The Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association (GVHBA) presented its seventh annual spring Parade of New Homes throughout the Lower Mainland from April 18-26, showcasing the latest and greatest in design, construction technology, building products and services, and more.

Thirteen prominent builders featured 54 showhomes and two presentation centres at 24 homesites in six municipalities – Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, North Vancouver and Surrey.

Participating builders were Adera, Ambros, Cressey, Domani, Foxridge, Intracorp, Morningstar, Polygon, Portrait, Qualico, Raicon, Vesta and Wallmark.

The Homeowner Protection Office, the provincial Crown corporation responsible for licensing residential builders and facilitating the provision of home warranty insurance, was a primary sponsor.

Included in this year’s diverse offering, appropriately called the “It’s a Great Time to Buy” Tour, were single-detached homes, townhomes, rowhomes, lowrise condominiums, even four-plex manor homes.

Prices ranged from $209,900 for a trendy flat in a project featuring a wellness spa, to $869,000 for a customized executive home. Also on display were Langley estate lots valued at $599,000, offering home seekers a rare opportunity to view an 8,300 sq. ft. French country home on one of the lots.

The homes -- many of which are still open for viewing -- offered characteristics appealing to all tastes and preferences – sumptuous kitchens, lavish bathrooms, designer colour palettes, vaulted ceilings, panoramic views, open-concept family spaces, Italian tile, popular architectural styles, resort-style amenity complexes and options galore.

GVHBA President Ross Gurney believes the current buyers’ market presents unprecedented opportunities. “Prices have moderated as landowners, sub-trades and suppliers are working closely with builders to find ways to lower the cost of building homes without compromising quality. There is a broad selection of new homes, and mortgage rates are currently at historical lows,” he said.

Gurney, a senior corporate manager with TD Financial Group, said with today’s interest rates on five-year, fixed-rate mortgages, monthly payments are 26 per cent less than they were two years ago.