Home Economics ... For Real

Photo courtesy of Timberlin Homes All the passion poured into a new home adds up. Custom-built homes stand atop the value pyramid of new home construction, and Parade homes have an extra-special glow about them. Years after a Parade home had thousands of ticket buyers tramping through it, its owners will proudly tell visitors "this was a Parade home." Why is that so important? "It's unique. A limited number of homes can claim that," said Kimberley Ward, president and principal broker of North Eastern Group Realty. "It has a marketing advantage that it has all those special things in it," said Joe Zehr, president of North Eastern Group, developer of Forest at Foxwood and the 300-acre Communities of Foxwood. North Eastern Group is sponsoring the 2014 Parade of Homes and Lifestyle Show with Fort Wayne Newspapers and the Home Builders Association of Fort Wayne. A Parade house "has the cutting edge of whatever year it was built. It has the best of everything put in it and the newest ideas of its time," he said. "With Parade homes, typically the builders are putting their best foot forward to the point that they don't make or they lose money, so that makes them a better value." New homes in general present a special value proposition to both the homeowner and the community. They are cheaper to operate because energy efficiency can be built into them, and the owner of a new home can anticipate years of maintenance-free living thanks to new construction methods and modern, high-performance building materials. The larger community benefits, too. Economic analysis shows, Zehr said, that each new home built in Allen County creates 2.5 permanent jobs. A year like this one, when Zehr anticipates 250 home permits issued, creates more than 500 jobs, and he is not kidding when he asks us to consider what community leaders would offer to attract a new employer bringing 500-plus jobs. Homebuilding is a major driver of our local economy.

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