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Down payment help in Florida
Down payment assistance, sometimes called DPA, can help with the cash you need to close on a home in Florida. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help Florida buyers with the Florida Hometown Heroes program, subject to eligibility, underwriting, current Florida Housing rules, and available funds. We can also compare other lender down payment assistance, available in all of the states where we are licensed. That other help generally comes in three types: forgiven at closing, like a grant; forgiven after a set period; or repayable. We will put those options side by side with a standard loan that has no assistance. This page explains how that help works, what Florida Housing currently publishes for Hometown Heroes, what to weigh, and how we compare your options, subject to approval and eligibility.
Illustrative only. Hometown Heroes amounts follow current Florida Housing rules. Other lender program amounts and terms are not listed here. All loans subject to approval.
Neither the Loan Originator nor Loan Factory, Inc. is a government agency or is affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Government, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
If you are looking for Florida down payment assistance, down payment assistance in Florida, or first-time home buyer assistance in Florida, the starting point is the same: understand the form of help, the rules, and the trade-offs, then compare it with a loan that has no assistance.
Down payment assistance can go toward your down payment, closing costs, or both, subject to the program's rules. For Hometown Heroes, Florida Housing currently publishes assistance of up to 5% of the first mortgage, with a maximum of $35,000 and a minimum of $10,000. Confirm current terms.
Assistance can be forgiven at closing, like a grant; forgiven after a set period if you meet the conditions; or repayable. Hometown Heroes is a repayable second mortgage, not a grant. We will explain the form that applies to you, in plain language.
DPA is typically paired with a first mortgage. Depending on the program and your eligibility, that can be an FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional loan. See our loan programs page.
Hometown Heroes is written as a first-time-buyer program, with a three-year lookback. Veterans with a qualifying discharge are exempt. Buying in a federally designated targeted area can also remove that rule. Other assistance we compare may have its own first-time rules.
Assistance can reduce the cash you need at closing, but it can come with a higher rate or higher costs than a loan with no assistance. A Hometown Heroes second mortgage is due if you sell or refinance, and it is not forgiven. Funds can also run out. We will put those trade-offs next to a standard loan.
Jerry Kindig is a mortgage loan originator licensed in Florida (NMLS #2397823), working through Loan Factory (NMLS #320841). Florida is one of the states where we are licensed. See our Florida page and where we are licensed.
This is the down payment help we can actually compare for your file. It is available in every state where we are licensed.
Pick My Mortgage Rate, Jerry Kindig's team through Loan Factory, has access to other lender down payment assistance programs. Those programs may be a better fit for your situation, and they are available in all of the states where we are licensed, including Florida. See where we are licensed.
We do not list those lender programs by name on this page, and we do not publish amounts or terms for them, because the right option depends on your file and on current lender guidelines. In general, the help comes in three types: assistance that is forgiven at closing, like a grant; assistance that is forgiven after a set period if you meet the conditions; and assistance you repay. When you talk with us, we will compare the type that may fit your file, side by side with a standard loan that has no assistance, subject to approval and eligibility.
This is the comparison we can run for your file, for Hometown Heroes and for other lender assistance. We do not name those other lender programs, or their amounts or terms, on this page. The right option depends on your situation and on current guidelines. Subject to approval and eligibility.
| Assistance we can compare | A loan with no assistance | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Florida Hometown Heroes, when you qualify, and other lender assistance we have access to. Other lender help may be forgiven at closing, forgiven after a set period, or repayable. Names, amounts, and terms for those other programs are reviewed with you, not listed here. | You fund the down payment and closing costs from your own funds, a gift, or seller credits, as the loan type allows. |
| Where it is available | Hometown Heroes is for Florida home purchases. Other lender assistance is available in all of the states where we are licensed, including Florida. | In the states where we are licensed, subject to eligibility. |
| How we help | We compare the options that may fit your file, in plain language, subject to approval. | We include this path in the same side-by-side comparison. |
| Best Price Guarantee | Does not apply to down payment assistance loans. | The guarantee is not featured on this page. See our Best Price Guarantee page for where it does and does not apply. |
The label is "assistance," but the legal form of that help can be a grant or a second loan. Knowing the difference is the useful part.
Down payment assistance is help with the money you need to buy a home. People searching for Florida down payment assistance, first-time home buyer assistance in Florida, or DPA loans in Florida are usually looking for the same thing: a way to close with less cash out of pocket, without guessing at the rules.
The help is typically paired with a first mortgage. The first mortgage can be an FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional loan, when the program allows that loan type and you qualify. Assistance is then applied at closing, often toward the down payment, closing costs, or both.
