LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Vickingson Dalien’s smiling from ear to ear in a photo beside his mom and sister. That’s because he recently purchased a duplex in Fort Myers Shores. It took him a year and several homes falling through to get here.
“It was a hectic experience, but it was all worth it,” said Dalien.
Just like the Golden Girls on the T-shirt he wore Thursday, he’s glad he found his forever home. He called it a stressful experience with not much to choose from.
“There’s so many people fighting for that same house. You might be looking at a home, but there might be five, six other families looking at that same exact home that you’re looking at as well,” he said.
Dalien isn’t the only young person looking to buy a home in Southwest Florida. According to the finance tech company SmartAsset, Cape Coral ranks #2 in the U.S. for more people under 35 years old buying a home within the last decade.
Dalien shared some advice for fellow buyers.
“If you’re in love with it, put an offer in as soon as possible,” he said.
But, his realtor Kayinah Destine with Twin Metro Realty says she doesn’t want her clients to feel rushed.
“I like my clients to think on it, sleep on it, but within 24 hours, that house is gone,” she said.
So, she says some people in the market for a home are resorting to building their own. The pandemic has slowed that process down, too.
“One builder that I was speaking to, he said for the truss on the home, he said that took about two months to three months to get it,” she said.
Destine added ordering trusses usually only takes about 10 days. So, if you’re shopping for a home, budget for a lot of patience, too.
