Fort Myers Opens Applications for Two Affordable Homes on Delaware Avenue, With an Open House Friday

The City of Fort Myers is accepting applications for two affordable-homeownership opportunities at 1786 and 1780 Delaware Avenue, the city announced Friday — two new on-ramps to ownership in a market where affordable has become hard to find. An open house runs Friday, November 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., where prospective buyers can walk the homes and ask questions directly.

The homes are offered through the city's Affordable Home Construction Program, which builds single-family homes of 1,200 to 1,600 square feet on infill lots and sells them at the city's cost with no mark-up, at a targeted range of $200,000 to $230,000 depending on square footage and actual costs, according to the program guidelines. The program's stated goal is 50 homes over the next five years.

Qualified buyers must meet income guidelines of up to 120 percent of the area median income for the Fort Myers-Cape Coral region, complete a pre-approval process and qualify for a mortgage, according to the city. Applicants must not currently own a home, the home must be their primary residence, and applicants who live inside the city limits at the time they apply are given priority. The city has not published sale prices or an application deadline for the two Delaware Avenue homes; the program contact listed by the city is Sharon Klemm at 239-321-7968.