The NW Natural Parade of Homes is drawing large crowds to Erickson Farms in Felida, with the number of visitors tracking at nearly double last year’s attendance, according to the Building Industry Association of Clark County, an event sponsor.
“The crowds have been wonderful. The weather is wonderful. We couldn’t ask for a better show,” said the association’s executive director, Avaly Scarpelli. From the show’s opening on July 11 through last weekend, it has been tracking at a 94 percent increase in visitors compared to last year, she said.
The Parade of Homes features eight luxury homes by seven builders, and all but two of the homes have been sold, she said. Builders already are excited about participating in next year’s show and are confident that they can build homes on speculation, or without advance buyers, that can be sold in the current strong real estate market, she said.
The show’s success comes at a time when Clark County’s housing market is showing solid gains. The most recent report from RMLS, the Portland-based housing listing service, notes that the 637 closed sales recorded in June were the largest number of June closings since 2006. The June closings were up 2.4 percent for the year and were 6.2 percent higher than in May. There were 1,086 new listings in June.
