Sunday, October 12, 2003 -- Journal Staff Report

Homes by New Vistas was the only two-time winner among 16 builders awarded first place in this year's judging of the Homes of Enchantment Parade.

New Vistas, owned by Miles Melton, had one first-place award in last year's parade.

The winners were announced Friday by the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico, which sponsors the annual event. The 110 houses in the parade opened for self-guided tours on Saturday.

This year's parade is a showcase of luxury home building in the Albuquerque metro area.

Fifty-one of the 110 houses are priced at more than $500,000. Nine are priced over $1 million.

"The builders have gone all out this year," said Paul Wymer, chairman of the parade's awards and judging committee.

Thirty judges, most of them builders and designers from outside the metro area, went through the parade homes in teams of three or four. The judging took two days.

"They were looking for the quality of craftsmanship that the builder put into the house," Wymer said. "They were judging on the flow of the floor plan, some of the amenities and features."

For the first time, location of a house was not a factor in the judging, he said.

The judges' winners, beginning with the least expensive house, follow, with the number of each entry in parentheses. Readers can use the number to locate the house in the Sunday Journal's special section, "Parade of Homes," in today's paper.

Homes by New Vistas won for a 2,110-square-foot house at
9940 Bellevue NW (26). The price is $269,000.

Homes by New Vistas won for a 2,856-square-foot house at
7201 Desert Sun NE (71). The price is $394,000.

 -- From the Albuquerque Journal.