Melissa Wood Michael Rixon

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As Mark Flanders and other members of the New Hampshire Home Builders and Remodelers Association get ready to unveil the houses for the second Parade of Homes this September, they’re also looking for vendors to partner with so that potential homebuyers not only have the opportunity to tour new homes, but can also find out about the latest in home products and services.

Last year when dates were finalized for the first ever New Hampshire Parade of Homes, Mark says the time leading up to it flew by. In just over six months, the Lakes Region builder designed and constructed a spectacular house on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. Located on Wagon Wheel Trail in Meredith, N.H., the home was ready in time for the Parade of Homes, an open house featuring more than 30 homes in every region of the state, in a variety of price ranges, held on two weekends in October of last year. Mark had been on a Parade of Homes tour in Utah the previous year and had been pushing for one in New Hampshire.

“I was pretty excited about it, and it happened that we had a client who had agreed that this was a good opportunity for him as well,” says Mark.

As part of the Parade, Mark also brought in local vendors to showcase their products inside the home during the tour, including Marvin Windows by Millwork Masters, appliances from Barons Major Brands, Custom Brothers Woodworking, an automation system by Epiphany Automation, and an interior design staged by Ann Marie Finn and Patti Phelps of All in the Details.

The house didn’t stay on the market long. A couple who first found out about the house through a realtor toured it during the Parade of Homes, and after seeing how many other people were also interested in the property, they jumped at the opportunity to buy it for just under $3 million.

“I think the Parade was definitely an instigator for them to make an offer quickly because there were a lot of people looking at the house,” explains Mark.

He notes that the couple were also impressed by the products and services featured in the home during the Parade tour, and purchased a lot of the furniture in the staging by Ann Marie and Patti of All in the Details. They also bought the home’s automation system, a light control system instead of regular light switches with controls that can be programmed for different settings, such as the “hello switch,” and “goodbye switch,” and closet lights activated by the motion of the doors opening.

The buyers, who already had an automation system in their other home, also hired Epiphany Automation to further customize the system in their new home. “It was one of the points that made them want to buy the house,” explains Mark. “They were big fans of the automation system.”

Now, with the second Parade of Homes quickly approaching, Mark is hoping that he and other builders will also be able to create similar partnerships with vendors so that the many homebuyers touring houses during the Parade can also get to know some of their local home design professionals. He recommends that vendors who want to get involved talk to the builders they already work with to see if they will be on the Parade, or call the Home Builders Association, which is currently compiling a list of vendors who would like to participate, to get matched up with a builder.

Mark says he’s excited about the upcoming event, which will feature homes that are all new to the tour in a range of prices and locations. The Home Builders Association and its members are not only getting the homes ready, but are also working hard to get the word about this year’s parade. “We’re going to do a lot of promoting to draw a large crowd,” says Mark.