Homes on display

COLUMBIA BASIN — The opportunity to see a selection of hundreds of homes during a two-day stretch is set for April 10-11 for the Washington statewide open house.

Realtors with Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors and the Grant County Association of Realtors are showing homes for the event.

Homes shown by agents through the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors are open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on April 10-11.

Homes listed by agents with the Grant County Association of Realtors are shown from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on April 10-11.

The event was held for the first time last year and Washington state was the only participating state, said Cathy Strickland, president of the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors.

“Because it was so successful, it was noticed nationwide,” she explained. As a result, all of the states will be participating in open houses.

“We got a lot of people through,” she recalled of last year’s event. “It definitely could have encouraged sales later.”

“We heard very positive comments,” Strickland said.

During that time, people shared what they liked about the homes.

Last year, people were only able to spend an hour and a half at each home, which wasn’t enough time, she said.

It’s why this year’s open house through the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors was set for a longer time frame.

They are trying to group homes by price range in event listings, then prospective buyers can work more efficiently, she said.

“We’re trying to make it as simple as possible,” Strickland explained.

John Parker, president of the Grant County Association of Realtors, said last year’s event through his group was “pretty successful.”

There was a lot of participation with realtors and good participation with the public, he said.

“At the time, they did not have the first-time buyers credit or current homeowners credit,” he said. “It was a good idea and wonderful to get everyone out there. It was just a very positive event.”

To take advantage of both home buyers credits, a contract must be signed by April 30 and the deal closed by June 30, he said.

A tax credit of $6,500 is being offered to current homeowners buying another home and a $8,000 tax credit is available for first-time homeowners, he said.

“There’s no guarantee it (the tax credits) will be extended and everyone wants it extended,” he said.

The tax credits are being offered by the government to stimulate the economy through more home sales, he said.

“The housing market runs the economy, whether you look at construction, furniture makers, plumbing and lighting,” Parker explained.

In the Ephrata and Soap Lake areas, merchants offer prizes to the public viewing homes.

People can fill out an entry form at the homes.

On Sunday, April 11, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., an open house is held at the new Prairie Bluff housing development in Ephrata.

“It’s a real nice upscale development for Ephrata,” he commented.

On Tuesday, April 6, a preview publication to promote the event and provide more details about homes will be inserted into the Columbia Basin Herald.

On Friday, April 9, an eight-page section with a tour map of homes will be inside the Columbia Basin Herald.

Both special sections include homes listed by realtors with the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors.

For more information about homes with the Grant County Association of Realtors, call Parker at 509-398-6422.