Parade of Homes kicks off today

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 9, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

A long-standing tradition returns for another year today when the BILD Lethbridge Region Parade of Homes kicks off.
Running since 1966, the event is hugely popular with residents as they look for the latest trends in design and decor.
This year, people planning to take tours can access Parade of Homes information on an app and dedicated website which will provide information on builders and subcontractors who worked on each home.
The Parade of Homes app is available on both Apple’s App Store and on Google Play.
Ratings and comments by guests will be used in the BILD Award of Excellence in Housing category – Parade of Homes People’s Choice award.
On display until Sept. 24 will be 13 homes in various neighbourhoods of the city including Riverstone, Crossings, Country Meadows, Copperwood, Blackwolf, Prairie Arbour Estates and Southbrook. They were constructed by four of Lethbridge’s top builders and showcase innovation and interior design. Those builders include Cedar Ridge Homes, Avonlea Homes, Stranville Living Master Builder and Van Arbor Homes.
Show hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays 4 until 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
BILD staged its annual pre-parade breakfast Friday morning at the Lethbridge Country Club with a range of speakers including Bridget Mearns, the organization’s executive officer along with MLA for Lethbridge East and Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf and deputy mayor Ryan Parker, who was one of three city councillors present. Also attending was City Manager Lloyd Brierley.
“A lot of the things the builders are seeing right now is the continuous escalation of material costs. The interest rate has gone up by 4.75 per cent since March which is significant and it’s affecting how people are entering into the market and even how they’re moving in the market,” said Mearns, adding the pressures of the workforce are also being seen.
Higher interest rates, rising materials costs and labour shortages are among issues challenging builders across the country, the gathering was told. But the four builders involved told media before breakfast was served that Lethbridge remains an affordable place to build and live despite those challenges.
Val Lowen of Van Arbor said young people are feeling really a bit spooked by interest rates whereas others who aren’t as young have seen those higher rates before.
“I think that people are finding a hard time making their way and settling into what might be the new norm for several years. It would be hard to imagine that we’ll see interest rates under two per cent, maybe in my lifetime,” said Lowen.
“I think it takes time for the market to adjust and for people to make adjustments in their lifestyle and be able to find a spot where housing is affordable again. It’s always important, it’s never not important. If you ask any young people, one of their dreams will be to build a home and in Lethbridge that’s actually possible. In many cities, it isn’t,” said Lowen.
Dell Mathews, general manager of Stranville Living, said the parade gets several thousand people looking at the company’s home and showcases different options as well as price points.
Lowen said what people want in a home depends on the age group of the buyer.
“I think different age groups have different priorities in terms of the things they’re passionate about, be it the environment, whether it be about their earth footprint, whether they care about the materials that go in. I’ve had clients who won’t purchase products that are made in certain countries because they boycott the countries. I think it’s a bit of a tricky thing to decide because every age has their thing that’s important to them,” noted Lowen.
Bev Segouin, sales manager of Cedar Ridge said buyers “want everything, they want it all and they want it all for less.”
Among trends builders are seeing include energy efficiency and smarter building practices and as for design trends, that changes often, the builders say. But one thing seems to be common – buyers don’t want to see grey anymore.
“They’re moving away from the sterile greys and that modern look and maybe more to a softer, warmer look,” said Matthews.
Parker told the gathering he remembers when West Lethbridge basically ended at Mike Mountain Horse School “or the Turbo gas station,” adding that Mountain Heights was in the 1990s just gravel roads and sidewalks. That neighbourhood is now a bustling subdivision with an elementary school that is close to a new middle school in Sunridge.
“It’s amazing how much the city has grown in the last 25 years,” he added.
Neudorf told the gathering of builders that “we’re living in challenging times and I think that what’s society is asking you as builders to provide for them in houses is more and more amenities, more and more high-end finishes, more quality, more options, more colours and they all want it all for a lesser price which is a pretty tough challenge.
“I’m very proud of Lethbridge for being one of the most affordable cities in all of Canada to live but we do have challenges and in my portfolio one of the tasks that’s been given is to find a way to make housing even more accessible, which means that we’re going to look to you. You’re the builders, you’re the innovators, you’re the ones with the great ideas.”

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