Close to home: Living on the water

Does your dream of the perfect home include a beach or a dock? You can survey the possibilities on the afternoon of Oct. 6, during Coldwell Banker Burnet's annual Fall Waterfront Home Tour.

Nearly 100 waterfront houses — with lakeshore, river front or deeded access to a body of water — will be open for touring between 1 and 5 p.m. All homes are currently on the market and are spread across the metro area.

The waterfront homes also represent a wide range of prices, from a $234,900 home on Lake Arvilla in Dassel to a $4.75 million European-style home with 170 feet of lakeshore on Lake Minnetonka's Wayzata Bay.

For a list of properties on the tour, including addresses, visit www.cbburnet.com.

Considering a home-improvement project? The Kohler Signature Store in Edina is hosting an event for homeowners, in celebration of the store's becoming the exclusive carrier of Ann Sacks Tile in the Upper Midwest. Homeowners are invited to take part in complimentary speed design consultations from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. (Reservations are required; call 952-922-2825.)

Those who take part in design sessions will be entered to win $500 worth of Ann Sacks tile. During the event, Kohler also will be giving away six Moxie showerhead and speaker systems.

The store is at 7101 France Av. S., Edina.

If you're struggling to impose order on the home front, here's an opportunity to get some professional advice. The local chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers is hosting a "Declutter and Get Organized Event and Expo" on Monday evening. Jan Lehman, owner of Can the Clutter, will share insights into learning how to let go of possessions.

The expo also will feature products and services focused on decluttering, reducing and re-using, and will be the culmination of a monthlong shoe drive for Soles4Souls, a global nonprofit that distributes shoes and clothing to people in need.

Expo hours are 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, with Lehman's presentation at 7:15 p.m. The event is open to the public, and the cost is $30 with a shoe donation. Advance registration is recommended, at www.napominnesota.com. The expo will be held at the Double Tree Park Place, I-394 and Hwy. 100, in St. Louis Park.

Kim Palmer