The Idaho builder’s HomeFest combines model-home tours with seasonal entertainment, while its reported sales increase comes without a detailed comparison period
CBH Homes is putting a holiday wrapper around its homebuying outreach in Idaho’s Treasure Valley. In an October 13 company release, the builder announced HomeFest, a series of Friday and Saturday events running from November 6 through December 12, 2026. The program pairs furnished model-home visits with food, entertainment and seasonal activities, positioning an open house as a family outing rather than simply a property inspection.
For U.S. homebuyers, the useful distinction is between the event’s appeal and the financial decision it promotes. Free refreshments and holiday photos can make a visit more inviting, but they do not establish whether a particular home fits a household’s budget. The supplied announcement focuses on the experience and participating communities rather than home prices, mortgage terms or purchase incentives.
“There’s kind of this myth that people don’t buy homes in November or December. But they do. Our sales have improved 77% year over year.” Ronda Conger, CBH’s vice president, offered that assessment in the release. The company does not specify the comparison dates, number of sales or whether the increase measures contracts, closings or another sales indicator, limiting how broadly readers can interpret the percentage.
HomeFest will feature 15 fully furnished, holiday-decorated model homes across four communities, according to
CBH. The locations are Topaz Ranch West in Caldwell, Southridge and Centerville in Meridian, and Jack’s Place in Nampa. That spread gives prospective buyers several places to visit, although the release does not provide individual home specifications or a model-by-model schedule of attractions.
Friday sessions are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Advertised activities include free holiday photos, face painting, stocking embroidery, live music, local vendor giveaways, hot chocolate and desserts. Saturday sessions run from 1
p.m. to 4 p.m., with free food trucks available from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Saturday program also lists holiday giveaways, festive activities, Elf on the Shelf appearances and Letters to Santa.
Visitors will additionally have opportunities to win Indian Creek Plaza ice skating tickets, the company says. These details make clear that HomeFest is designed to draw people who may want a seasonal outing as well as those actively shopping for a house. The announcement does not report attendance expectations, event spending or the share of visitors the builder expects to convert into purchasers.
Conger describes the event as something developed over time rather than a one-season experiment. “And that’s really where it started. We just kept doing it these past 11 years, and every year it’s just gotten bigger and bigger.” Her statement supplies management’s account of the program’s history, without annual attendance or sales data to quantify that expansion.
CBH says it has built new homes in Idaho for more than 34 years and served more than 30,000 homeowners. Its release also describes the company as Idaho’s No. 1 builder for 19 years and cites workplace recognition, including No. 17 nationally on Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Construction list. Those credentials are company-provided background, not independent findings established by this announcement.
For a buyer, the event can provide a convenient opportunity to compare layouts and communities while asking about available inventory and ownership costs. Any assessment of affordability would still require information outside the release, including the home’s price, financing terms and recurring expenses. A decorated model home is a presentation setting, not a complete picture of the purchase obligation.
HomeFest’s business proposition is straightforward: use seasonal hospitality to keep prospective buyers engaged late in the year. CBH’s release describes that strategy clearly, but its success will depend on purchasing decisions that the entertainment schedule alone cannot explain.
