For the majority of Outer Banks businesses, the end of August and throughout September is a time to wind down after our busy vacation season. Not true for the employees at SAGA Construction, this is the time we shift into high gear preparing for the Outer Banks Parade of Homes. This year is the 21st annual parade, and SAGA is proud to support and participate each year, entering the maximum of four homes for six consecutive years.
The goal is to produce a seamless and exciting debut of our latest showcase homes, which requires participation from everyone at SAGA and many of our vendors and local businesses. Each year we plan our annual pig pickin’ and BBQs and solicit raffle give-away prizes, all while scheduling client appointments and preparing marketing materials that anticipate every potential question from attendees. Although these are all new construction homes, many have already gone through a summer rental season, so our construction team is charged with readying each home for the event.
Held from Thursday, Oct 10 through Sunday, Oct 13, this year’s event featured 22 homes and was attended by 2,080 parade-goers. Typically, SAGA features a variety of homes from year-round, second and future retirement homes, as well as vacation rental investment properties. With over 15 houses under construction, and more than 10 candidate homes available to choose from, it was difficult to select the FINAL FOUR for this year’s event. Ultimately, we made our decision based on individual style, and how each home represented SAGA’s ability to delivery on the home owner’s personal requirements.
For the 2013 Parade of Homes, our featured homes were:
• “Good Karma Retreat,” SAGA’s showcase 8 bedroom Nags Head oceanfront retreat, featuring the largest accordion-style door system on the Outer Banks,
• “Good Day Sunshine,” an 8,000 square foot luxury 12 bedroom estate in our prestigious Pine Island Reserve community,
• “Wine Down,” an affordable, 5 bedroom oceanside home in the popular Ocean Lake subdivision in Ocean Sands, and
• “Knot Worried,” a 10 bedroom oceanfront estate, with innovative amenities, built in the Whalehead Club community of Corolla.
Each of these owners chose to build now to take advantage of lower lot prices, building costs and interest rates, but their ultimate goal was to take advantage of the strong Outer Banks rental income. Instead of downsizing, the majority of our home owners opted to build larger home to accommodate growing families and to maximize their return on investment.
Other fine SAGA homes built this year that are worth noting include “The Story House” built in Pine Island Reserve, the Wentz’s year-round home in Nags Head, the Kay’s future retirement home in Monteray Shores and new construction homes in the popular semi-oceanfront Moongate community in Nags Head.
Attendees of the parade run the spectrum from prospective clients qualifying home builders to those planning home renovations in search of the latest green building techniques, contemporary building materials and interior design concepts. Other guests visit the OBX in early fall to take advantage of the mild weather and local festivals like Corolla’s Mustang Music Festival, the Duck Jazz Festival and the Seafood Festival in Nags Head. Whatever the reason, their attendance creates a great opportunity for us to interact with people who want to discuss current construction trends. And, to the credit of the Outer Banks Home Builder’s Association, all the proceeds from this annual event go to our local food banks to support families who require some assistance throughout our off season.
At parade’s end, SAGA became the proud recipients of two People’s Choice Awards for “Good Karma Retreat” in Category E and “Good Day Sunshine” in Category F, a bragging right that both home owners will enjoy for years to come. SAGA is proud of our employees and subcontractors, and we appreciate their hard work and loyalty that contributes to SAGA’s continued success.