First-Time Home Buyer Programs in Florida

Two-story house with the garage lights on at dusk

 Florida Housing is the state desk

Florida Housing Finance Corporation is the agency. You confirm what is taking applications at floridahousing.org. That page beats a screenshot someone texted you.

When a program is open, it can help with down payment and closing costs for buyers who qualify. The rules, the forms, and the reservation steps live on that site. We read them with you. We do not memorize last year's flyer.

 We do not quote caps on this page

Income limits and purchase-price caps move. A wrong number on a web page is how a family plans a payment they cannot have. This page will not print either cap.

If you need the number, we open the live Florida Housing notice for the program you are actually using. Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Nassau do not get to invent a friendlier version. The agency's number is the number.

 Hometown Heroes

Hometown Heroes has been one of the Florida Housing programs. Teachers, nurses, law enforcement, and other workers ask about it by name. History is not the same thing as a reservation in your file.

Confirm it is open before anyone counts on it. Call (904) 309-0609 and we will look at the current notice with you. If the round is closed, we stop talking about it and look at the loan and the cash you already have.

 Homes for Heroes is not Florida Housing

Homes for Heroes is a national program. It is not a Florida Housing product, and it is not a VA loan. People mix the three up because the names sound like a benefit.

Do not assume this office is enrolled. Call (904) 309-0609 and ask if that file can be run through it. We will not promise a rebate percent. If the answer is no, you still have a normal purchase.

 The loan underneath the help

State assistance, when a round is open, sits on top of a loan. It does not replace the lender. A first-time buyer in Jacksonville still picks VA, FHA, or conventional, or pays cash.

VA is for eligible service members, veterans, and some surviving spouses. Full entitlement has no VA-set county cap. Partial entitlement math uses the 2026 FHFA one-unit conforming limit, which is $832,750 in Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Nassau. We do not quote an FHA limit. The lender does. The buyer generally certifies an intent to occupy within 60 days. We do not invent a 12-month waiver.

 The Duval search we save

For a first-time buyer who wants Duval, the working board is County = Duval, Status = active, Sort = newest. That is houses you can tour, not a grant list.

Clay is a different county. Orange Park, ZIP 32073, sits on Blanding Boulevard and Doctors Lake, and it is a straight shot toward NAS Jacksonville for a lot of families. Mayport is the other direction. Arlington and the beaches fit that gate better than Mandarin does. The Mayport drive from Mandarin is long. Say which gate, or which job, before we mix the counties.

 What to line up before you tour

Get a real pre-approval, not a text that says you are probably fine. The timing is its own page: how long pre-approval takes. Bring orders or discharge papers if VA is on the table. Bring the work history the lender asked for if the loan is FHA or conventional.

Then call (904) 309-0609. A person answers. We will set the search, check whether any Florida Housing round is actually open, and tell you if the house you like does not fit the help. More buyer questions are on the home buyer FAQ.

 Keep going

• Home buyer FAQ
• How long pre-approval takes

Call (904) 309-0609.