Area home builders are lining up to show off 46 of their nicest homes, townhomes, condos and sites poised for future projects, stretching from Lawrence to De Soto, Baldwin, Eudora and a rural area just northwest of Lawrence.

And throughout the array of offerings during the 2006 Fall Showcase of Homes, a common theme will be available for all to see: more extras atop floors, in countertops and on walls to help entice increasingly value-conscious buyers in this not-as-hot-as-years-past real estate market.

“We’re starting to see some new products, new finishes,” said Kelly Drake, president of the Lawrence Home Builders Assn., sponsor for the showcase that begins Saturday.

That means more oil-rubbed bronze light fixtures and bath faucets, rather than the chrome, polished brass or brushed pewter of previous years, Drake said. Builders also are opting to go with hand-textured walls, another measured step into trends that just might make a difference when potential buyers are thinking about where to invest their money.

“It’s more of an Old World feel, rather than the Craftsman or traditional feel we’ve had the past few years,” said Drake, owner of Mallard Homes, which has three homes in the showcase. “Really, we work for the people we build houses for. We have to do what they want.”

John Frazier, an employee with Mallard Homes, cleans up around a house at 1068 April Rain Road that will be on the Fall Showcase of Homes, sponsored by the Lawrence Home Builders Assn. The tour will feature 46 residences and locations in the Lawrence area.

Home builders expect anywhere from 400 to 600 people to stop by their homes during the four-day showcase, an event designed to connect builders and their properties with people who might be looking to buy, build or upgrade homes of their own.

Organizers say this fall’s showcase offers a strong supply of homes listed at prices that would be considered more affordable than in recent years. Ziegler Corp. has a single-family listing for $149,900 on Gennessee Street, and many other homes are priced between $200,000 and $300,000.

For an event that often rolls out the red carpet on residences offered for $500,000 and up – this year’s top price: $1.05 million, for a Rod Laing home on Running Ridge Road – the relative restraint is being interpreted as a sign that builders finally are getting a break on land prices, the foundation for home pricing.

“The availability of lots has loosened,” Drake said. “There are some lots that haven’t been available before, so we’re able to bring on some product that we haven’t been able to do in the last couple of years.”