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Spring Festival homes are great investments

By Cindy Hodnett
HomePlace Writer

Last weekend, hundreds of people spent their Saturday and Sunday afternoons touring the 95 homes entered in the 2008 Spring Festival of Homes. From starter homes in the low $100,000s to high-end luxury homes, Spring Festival properties were popular destinations as potential buyers searched for homes that offered unparalleled value for the money.

Sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Winston-Salem, the Spring Festival of Homes continues today from 1 to 5 p.m. and features some of the most amenities-packed properties in the Triad. Although the housing market has received its share of negative publicity over the past few months, industry experts agree that this is a great time to buy a home, and the Spring Festival of Homes showcases the best work of local builders.

"We had steady streams of traffic throughout the weekend," said HBA Executive Vice President Jerry Herman. "The Spring Festival Association Home had many visitors, and the Festival houses brought attention to some of the newer neighborhoods."

People who would like to visit some of the houses in the Spring Festival this afternoon can go to the springfestivalofhomesws.com Web site to find directions to the properties. At that property, a special tab section will be available that lists all of the homes on the tour as well as directions to each. The Spring Festival Association Home is in the Barrington Oaks community in Clemmons, a neighborhood with several Spring Festival entries.

"Barrington Oaks is extremely well-located in Clemmons," said Association Home builder Harvey Schneider of Glory Builders. "It is a very, very desirable location and just a few minutes away from all shopping needs and excellent schools. The community is a combination of empty nesters and families, and the YMCA is nearby."

The Spring Festival Association Home has nearly 3,000 square feet of finished space and an additional 250 square feet of unfinished space in the basement. Upper and lower master suites allow residents to adapt sleeping arrangements as families grow, and the extensive architectural features of the home make it visually appealing as well as functional.

"Before I began building, I did design work," Schneider said. "So when it comes to decorating one of my homes, I put a lot of thought and time into the design."

The Association Home includes hardwood floors, granite countertops, tile and numerous built-ins. An upper-level living area features stylish and convenient built-ins, perfect for homework, weekend sleepover activities or an efficient home office.

"Buyers get the opportunity to meet a lot of builders at once only twice a year," said Spring Festival co-chair Rob Powell. "The Spring Festival is a great time to connect a builder with a particular piece of property."

To visit the Spring Festival Association Home in Barrington Oaks, take I-40 West to the Clemmons exit; turn left on Lewisville-Clemmons Road and continue through town to the intersection with Highway 158; turn left on 158 and make a right turn on Hampton Road; follow Hampton to Barrington Oaks on the left; follow the signs to Association Home on the second cul-de-sac. For more information, go to www.hbaws.org or www.springfestivalofhomesws.org.