With spring less than three weeks away — yes, you heard that right! — it’s time once again for the Manitoba Home Builders’ Association (MHBA) Spring Parade of Homes that’s kicking off this Saturday.
The annual Parade of Homes is the signature showcase for the province’s residential construction industry, providing a truly unique experience for Manitobans interested in building their dream home. With over 137 new homes on display by 30 different builders, the MHBA showcase remains the largest and best Parade of Homes in Canada!
With so many options available from the finest custom home builders in Manitoba — each with its own layout, materials, finishes and styles — it means home buyers are offered a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the widest variety of home building options in an actual home setting. Do you want to know what it feels like to stand at a double-wide island or stretch your arms out in a spa-like bathroom with a soaker tub and walk-in shower? You can do that during this event! Or are you simply interested in seeing the latest trends because you’re thinking of renovating your existing home? This is the perfect time to see what’s available and how it looks in real time.
While many show homes are featured in 21 of Winnipeg’s newest neighbourhoods, there are also beautiful show homes ready to view in communities located outside the Perimeter. With show homes available to view in Brandon, La Salle, St. Adolphe, Stony Mountain, West St. Paul, Oak Bluff West, Grande Pointe and Headingley, this year’s Parade is clearly a Manitoba-wide event!
If a detached single-family home isn’t the right fit for you, you’re in luck! New condominiums are also an important feature of the Parade of Homes. Condos are a very attractive option for many potential new home buyers as they offer ease of maintenance, and various builders have entered a wide variety of new condo show homes and suites for you to check out.
When you visit the show homes, it’s a good idea talk to the representative showing the home about its unique features, what makes that particular home special, and why it might be the perfect home for you. Visiting show homes and talking to sales agents about different options and features will help you find the best fit for you and your family. These show homes represent the best in home design and construction available anywhere in Canada, so it’s the perfect opportunity to find out what you want and don’t want in a new home by offering you the opportunity to learn about the newest materials in new home construction and interior design, the hottest new home technology, and cutting edge building materials and home systems. You might even meet the perfect REALTOR® to help you along your home buying journey!
Why you should buy or build a brand new home
If you’re considering buying a brand new home or having one custom built to your specifications, there are many great reasons why now is the right time.
1. Great rates
With the recent interest rate cuts and additional changes to mortgage qualifications, mortgages remain very reasonable in Manitoba, and carrying a mortgage continues to be easier today than ever before. In fact, it would have cost you more to carry a $200,000 mortgage in 1981 than it does to carry a $500,000 mortgage today!
2. Manitoba homes have value
Home values in Manitoba continue to increase annually, demonstrating healthy returns on investment in each newly built home. We have some of the most affordable homes in Canada, and that includes brand new builds.
3. Investing in your family’s future
Not only is your new home a financial investment, it is a lifestyle investment, too. By building a new home in a new neighbourhood, you are choosing new schools and community clubs for your children, new shopping centres, green spaces to explore and opportunities to meet new people while creating a sense of community.
4. Less risk
With Manitoba’s economic stability, you are better able to financially plan your family’s future. Your investment in a newly built home is secure.
5. Energy efficiency
The industry Technical Research Committee consistently rates Manitoba new homes among the most energy efficient in Canada. Manitoba’s building practices ensure lower monthly energy bills and less impact on the environment.
6. Low greenhouse gas emissions
Homes built today have 31.3% less emissions, requiring less than half the energy of older homes to heat and cool despite larger-sized rooms. Building a new home allows you to install the very best energy-efficient systems during construction.
7. Healthy home
Today’s homes are built to standards that ensure a cleaner, healthier environment for new home buyers and their families. Tougher safety standards and more efficient building products mean better air flow and quality.
8. Your home, your way
One of the key benefits to building a new home is that you can choose exactly what you want and not concern yourself with moving into someone else’s idea of what looks good. With a newly built home, you can have everything just the way you like it.
9. Less upkeep
Newly built homes do not require the upkeep of older homes. Many are built with low- or no-maintenance materials. Less maintenance means fewer chores and more time to enjoy your new home!
10. Lifestyle
Newly built homes are designed for the way we live today, with open plans and large family rooms, easy flow for entertainment, attached garages, functional basements and plenty of space to grow.
Did you know?
The Manitoba Home Builders Association is the oldest provincial home builders association in Canada. The MHBA was established in 1937, even before the Canadian Home Builders Association!
For over 87 years, the MHBA has been the voice of the residential construction industry in Manitoba, providing ongoing education for its professional members while promoting affordability and choice in housing. So when you work with a builder who is a member of the MHBA, you can be confident that you’re in good hands.
The Spring Parade of Homes runs from Saturday, March 1 until Sunday, March 23 and is a free event open to all. Show home hours are Monday to Thursday, 5-8 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 12-5 pm. If you aren’t able to go and see a featured show home during official Parade hours, the show homes are available to visit anytime by booking an appointment with the builder or a REALTOR®.
Visit the Manitoba Home Builder’s Association website at www.homebuilders.mb.ca for more information about this year’s event, along with details about each unique show home. This is the perfect opportunity to check out new homes. Don’t miss it!