The Parade of Homes Spring Preview, the biggest marketing event of the year for Twin Cities homebuilders has been suspended, and the upcoming Remodelers Showcase has been canceled.

It was the first time in the more than 70 year history of the event such a decision has been made, said David Siegel, Housing First's executive director.

"The safety and well-being of our hosts, tour-goers, homeowners, and the public is our top priority at the Parade of Homes," he said. "It was a pretty solid gut punch, but it was the right thing to do."

The organization said the remainder of the Parade of Homes, which runs Thursdays through Sundays and started March 7, has been paused through at least April 2. The Remodelers Showcase had been scheduled for April 3-5, but will not happen.

Siegel said the decision was made out of "respect Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' leadership and decision to further enhance community mitigation to stop people from gathering in large groups and potentially spreading the disease."

The decision comes at a perilous time for the housing industry, which is struggling to balance the interests of home buyers, sellers and builders who rely on open houses and home tours to promote listings at a time when mortgage rates are near an all-time low, bolstering sales.

Builders are hitting pause on this year's Parade of Homes event until at leastt April 2. Credit Spacecrafting Photography ORG XMIT: MIN1909031128585496

Many brokerages are already working with their agents to assuage the concerns of homeowners who are worried about opening their homes to strangers.

On Monday, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, which serves 23 counties in Washington state, essentially banned open houses by disabling features in its online home listing database that allow brokers to post open house information.

The decision was particularly challenging, Siegel, said because attendance at the Parade's opening weekend two weeks ago was more than double the previous record.

He said there were no reports of COVID exposure in any of the more than 430 homes on the tour, and that builders and their representatives were already taking precautions. Many of those homes will still be available for viewing, but builders are now asking visitors to make appointments.

"We're already in a housing crisis and don't have enough inventory," he said. "We were finally getting some traction."

Jim Buchta • 612-673-7376