Ultimate Open House
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This April, the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland Presents The Second Annual Ultimate Open House™
The Ultimate Open House™ home tour is an opportunity for today's buyers to walk through 90 new condos, townhomes and custom-designed homes crafted by the area's top builders
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. – MARCH 18, 2008 – More builders than ever are participating in the second annual Home Builders Association Ultimate Open House™ due to its 2007 success of attracting qualified buyers and selling homes. For two weekends in April the free tour gives buyers a once-a-year opportunity to experience today's modern homes and talk to builders during the area's only new home tour and sale of this magnitude and scope – 90 new homes, a selection of styles, a range of cities, towns and neighborhoods, and priced for every budget.
The public can tour the homes featured in the Ultimate Open House™ Friday, April 18 through Sunday, April 20. Admission is free.
"The builders involved all focus on lifestyle and quality of life –their goal is to help buyers realize their dreams. The Ultimate Open House™ is designed for astute buyers who want a relaxed new home adventure on the weekend - wake up refreshed, grab a cup of coffee, map out which areas and homes are appealing, load up the car, and head out to find a dream home," said Dave DeHarpport, Ultimate Open House Chairman and President of Four D Construction Company.
The Portland area's housing market held up this past year. According to the Standard and Poor's/ Case-Shiller home price index, at the end of the fourth quarter 2007, Portland was one of only three U.S. markets where housing prices increased (1.2 percent over the same period a year prior). Additionally Oregon is the 11th fastest growing state in the nation. According to new Census Bureau estimates about 56,000 people moved to Oregon in 2007. Everyone needs a place to call home, and these numbers give builders a renewed sense of purpose to demonstrate why a new quality home is the best buying decision. Given 30 percent of builders sold a home during the 2007 tour, their enthusiasm translated into an increase in the number of homes from 77 in 2007 to 90 this year.
Due to its media attention and buzz, the Portland area is known around the country as a place that cares about lifestyle, quality of life and the environment, and the Ultimate Open House™ embraces these. Several builders have taken the extra step of receiving certification for close to a dozen homes with the Energy Star® and Earth Advantage® labels. These homes exceed Oregon's building code for efficiency by 15 percent and are built more sustainably, providing increased comfort and a peace of mind to earth-conscious buyers. In addition, other "earth friendly" homes showcased during the tour include the High Performance Home – a partnership between PARR and Lifestyle Homes, and Shannon Quimby's REX project – a home rebuilt from site-sourced reclaimed materials and a demonstration of how green leaders are stepping up.
"Quality of life is important and building a High Performance Home means incorporating the latest building science, materials and methods into the home construction process. As a result, this new type of home is more structurally sound, performs more efficiently, and offers healthier indoor air than homes built with standard practices," said Mike Arnett, president of the HBA of Metropolitan Portland and Lifestyle Homes
"Bank of America is proud to be the Ultimate Open House's official mortgage sponsor, and has a variety of mortgage loan products for homebuyers," said Rich Brown, Bank of America SVP for market development. "We are especially excited about our new green mortgage that provides $1000 at closing for certified energy efficient homes, of which there are many on the Ultimate Home Tour."
The Ultimate Open House™ is a Portland area relocator's dream – essentially a home shopping Shangri-la. The modern lifestyle homes on the tour represent all styles and are constructed by area builders with reputations for quality workmanship including – Accent Residential Homes, Arbor Custom Homes, Argonaut Group, LLC, Better World Acquisitions, C & L Properties LLC., Centurion Homes Incorporated, Derek L. Brown & Associates Inc., Dreambuilder Homes, D.R. Horton, Fish Construction N.W. Inc., Four D Construction Company, Gertz Construction Co. Inc., Intex Custom Homes, J.C. Reeves Corporation, J.T. Roth Construction Inc., JDR Contracting Inc., Keystone Enterprises, Larry Boitano Builder Ltd., Legend Homes, Lifestyle Homes, Marnella Homes, LLC, Nupark Development L.L.C., Ostercraft Homes Inc., RCM Homes, Inc., Rich Bailey Construction, LLC, Rosemont Development, Inc., Roundstone Construction Co., Schumacher Custom Homes Inc., Sequoia Custom Homes LLC, Shelburne Construction,Stone Bridge Homes NW, Stone Builders Inc., Sunnybrook Properties, Timberland Homes, Touchstone Townhomes, Verde Homes, and Windwood Construction.
Ultimate Open House™ homes are located in: Aloha, Beaverton, Gresham, Oregon City, Scappoose, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville, Happy Valley, Forest Grove, Hillsboro, SE Portland- Mt. Tabor, SW Portland, NE Portland, Garden Home, Tigard, Cedar Hills, NW Portland, Rockwood Corners, SE Portland and Lake Oswego. A map is posted on http://www.ultimateopenhouse.net/.
Event Information and Admission
People can prepare now by gathering information about the tour and its builders on the Ultimate Open House™ website at http://www.ultimateopenhouse.net/.
The Ultimate Open House™ is free to the public.
Coming in the Oregonian April 17 to more than 300,000 potential Portland area home buyers is the official Ultimate Open House™ Guidebook, a tour map and builder reference.
About the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland
Since 1942, the HBA has been an indispensable resource for consumers searching for affordable home options. The HBA proudly represents the housing industry to the government, media and the public.The HBA produces and manages many outstanding programs and tours in the Portland area, including: The premier NW Natural Street of Dreams, A Midsummer's Night Dream, The Tour of Remodeled Homes,The Fall and Spring Portland Home and Garden Shows, The Home Builders Foundation and Home Aid Portland.
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