The form of the help matters as much as the amount. Across the options we can compare, including other lender programs available in every state where we are licensed, the help generally comes in three types:
Some assistance is forgiven when you close, like a grant. You typically do not repay it if you follow the program's rules, such as occupying the home as your primary residence for a stated period. If you break those rules, you may have to repay some or all of it.
Some assistance is a second loan that is forgiven after a set period if you meet the conditions, often by staying in the home. If you sell or refinance before that period ends, some or all of the balance may be due.
Some assistance is a second loan you repay. Payments may be deferred, with no monthly bill on that second loan. The balance is often due when you sell, refinance, stop occupying the home as your primary residence, or reach the end of the term. Hometown Heroes uses this repayable form. It is not a grant, and it is not forgiven after a period of time.
We do not treat any one of these as better in the abstract. The right structure depends on how long you expect to stay, whether you may refinance, and what you qualify for. When you talk with us, we will explain the structure that applies to your file, in plain language, subject to approval and eligibility.
Jerry Kindig's team can help you with Florida Hometown Heroes, subject to eligibility, current rules, and available funds.
Florida Hometown Heroes is a program of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, often called Florida Housing. It provides down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible, income-qualified buyers purchasing a primary residence in Florida, in the community where they work and serve.
Pick My Mortgage Rate can help Florida buyers with Hometown Heroes, subject to eligibility, underwriting, current Florida Housing rules, and available funds. You apply through a participating lender, not by paying an application fee to a third party. Florida Housing currently says there is no cost to apply, and warns that scammers sometimes charge an upfront fee. We will review whether Hometown Heroes, other lender assistance, or a standard loan with no assistance is the better fit for your file.
The help is a deferred second mortgage, not a grant. The amount, the due-and-payable events, and current funding all matter.
Florida Housing currently publishes Hometown Heroes assistance of up to 5% of the total first mortgage loan amount, with a maximum of $35,000 and a minimum of $10,000, toward the down payment and closing costs. Confirm current amounts, because offerings can change.
That assistance is a 30-year deferred second mortgage. There are no monthly payments on that second loan. It is not a grant, and Florida Housing says it is not forgivable. The second mortgage becomes due and payable in full if you sell the home, refinance the first mortgage, transfer the deed, pay off the first mortgage, or no longer occupy the property as your primary residence. If none of those events happen, the balance is due in full at the end of the 30-year term. Florida Housing's current lender FAQ also says the second mortgage cannot be subordinated if you refinance.
The assistance is paired with a first mortgage, which may be an FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional loan, when you qualify. Funds are limited and are reserved first come, first served. The 2026 program opened for new reservations on July 13, 2026, after the Florida Legislature appropriated funds for the year. Past rounds have been fully committed before the fiscal year ended. We will confirm current availability when you talk with us, and we will not claim that help is always available.
Requirements vary by county, by occupation or service, and by the first-mortgage option. The list below is a guide to what we will ask about, not a checklist that guarantees approval.
Every program writes its own rules. For Hometown Heroes, these are the factors Florida Housing currently publishes. None of them is a promise of approval. Confirm current rules, because eligibility and limits change.
The 2026 program is limited to people employed full time by a Florida-based employer as a health care worker, school staff member, first responder, public safety or court employee, or child care worker; a servicemember of the United States military or military reserves, the United States Coast Guard or its reserves, or the Florida National Guard; or a veteran employed full time by a Florida-based employer. Florida Housing publishes a list of example eligible occupations. Only one occupying borrower must meet the occupation or service rule. Florida Housing currently says the employer should have a physical location in Florida that you report to or work from, that remote workers are not eligible, and that hybrid workers may qualify if they meet Florida Housing's on-site schedule. Veterans with a qualifying discharge must still work full time for a Florida-based employer, but they do not have to work in one of the occupational categories.
Occupying borrowers generally must not have had an ownership interest in their primary residence within the last three years. Veterans with a qualifying discharge, documented with a valid DD214, are exempt. Buying in a federally designated targeted area can also remove that rule. Active-duty servicemembers may have an exemption depending on the first-mortgage option. Members of the Reserves or National Guard should not assume they have the same first-time exemption. We will review the current rule with your file.
Income limits vary by county and by the first-mortgage option Florida Housing uses for your loan. Some options count borrower income used to qualify the loan; others count household income, including adult occupants. Florida Housing's 2026 Hometown Heroes limits, effective with reservations as of May 6, 2026, include these examples for one of those options: Miami-Dade $204,300; Palm Beach $192,750; Broward $190,200; Orange $172,350; Hillsborough $172,050; Duval $163,050. Many other counties use a lower figure. Confirm current limits for your county and loan type.
