The Parade of Homes in Manatee and Sarasota counties, which will start this week, is expected to bring excitement to the sagging real estate market by encouraging people to buy houses despite the economic crisis. The latest model homes and residential communities, 54 model homes at the last count, will be shown by local builders and developers

The Parade of Homes, which is jointly sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Manatee County and the Sarasota Building Industry Association, is an annual event which will be held from February 22 to March 8. Manatee association executive vice president Alan Anderson said the parade aims to drive foot traffic to the different model homes with the hope that the onlookers will remember the homes they liked a year or two from now.

Home builders are faced with a recession worsened by credit crunch and rising foreclosures. This reality is evident with the decrease in the number of builders joining the Parade from 43 builders last year to only 24 builders now and from 106 model homes last year to only 54 models this year. Anderson however said the industry is hopeful that the economic stimulus package of the Obama administration will take the pressure of in the long run.