All-day expo for home, apartment hunting

Now that spring is here, house and apartment hunting -- rites of passage of the season -- are here also.

To accommodate the hunters, the business group Action Long Island will hold a daylong session Saturday at the Marriott in Islandia, the organization's second annual Long Island Housing & Rental Expo.

Last year about 250 people showed up, according to Jean-Marie Smith, ALI's task force coordinator. This year, she said, about 600 people are expected.

Home prices remain low, and then there are those seeking apartments, Smith said.

On hand at the free event will be landlords, Realtors, bankers, lawyers, home inspectors, contractors, moving companies, and nonprofit housing organizations.

The day will also include workshops on finding housing in your community, the rental market, and the nuts and bolts of buying a house.

"We're going to have about 45 vendors available," Smith said. Representatives of Fairfield Garden Apartments and Avalon Bay, a housing company, will also be available.