Florida Housing's program administrator currently publishes a minimum credit score of 640 for Hometown Heroes first mortgages. Meeting a minimum does not mean you are approved. Some underwriting paths may have a higher minimum. Your full file is underwritten, and the first mortgage has its own rules. Confirm current requirements.
At least one occupying borrower typically must complete an approved homebuyer education course. Some veteran borrowers on government loans may have an exemption when they provide a valid DD214. A course certificate is not a loan approval and is not a reservation of funds. The home must be your primary residence in Florida. Loan-amount limits apply and vary by county. Some property types, including certain manufactured homes, may be eligible. Confirm current property rules.
Help with cash to close is useful. It is worth knowing what you give up, or take on, in return.
Assistance can make a purchase possible sooner, by reducing the cash you have to bring to closing. It is still a trade. We will put those trade-offs next to a standard loan that has no assistance, so you can see them clearly.
The first mortgage that comes with assistance can have a higher interest rate, or higher costs, than a loan with no assistance. We do not list rates or payment examples on this page. The comparison for your file is the place to see the difference.
The Hometown Heroes second mortgage is repayable, not a grant, and not forgiven after a period of time. It is typically due in full if you sell, refinance, transfer the deed, pay off the first mortgage, or move out. Florida Housing currently says it cannot be subordinated to a refinance. Other lender assistance we compare may be forgiven at closing or after a set period, depending on the program.
Education, income limits, occupation or service rules, and occupancy rules can add time and conditions. Hometown Heroes funds are limited and first come, first served. Past rounds have run out. We will confirm what we can offer at the time you talk with us, and we will not claim that help is always available.
The $2,000 Best Price Guarantee does not apply to down payment assistance loans.
For a broader look at how this kind of help compares with saving for a larger down payment, see Down Payment Assistance vs. Saving 20% and our national down payment assistance overview.
Here is the path we use. We will compare Hometown Heroes, and other lender down payment assistance available in all of the states where we are licensed, with a standard loan that has no assistance.
Share the Florida county, the price range, your income and household, your credit picture, and your work or military service. That gives us enough to start a comparison.
We will compare Hometown Heroes if it may fit, other lender assistance in the three types described on this page, and a standard loan that has no assistance. Other lender names, amounts, and terms are not listed here. Subject to approval, eligibility, and available funds.
You will see the differences in plain language, including the form of the help and the trade-offs. You decide whether Hometown Heroes, other lender assistance, or a standard loan is the better fit, subject to approval.
If you move forward, we originate the option you chose, subject to underwriting, approval, eligibility, and, for Hometown Heroes, current Florida Housing rules and available funds. A reservation of Hometown Heroes funds is typically made once there is a purchase contract. A prequalification letter is not a loan approval.
Illustrative path. Timelines and requirements vary. All loans subject to approval and eligibility.
Have these ready when you talk with us. A prequalification letter is not a loan approval.
The Florida county and a price range. Florida is one of the states where we are licensed. Other lender assistance can also be compared in every state where we are licensed.
Your employer, whether the work is full time and based in Florida, and, if Hometown Heroes may apply, your occupation or military or veteran status.
Who will live in the home and sign the note, and current income, including other adult occupants if a household-income limit may apply.
Whether you have owned a primary residence in the last three years, and a sense of your credit score. Florida Housing's program administrator currently publishes a 640 minimum for Hometown Heroes first mortgages.
Bring the questions that matter to your file. We will compare Hometown Heroes, other lender assistance, and a standard loan, in plain language.
The $2,000 Best Price Guarantee does not apply to down payment assistance. Read the full terms.
Down payment assistance, often shortened to DPA, is help with the money you need to close on a home in Florida. That help can come as assistance forgiven at closing, like a grant; assistance forgiven after a set period; or assistance you repay, depending on the program. It can go toward your down payment, closing costs, or both, subject to the program's rules. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help Florida buyers with the Florida Hometown Heroes program, and can also compare other lender down payment assistance, available in all of the states where we are licensed, side by side with a standard loan that has no assistance. Subject to approval and eligibility.
Florida Hometown Heroes is a Florida Housing Finance Corporation program that provides down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible, income-qualified buyers purchasing a primary residence in Florida. Pick My Mortgage Rate can help Florida buyers with Hometown Heroes, subject to eligibility, underwriting, current Florida Housing rules, and available funds. You apply through a participating lender. Florida Housing currently says there is no cost to apply. We will also compare other lender assistance and a standard loan with no assistance.
