, but its purpose makes it stand out.
Central American Medical Outreach is a charity that provides support in Honduras. This house, a 1,660-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch with a 13-course basement, two-car garage and first-floor laundry eventually will be sold. Proceeds from the sale will go to CAMO.
The project is a 12-year-old brainchild of Dennis Horst, who back then was on the CAMO Board of Directors. He envisioned building a spec home with profits to be donated to the organization.
Along with CAMO Director Kathy Tschiegg, Horst rounded up volunteers, got materials donated and purchased land.
This past February, Horst and Tschiegg put the idea to the HBA, and its board approved it. Groundbreaking for the project took place May 8. Proceeds will go toward construction of medical, warehouse and educational facilities in Honduras.
“From what I can see so far, this CAMO project seems to be the major standout part of all of this,” Downs said. “There are so many different HBA members and nonmembers that are joining together to get together to build it.”
Michael Downs, owner of MD Custom Builders, is the HBA’s project manager for the CAMO construction. He said one of the conditions behind agreeing to have it built as a spec home — a home built without a specific buyer in mind — was that it would be included in the parade of homes.
There was more to it than simply getting it built. The CAMO house still needs to be treated like any other piece of real estate in the area. It must be priced right in order to not affect the local market too much.
“We need to make sure it gets sold for the proper amount so it doesn’t hinder the sales of houses in the area,” Michael Downs said, adding that north of three-quarters of the project was donated. “They agreed to all that.”
The other houses for sale are both in Orrville, one at Fox Lake Road and the other at 618 McGill St. Both are built by MD Custom builders. The house on Fox Lake is a two-bed, two-bath, 1,675-square-foot ranch with a walkout basement and covered deck. The McGill Street property is a 1,605-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch featuring a fireplace and patio.
The other six properties on the route average more than 3,000 square feet. Visitors will get a close look at the who’s-who and what’s-what in area construction. They will see the latest trends in interior design and all the gadgets that make up the state of the art.
This particular set of homes, more than a typical parade of homes, seems geared more for first-time buyers, with more realistic examples on display.
There are no behemoths or McMansions on the route. The idea is to have something for everyone, at nearly as many price points as possible. With housing — in particular rentals — becoming more and more cost-prohibitive, interest rates still creeping toward the high side, and home costs having surged over the past few years, some new things on the lower end will be a welcome sight.
“It’s hard to find clientele that can afford the bigger houses,” Jennifer Downs said. “Our builders are happier to build smaller just to be able to fit in those price ranges. I think if you’re looking to possibly build or just to get ideas remodeling or interior design, this is a good way to see it all in person.”
Tickets are $5 per person to see all 9 homes, with kids 12 and under free. Viewing times are Fridays, 4-7 p.m.; Saturdays noon-7 p.m.; and Sundays noon-5 p.m. Tickets are available online at the HBA website and can be purchased at any home. A ticket must be submitted at the last house by the end of Sept. 29 to be eligible for a raffle, with winners to be drawn on Oct. 18.
For a detailed map of the tour, go to https://whhba.com/.