The Fall Parade of Homes kicked off this weekend across the Twin Cities metro and Rochester area, opening the doors on more than 270 newly built homes constructed by 87 builder companies spread across 77 cities. The 2026 Fall Parade of Homes runs in the Twin Cities metro from Sept. 11 through Oct. 4 and in the Rochester area from Sept. 18 through Oct. 4, giving would-be buyers and curious neighbors a rare look inside houses ranging from starter homes to sprawling lakefront estates.
According to Housing First Minnesota, prices on this fall's tour span from $325,000 up to $3.7 million, reflecting just how wide the gap has grown between entry-level and luxury new construction in the region. General admission to view the homes is free, but visitors hoping to tour two specially designated “Dream Homes” will need to pay a $7 ticket, according to the same release. One of those Dream Homes is a Hartman Homes house in Mahtomedi on White Bear Lake.
KSTP-TV's Twin Cities Live previewed the event ahead of its opening, with host Kelli Hanson visiting Home 162 in Stillwater as part of the network's coverage. As 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS described it, the segment previewed the home tour.
Where the Ticket Money Goes
The $7 fee charged for Dream Home admission isn't just a gate charge — it directly benefits the Housing First Minnesota Foundation, the charitable arm of the trade group behind the tour. The foundation builds homes for Minnesotans experiencing homelessness, the same organization notes.
Buyers browsing this fall's homes will also encounter Minnesota's Green Path program, an energy-efficiency testing initiative that Housing First Minnesota created back in 2011. Homes tested under Green Path use the Home Energy Rating System index, and per McDonald Construction Partners, Minnesota's average HERS score was 49 for 7,727 homes tested in 2023. A HERS Index score of 49 is described as making a Minnesota Green Path energy-tested home roughly 51% more energy-efficient than a HERS Reference Home, while a standard new home is separately rated 100.
A Tradition Rooted in Postwar Minneapolis
The Parade of Homes concept isn't new to the Twin Cities. The first Parade of Homes event took place in Minneapolis in the early 1940s and was organized to promote newly constructed homes for returning World War II veterans, according to Current Listings. That Minneapolis model went on to inspire similar builder showcases nationwide.
This fall's event also includes a companion showcase: the Fall 2026 Remodelers Showcase, which runs for a single weekend from Oct. 2 to Oct. 4 and features 24 home transformations in the Twin Cities and Rochester metro areas, per listings published on Issuu by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities. Unlike the main Parade tour, the Remodelers Showcase focuses entirely on existing homes that have undergone renovation rather than new ground-up construction.
The Affordability Backdrop Behind the Showcase
The tour arrives as Minnesota's housing market faces mounting pressure. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reported in May 2026 that the Twin Cities region failed to meet all three of its annual regional targets — for new housing production, affordable home production, and Black homeownership.
Data published by the Minnesota Housing Partnership on Jan. 12, 2026 found that the median age of a first-time homebuyer in Minnesota has climbed to a record 40 years old. The same report found Minnesota ranks 45th nationally in its racial homeownership gap, underscoring how uneven access to homeownership has become across the state.
Those affordability pressures form a backdrop to the Parade of Homes. Against that backdrop, the Parade of Homes offers a glimpse of what new construction looks like at both ends of the market — from $325,000 entry points to multimillion-dollar lakefront builds — for anyone willing to spend a Saturday touring houses across the metro.
