SUFFOLK—Pull on your boots and work jeans and leave that sport coat at home this weekend.

The Spring 2010 Homearama’s “Dusty Boots Tour” is coming to town.

“People should expect to wear comfy clothes and dirty shoes,” said William Halprin, president of the Tidewater Builders Association. “Construction, of course, will be in varying stages of development at this point in time. Builders will be available to meet potential buyers and showcase their homes. It’s a little bit of a different thing than the actual Homearama.”

The “Dusty Boots Tour” is the sneak preview of the Spring 2010 Homearama and will be open Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. in Isle of Wight’s Founder’s Pointe development. Homearama will be held May 8-23 and later followed by a fall event at a different location.

With custom homes from the mid-$400’s to about $1 million, Founders Pointe overlooks the Batten Bay with creeks and tributaries flowing to the James River.

The homes on display will include a variety of distinctive architectural styles and range from 3,200 square feet to more than 3,800 square feet.

“All the builders are doing something different,” Halprin said. “They each have a distinctive personality and have various things to show potential buyers coming through.”

Potential homebuyers and those who are just curious about the homes and the development will have the opportunity to whet their appetites by seeing the homes before all the final touches have been put on them, giving the opportunity to see behind the scenes and the quality of construction.

“Folks can come out and see the homes before they’re in their completed stage,” Halprin said. “They’ll see the different stages a particular home goes through, the different features in a home and what builders are trying to get across to their customers.”

While preview tours are common practice, this is the first year the event will be featured in the spring.

“Spring is the best season to buy,” Halprin said. “Weather always plays a big role. No one wants to go out and buy or look at a new house in the snow. It’s the best time to put your best foot forward.”

And if they like what they see, they can put first dibs on the home before it’s snatched up in May.

Last year’s preview event drew a crowd of 1,000 people, and organizers expect about as many people this year.