City of Fort Myers hosts summit to help first-time home buyers

A part of the American dream is buying a home, but that dream is staying a dream for many young adults.

High insurance rates, HOA fees and inflation. More people are leaning towards renting.

Joahu Mckie, one of the directors of the Housing Authority in the city of Fort Myers, along with several others, held its first homebuyers summit to help young first-time homebuyers.

After the meeting, many were more confident and had higher hopes for pursuing the American dream.

“The idea is to bring realtors to bring mortgage officers and loan officers to kind of break that process down so people can see themselves in a home because it is attainable,” Mckie said. It is a lot of work, and it does take time, but it is something that’s possible,”

Among the several attendants at the summit was Jeanie Avril, who is originally from Haiti and is a pursuer of the American dream.

“My dream home is so nice. Cozy home, single family, nothing big, so I can go ahead and have my family on it forever,” Avril said. “Where I came from, not everybody got the chance to purchase a home. So I’m like, what about I come here and learn the property steps to own a property.”

Some of the topics discussed at the summit were home investment, property insurance and building credit to qualify for your dream home.

“Learn everything, all the steps from A to Z. How to purchase a property and keep your budget straight and see what you can get,” said Avril. “If you don’t try, you won’t be able to know.”

To pursue the dream requires having the right support. 

“Find that right team that’s going to be working right next to you to take you towards that homeowner path and get you into your dream. The, goal the American dream, becoming a homeowner,” said Ruth Cid Simon, CEO of Founder/Premier Lifestyle Group Realty. 

Avril said she hopes to have her dream home purchased next year.