Step away from the Architectural Digest home tour videos and into actual homes during the Parade of Homes.

This year’s 72nd annual event, which is one of the longest, continuously run home parades in the country, opens Friday and runs through Sept. 27. It runs daily except Mondays and Tuesdays.

The 17-day event showcases 33 homes by 21 builders in several communities throughout El Paso County, including Meridian Ranch, Wolf Ranch and Flying Horse North.

“It’s like a real HGTV/Pinterest board, if you’re looking for inspiration or what’s coming up,” said Emma Repp-Maxwell, director of membership and events at the Colorado Springs Housing & Building Association, which puts on the event.

“It’s a great way to see in person what’s being done in your own city. This is the only place to see 33 open models all at once without having to connect to builders and schedule times.”

This year’s home with the smallest square footage clocks in at 1,500 square feet for $750,000, while the largest is 7,000 square feet at $3.85 million. The price range for homes is $450,000 to $4.8 million.

On trend this year are smaller homes. Not tiny homes, but homes like studio apartments with smaller square footage and lower prices.

“Instead of rent for an apartment, you pay the same amount for a smaller footprint home you own,” Repp-Maxwell said.

Of course, there are the golf simulators, Jacuzzis, polished backyards and pizza ovens. But there are also more three-story homes with rooftop patios, where homeowners live up instead of down in a basement. And like last year, there’s an increase in homes with accessory dwelling units (ADUs), such as homes behind the main house or spaces over a garage, for multi-generational families.

“We’re seeing more of what you’d see in Denver come down here design-wise,” Repp-Maxwell said.

Details

Parade of Homes, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday through Sept. 27, closed Mondays and Tuesdays, $18, free 15 and younger; springsparade.com/web