Why Visit a Parade of Homes

The 2008 Parade of Homes in Austin features six really nice homes on a cove on Lake Travis. Most of these are financially out of reach of most people, but they are fun to go through. People pay to visit these homes for a variety of reasons. Austin isn´t the only place you will find a Parade of Homes, but what I will highlight here may be similar to parades in other cities. Take a look at eight reasons to visit a Parade of Homes.

1) Design and decorating ideas. Builders usually feature their best work and some is pretty innovative. What you will see are things like hand-scraped wood floors, new faux finish and textured walls and creative ways to use decorative tile.

2) You want to see really cool pools and spas like the pool with the thick plexiglass (see-through) wall or the pool with a waterfall pouring into it.

3) You want to check out the latest media rooms, which are really home theaters with huge screens and awesome sound systems.

4) You know that part of the price of admission goes to a nonprofit organization like the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

5) You want to see what innovative features builders are showing off like the wall with the huge flat screen TV that, with the push of a book on a shelf, rotates 180 degrees, turning into a bar. Or the bathtub that has a waterproof keyboard floating in it for the computer screen in the wall.

6) You want to see new architectural designs that incorporate stone like granite, quartz, slate and marble in kitchens and bathrooms.

7) You want to check out the latest master bathroom showers with multiple shower heads, sitting areas or steam features.

8) You just want to see what it is like to see where people with lots of money live.