'Can we afford to buy a home?'

Paul Alexis isn’t picky.

Alexis has been renting a place in Naples for “too long,” he said, and now he just wants to own a place to live with his girlfriend and their two children.

The 27-year-old found a good deal for a house in Golden Gate for $239,000 at the Collier County Housing Fair on Saturday.

He was hoping to find a good deal on a house in Naples to cut his commute time, but he said real estate in the city is too expensive for his budget. Alexis said he would also look in Lehigh Acres, about 50 miles from Naples, where he heard housing is less expensive.

The annual fair, which is free and hosted by the Collier County Housing Development Corp., attracted 200 to 300 people, similar to last year’s turnout, said Kathy Patterson, corporation executive director.

The fair was started eight years ago by Collier County government and the housing corporation because there was “a need to educate the public about home ownership,” said Susan Golden, a former executive director of the corporation.

Most of the people who attended the fair at the Golden Gate Community Center were first-time home buyers, vendors said.

Photo by DAVID AHNTHOLZ, Daily News

Raymond Cabral, left, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker, talks with Avril Lloyd of Naples during a housing fair sponsored by the Collier County Housing Development Corporation at the Golden Gate Community Center on Saturday. The housing fair, in its eighth year, brought residents together with lenders, builders and real estate agents.

This year, 29 title insurance companies, real estate agencies and banks were on hand to inform attendees on the home-buying process, cost assistance programs and most importantly, assessments on whether they can purchase a house in the area.

“A lot of people don’t know about the process and they are scared about the process,” said Mimi Spengler, a sales representative at First American Title Insurance Co.

But some people realized they may not be able to buy a home in Naples because of the high housing prices.

One couple who stopped by the county’s operations, support and housing department’s table said “they were glad to move here, but now they aren’t because they can’t afford to buy here,” said Susan Alden, a grant analyst for the department.

The fair originally targeted potential homeowners with annual incomes of $35,000 or lower. But with the high cost of housing in the area, the fair now targets people with annual incomes of $50,000 to $60,000, Golden said.

While there are some condos in the $200,000 price range, “it is very difficult to find a home for $250,000,” said Mileivis “Alvarez” Cancio, a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker.

Photo by DAVID AHNTHOLZ, Daily News

Eighth Annual Housing Fair sponsored by the Collier County Housing Development Corporation at the Golden Gate Community Center on Saturday, June 10.

The median price for a single-family home in Naples is $503,500, according to sales data collected by Florida Association of Realtors.

Doris Dunne was at the fair to see if it is better to buy a mobile home with or without the land. The East Naples resident is moving because the rent and maintenance costs for her condo are too expensive.

“I’m trying to find if I can live here without spending so much,” the retiree said.

She said she is looking for a place that costs less than $1,000 a month.

But some fair attendees said it may be worth it to spend the extra money to buy a house in Naples rather than move to outside cities, especially with high gas prices.

“You factor in the commuting costs, you might as well spend a little extra and get a house closer to the Gulf,” Bob Kaufman said. The 62-year-old is selling one of his condos and was at the fair to get sales information.