Florida Housing currently publishes assistance of up to 5% of the first mortgage, with a maximum of $35,000 and a minimum of $10,000, toward the down payment and closing costs. Confirm current terms. The help is a 30-year deferred second mortgage with no monthly payments. It is not a grant, and it is not forgiven. It becomes due in full if you sell, refinance, transfer the deed, pay off the first mortgage, or no longer occupy the home as your primary residence. Otherwise it is due at the end of the 30-year term. Florida Housing currently says the second mortgage cannot be subordinated if you refinance. We will walk through those documents with you before you close.
The 2026 program is limited to people employed full time by a Florida-based employer as a health care worker, school staff member, first responder, public safety or court employee, or child care worker; a servicemember of the United States military or military reserves, the United States Coast Guard or its reserves, or the Florida National Guard; or a veteran employed full time by a Florida-based employer. Florida Housing publishes example eligible occupations. Only one occupying borrower must meet that rule. The employer typically must have a physical location in Florida. Florida Housing currently says remote workers are not eligible. You must also meet income, credit, first-time, education, and occupancy rules, unless an exemption applies. Meeting a category is not an approval. Confirm current eligibility.
For Hometown Heroes, occupying borrowers generally must not have had an ownership interest in their primary residence within the last three years. Veterans with a qualifying discharge are exempt. Buying in a federally designated targeted area can also remove that rule. Active-duty servicemembers may have an exemption depending on the first-mortgage option. Other lender programs we compare may have their own first-time rules, or none. We will review those rules for your file.
Income limits vary by county and by the first-mortgage option. Florida Housing's 2026 limits, effective with reservations as of May 6, 2026, include examples such as Miami-Dade $204,300, Palm Beach $192,750, Broward $190,200, Orange $172,350, Hillsborough $172,050, and Duval $163,050, for one of those options. Confirm current limits for your county. Florida Housing's program administrator currently publishes a minimum credit score of 640 for Hometown Heroes first mortgages. Meeting a minimum or an income cap does not mean you are approved. Your full file is underwritten. All loans are subject to approval and eligibility.
Yes, when the program allows that loan type and you qualify. Hometown Heroes is paired with a first mortgage, which may be FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional. Other lender assistance we compare may also pair with those loan types, depending on the program. See our FHA, VA, USDA, and loan programs pages for how those first mortgages work. The combination is reviewed on your file. Subject to eligibility.
In addition to Hometown Heroes in Florida, we can compare other lender down payment assistance programs, available in all of the states where we are licensed, including Florida, side by side with a standard loan that has no assistance. That other help generally comes in three types: forgiven at closing, like a grant; forgiven after a set period if you meet the conditions; and repayable. We do not name those other lender programs, or their amounts or terms, on this page, because the right option depends on your file and on current lender guidelines. Subject to approval and eligibility.
Funds are limited and first come, first served. The 2026 program opened for new reservations on July 13, 2026, after a legislative appropriation. Past rounds have been fully committed before the fiscal year ended. We will confirm current availability when you talk with us, and we will not claim that help is always available. Florida Housing currently says there is no cost to apply for Hometown Heroes down payment assistance, and warns buyers about scams that charge an upfront fee. Report that kind of request to Florida Housing's Inspector General's Office.
Assistance can reduce the cash you need to close, but it can come with a higher interest rate or higher costs on the first mortgage than a loan with no assistance. We do not list rates or payment examples on this page. Hometown Heroes is a repayable second mortgage, due if you sell or refinance, and it is not forgiven. Some other assistance we compare may be forgiven at closing or after a set period. Education, income, and occupation rules can add conditions. Funds can run out. The $2,000 Best Price Guarantee does not apply to down payment assistance. This page does not include the guarantee ticket. You can read the full terms on our Best Price Guarantee page.
Written by Jerry L Kindig III, NMLS #2397823, a mortgage loan originator licensed in Florida (Florida Mortgage Loan Originator License LO127224). Loan Factory, NMLS #320841, holds Florida Mortgage Lender License MLD2334 and is licensed by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. Equal Housing Opportunity. Program rules, income limits, assistance amounts, and loan limits change. Confirm current terms with Florida Housing and a licensed loan officer before you make a decision. All loans and assistance are subject to approval and eligibility. Nothing on this page is a promise of approval, a loan offer, or a commitment to lend.
Tell us about the Florida county, your work, your income, and your plans. We will compare Hometown Heroes, other lender assistance, and a standard loan. A licensed loan officer will follow up. Prefer to talk now?