Florida Hometown Heroes: Up to $35K for Jacksonville Buyers
So, what if I told you there’s a Florida program where you could get up to $35,000 towards your first home? Most buyers aren’t even aware of it, but it could save you thousands of dollars. The program is called the Florida Hometown Heroes program. Here are a couple of the requirements:
You must work full-time in the state of Florida and your occupation has to be on the Hometown Heroes approved list. Towards the end, I’m going to go over a few of those just to give you ideas because there are some that you may not think would be on the list.
For First Time Home Buyers
It’s for first-time home buyers. Now, if you feel like that leaves you out, because you’ve owned a home before, if it’s been three years or more that you’ve owned a home before, you could still qualify. A First-time home buyer is anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the past three years.
Loans That Can Be Used
The loans that you can use for this program are conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA loans. Now, let’s talk about USDA loans. Is there anyone besides me when you hear that you think of beef? I always think of beef, but it is actually for rural areas. So, Jacksonville itself would not qualify, but like the outskirts of Jacksonville, let’s say Baker County, Callahan, some of Clay County, some of St. John’s County that are more in the rural area and Keystone Heights. They have a map where you can put the address in to check to see if the home is in the USDA zone.
There is home buyer education required that you’ll have to do for this program.
Do I Pay It Back?
This is not a grant. If you hear the word grant, that means you’re not going to have to pay the funds back, but for this particular program, this is NOT a grant. It is going to be a second mortgage, but it does not have interest or monthly payments. If you sell your home, if you pay it off, if you refinance it, then what you had used, the amount that you used for your your down payment and closing cost will have to be paid back to the program. So, if you hear anything that talks about grants, that’s different than this program. This is not a grant and you will have to pay it back eventually.
What Occupations Qualify for Hometown Hero Program?
Let’s talk about some of the occupations that’s on the list. You know, there’s the obvious, the police, the firefighters. There’s also child care workers. That’s not one of the obvious. Court employees, like a court stenographer, and let’s talk about you. I have a question for you court stenographers. How do you do it? I can be looking at somebody right in the face and I look like I am intently paying attention to them. I can hear them talking to me and I have no clue what they’re saying, but you guys, you’re back there typing away what everyone’s saying. The judge, the defendants, the attorneys, all the strike this, sustain, all of that stuff. And there you are just typing away like a boss. I just I don’t understand. Which makes you a hero. It really does.
Let’s talk medical. You have your obvious like nurses and doctors, but then there’s a music technician. What is a music technician in the medical field? I know for me, I had an MRI done and I had to lay over that contraption. It was very painful. They need to do better with the cushion. It’s not cushioning enough. There was a nurse there that asked me, “What music do you like?” And of course, I said, “Stevie Nicks, because I’ve loved her since I was 10.” She gave me headphones and handled the music request. The MRI was like 20 minutes long that I had to be in that machine. Well, the music drowned out most of the noise, not all of it, but it helped me count down the minutes faster. I knew if two or three songs were over, I had a certain amount of time left. And thank goodness for that. That makes a music technician a hero as well.
Ready to See If You Qualify?
Every buyer’s situation is different, and the list of eligible occupations might surprise you. If you think you might qualify—or just want to explore your options—reach out today.
📲 Call or text me at 904-910-3516
📧 Email: pam@pamgraham.com
I’ll walk you through the process and connect you with lenders who know the Hometown Heroes Program inside and out.
And if you’re curious about other down payment myths, check out my latest video:
