Town throws open its doors--all of them.

For the first time, Beacon area real estate brokers will join together to present a BEacon Citywide Open House, showing over 50 single family houses to the home-buying public on Sunday, September 17, from 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

"We want to emphasize the affordability of many of the homes here, and also the exciting community building that is going on," said Diane Goodall of Manor House Realty, a co-chair of the event.

On September 17, prospective buyers will find a complete list of the open houses along with marked street maps created for the four different price ranges most customers request ($150,000275,000; $276,000325,000; $325,000400,000, and over $400,000). These maps will be distributed at the real estate information booth next to the post office on Veterans Place.

A webpage on the City of Beacon website (www.cityofbeacon.org/openhouse.htm) provides a link to listings for all the properties on the Dutchess multiple listing service (www.mydreamhouse.com) as well as photos of Beacon streets and the post office. Each open house will be staffed by a real estate and/or mortgage professional, to answer all questions on the spot.

All houses available range in price from $160,000 for a 3-bedroom, 2-bath mobile home built in 1996 to $599,900 for a 3,400 s/f, completely renovated Victorian built in 1880 near Main Street and $675,000 for a nearly new Colonial in the Polo Fields. Of the nearly 100 houses on the market now, the median price currently fluctuates between $325,000 and $340,000, with more than 40 houses offered in the price range of $200,000-$325,000.

Beacon has a number of projects in development, including the Long Dock Hotel and Conference Center, the condominium projects East Main Mills and Beacon Glen, and the rebuilding of the incline railway to the top of Mt. Beacon.

"Beacon is a community just in the middle of a tremendous transformation, in which the arts community has taken the lead so far. There's real opportunity here for investment at many levels," says Marilee Talman, First Choice Realty, also co-chair of the event.