Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday announced his approval of the Hometown Heroes housing program, allowing individuals that serve as police officers, firefighters, military officers, and a plethora of other professions to secure buyer-friendly loans to buy property within the state.
The Florida Hometown Hero Program was proposed during the 2022 Legislative Session and would reduce the initial cost of getting into a home by providing zero-interest loans for those individuals that qualify through their profession. The loans would provide up to 5 percent of the purchase price and include Floridians that belong to the ‘Hometown Heroes’ series of occupations and has an income of no greater than 150 percent of the state or local median income.To qualify for this program, homebuyers must connect with a participating loan officer, have a minimum credit score of 640, provide certification for one of the eligible occupations, and meet the income threshold for their county. Eligible borrowers will receive up to 5% of the first mortgage loan amount (up to a maximum of $25,000) in down payment and closing cost assistance in the form of a 0%, non-amortizing, 30-year deferred second mortgage.
“If you want to recruit a police officer to work for say, Cape Coral Police Department, it really matters if they can afford to have a home and live in the community and shop in the same stores than if you have to commute from far away,” said DeSantis. “So we want to make sure that those front-line workers are able to afford things like buying their first homes.”
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