Builders join in Parade of Homes

By Charles Lawrence
For the Chronicle
Local home builders Gold Crest Homes, Hartland Homes and Dream Custom Homes have very different types of models on display in this year’s Citrus County Spring Parade of Homes.

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The “Don Valencia,” constructed by Dream Custom Homes, offers a large, open family room that looks onto a large pool deck and cabana. It is one of the homes on display through March 24 during the Parade of Homes.

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The “Don Valencia” by Dream Custom Homes is a four-bedroom home with three bathrooms and a three-car garage. The model is in Pine Ridge.

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This cabana, set across the pool deck from the rest of the house, offers plenty of options for a homeowner. The cabana’s current configuration includes a billiards table, flat-screen television, a bar and mini kitchen, creating an ideal “man cave” environment.

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This model, "The Francesca" by Hartland Homes, is a mid-sized residence on the 2013 Citrus-Hernando Parade of Homes. The home is in Pine Ridge.

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Gold Crest Homes offers this model, "The Glory," for the 2013 Citrus-Hernando Parade of Homes.

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"The Glory," constructed by Gold Crest Homes, is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that boasts an extra-large kitchen that includes a walk-in pantry.

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They range from the small and affordable to luxurious. Builders of all three local homes on display hope their entries will find appeal with buyers.

This year’s Parade of Homes, which runs through March 24, includes three local models and a dozen other models in Hernando County. There is also a virtual entry. For more information, see today’s HomeFront section.

Gold Crest Homes’ model “The Glory” in Beverly Hills has 1,603 square feet of living space with total square footage of 2,121.

Included in this model are three bedrooms and two baths with a focus on energy efficiency and low maintenance.

“With market conditions the way they are, we felt people would be downsizing and going for more basic homes,” said Kathleen Gilbert, vice president of Gold Crest. “With an aging population and today’s economic conditions, we think that people don’t want to deal with the upkeep and cost of having a 4,000-square-foot home.”

Spring Hill-based Hartland Homes’ model “The Francesca” follows the same pattern, though slightly more spacious at 2,120 square feet with four bedrooms, two baths and a two-car garage. 

Shannon Brening, a Hartland company representative, said this model is “a great family home for retirees.”

Dream Custom Homes sees the market headed toward luxury and is offering its “Don Valencia” model, which is twice the size of the other two local offerings.

The 4,737-square-foot Don Valencia has four bedrooms, three baths and a columned grand entryway.

Its master bathroom has three showerheads.

The gourmet kitchen has granite countertops.

“Lots of people sell their homes up north, which often hold a lot of value,” said Matt Burich, president of Dream Custom Homes. “They cash out after 30 years and buy a mini-mansion in Florida.

 “We’re on the upswing economically. There is about a four-month supply of homes on the market right now in Florida and values of homes are up about 12 percent across the nation.”