• Who decides which homes will be on the Tour?
• How are homes selected?
• Where does the money from tickets go?
• Can I treat the ticket purchase as a charitable contribution?
• Will we meet the owners?
• I'm interested in having my home on the Tour. What do I need to do?
• Are all the homes on the Tour big, grand mansions?
• What architectural styles are going to be on this Tour?
• What homes are on this upcoming Tour?
• What do you do when it rains on Tour day?
• How many people does it take to put on the Tour?
• How can I volunteer to help?

Who decides which homes will be on the Tour?
The Benton House Tour of Homes Tour Committee has the responsibility of selecting homes each year for the Tour. They solicit suggestions for possible Tour homes, contact homeowners, and after careful review, make the decision by vote of the members of the Committee. For the name of the current Home Tour Committee Chairman, see the Contacts section of this Website. The Home Tour Committee consists of Irvington residents who have volunteered to participate. Because of the size of the undertaking, the Home Tour Committee has between 10 and 15 members, and there are frequent openings. (back to top)

How are homes selected?
First the Committee has to have some candidate homes. These are identified by Members' personal knowledge, inquiries by interested homeowners, and suggestions by other neighborhood residents including the prior year's Tour homeowners. Naturally, big, visible restoration or rehabilitation projects tend to draw the attention of the Committee Members. Once a set of candidate homes has been identified, the Home Tour Committee considers a number of factors in making its selection of homes:
• Geographic distribution across the neighborhood
• Variety of architectural styles
• Variety of sizes and configurations of homes
• Ability of the homes to represent the neighborhood to a wide audience
• Willingness of the homeowners to be part of the program
• Convenience of crowd handling and traffic flow in the homes' interiors (this is the most common reason why we are unable to schedule a home for the Tour -- not every home is designed to handle 700 visitors in 5 hours!)
• No repeats on the Tour within 5 years
Before the final selection, the Committee Members personally visit the candidate homes and discuss the potential arrangements with the homeowners. (back to top)

Where does the money from tickets go?
The Benton House Tour of Homes is the main fund raising activity of the Benton House. The Tour helps pay some of the day to day costs of running the House plus provides for some extras. In 2006, the Tour paid for a beautiful new sign for the House. Currently, funds are needed to repair the roof and buy new furnaces. See our main page for more information on the Benton House. (back to top)

Can I treat the ticket purchase as a charitable contribution?
Unfortunately you are not able to use your ticket purchase as a charitable donation. (back to top)

Will we meet the owners?
The Home Tour Committee encourages homeowners to stay at home the day of the Tour. Most do. If they do, you are welcome to search them out and ask questions or share comments. Typically, the volunteers in each home will assist you in locating them if you have questions that the volunteers cannot answer. (back to top)

I'm interested in having my home on the Tour. What do I need to do?
Anyone can suggest their home for the Tour. Simply contact the Home Tour Committee Members. See the Contacts page in this website for details. (back to top)

Are all the homes on the Tour big, grand mansions?
Definitely not. While there certainly are some wonderful, large homes in Irvington, there are also many more wonderful, smaller homes here, as well. A well tended and nicely furnished 1800 square foot Craftsman bungalow is just as likely to be selected for the Tour as a 4000 square foot Colonial Revival mansion. The Committee strives for a balance of large and small homes for each year's Tour. In fact, one of the common reasons why a home being considered for the Tour may not be selected is to maintain the desired mix of sizes. (back to top)

What architectural styles are going to be on this Tour?
The only certainty is that they will be varied! Irvington is home to many styles of home including: Arts and Crafts, Four Square, Colonial Revival Style, Tudor, English Cottage, Queen Anne Victorian, and so on. (back to top)

What homes are on this upcoming Tour?
Approximately a month before the Tour we will list the homes to be included on our site. (back to top)

What do you do when it rains on Tour day?
Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate but usually we have good weather for the Tour. If it rains, we simply carry on as planned. (back to top)

How many people does it take to put on the Tour?
Lots! The Home Tour committee ideally has between 10-15 volunteers. In addition, the day of the Tour typically each home on the Tour will have 2-3 volunteer guide positions plus ticket takers. (back to top)

How can I volunteer to help?
In February or March of each year prior to the Tour, contact information will be posted on this site for volunteering for the many assignments in making the Tour a success. We always welcome new volunteers with a fresh perspective. See the Volunteer Opportunities for details. (back to top)