COBA TOUR OF HOMES

by Gregg Morris, for The Bulletin Special Projects

Take a drive to Eagle Crest and tour a palatial home with stunning views. Drive a few miles to Redmond and visit the home of your dreams. Make a stop in NorthWest Crossing to experience new home technologies.

If any of that sounds intriguing, then you won’t want to miss the Central Oregon Builders Association 2014 Tour of HomesTM.

Every year since the early 1990s, COBA has set the stage for new homes to be in the spotlight for two weekends. Back for its 26th year, the 2014 Tour of Homes, presented by Harcourts The Garner Group, will be held the weekends of July 18-20 and 25-27. Each weekend, the houses are open from 12 to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

“This year’s Tour of Homes is one of the largest we’ve had,” said Sherri Terry, event organizer for COBA. “I think that’s an indication of our growing economy.”

Located throughout Central Oregon, 58 homes, ranging from $49,900 to more than $1 million, will compete in one of nine categories, including best of show. Each house competes in one of eight price categories. Winners are chosen by a team of industry professionals, including designers, architects, engineers and realtors.

The free event will showcase more high-end homes this year. Some of the special features highlighted in the homes will include wine cellars, cedar rooms, in-home gyms, net-zero homes and specialized outdoor living spaces.

Sponsors for this year’s COBA Tour of HomesTM include AmeriTitle, Umpqua Bank, Energy Trust of Oregon, Earth Advantage, Connection Depot, Northwestern Home Loans, Great Northern Window Co., Chevrolet of Bend and The Bulletin.

For more information about the Tour of HomesTM, please contact COBA at 541-389-1058 or online at www.connectiondepot.com.