By Laura Baverman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HAMILTON TWP. - Rain fell and parking was tough, but the kickoff weekend of the 42nd annual Homearama attracted nearly as many patrons to the mansions of Vista Pointe at River's Bend as the 2002 kickoff.

Friday and Saturday's home show guests totaled 5,500, down 150 people from last year's show, which also was near South Lebanon, said Edna Marshall, executive director of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati.

That dip was not enough to change predictions that 100,000 would turn out for the next 15 days of the show, which runs through June 29.

Sunday's downpours resulted in flooded parking areas and piles of umbrellas outside the nine luxury homes. But the crowd didn't seem to mind as the freshly decorated and landscaped homes seemed to leave many in awe.

Rick Willis of Liberty Township entered one Homearama house Sunday with a "wow." Such home shows have to have a "wow factor" to keep people coming back each year, he said.

This year, the attention to detail inside the homes and the landscaping impressed him and his wife, Sue. They got ideas for projects in their home, but were not looking to buy.

"Despite the low interest rates, you wonder where people are getting millions of dollars to spend on houses," Willis said.

With all nine homes priced between $1 million and $1.5 million, most visitors weren't interested in buying. Six of the nine were sold before the show started.

"I'm mostly interested in the outdoor landscape and how they've coordinated the outdoor with the indoor," said Steve Steller of Ft. Thomas.

He and his wife, Sue,were happy to find homes at the show that coordinated with their more transitional style: not too traditional, but not too contemporary.

Many visitors were drawn to the use of sculpture, painted ceilings and painted walls instead of wallpaper. The emphasis on entertainment was a big hit.

"I love the media rooms and the open layouts. You can flow from one room to the next really easily," said Dan Schwandner of Western Hills. He and his two daughters visited the show to look for decorating ideas for the new home they plan to buy.

"For as large as they are, they're very comfortable and livable," Schwandner said.

Organizers of the annual 16-day show expect to attract 100,000 visitors to tour the homes and visit the displays of home-improvement vendors over the next two weeks.

The show runs 4-11 p.m. on weekdays and noon-11 p.m. on weekends. Tickets are $8 for adults, with children under 12 free with an adult. Parking is free.

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E-mail lbaverman@enquirer.com.