Explore Columbia Homes on Sunday

It's a series of open houses, but the houses aren't for sale—the annual Columbia Home tour takes place this Sunday.

On tap for the tour are five homes; an original Pacesetter model in Oakland Mills, a large colonial in Kings Contrivance, a Tuscan 'castle' in River Hill, a couple's first townhouse in River Hill and an eclectic condo in a Wilde Lake high rise, according to the Columbia Home Tour's fact sheet.

The event costs $25 for tickets purchased on Sunday and proceeds will be used to benefit Bridges to Housing Stability, a Howard County charity dedicated to preventing homelessness.

Trevor Greene, who blogs at hocopolitico.com, and his wife Debby will be showing their River Hill townhouse on the tour. Trevor invited the community to come out in a May blog post.

Trevor described his wife's passion for interior decorating: "Debby has an eye for color and is extremely artistic. She does calligraphy and paints. You'll see examples of both of those skills in our home."

Malynda Madzel and her husband Rich will be showing off their Wilde Lake condo, according to an article in Explore Howard about the tour. Their home was described as art-laden, with "furnishings that range from custom-made pieces to consignment finds," in the article.

Guests on the tour will have to find out what makes the other three homes unique. The tours are self-guided and tourists can choose whichever home they'd like to go to at their own pace between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on June 3.

The Columbia Home Tour began in 2009 through a coordinated effort with the 10 Columbia Villages and the Columbia Archives. More information is available in the Columbia Association's video about the home tour.

"[The tour] offers community to the community," said Carol Hobelmann, Columbia Home Tour chair, in the CA video. "There's a lot of people involved, a lot of volunteers, a lot of workers, a lot of tour-goers. It's a wonderful meet-and-greet day. You see your friends, you see beautiful homes, it really highlights our city."