{"version":"1.0","type":"stack","id":"3b47a15b-cf57-4868-b969-d0443dddb90e","url":"https://stacklist.com/c/finance/stack/3b47a15b-cf57-4868-b969-d0443dddb90e","title":"First-Time Homebuyer Guide (Jacksonville / St. Johns County)","description":"Buying your first home near Ponte Vedra Beach or greater Jacksonville comes with real financial help many buyers don't realize exists. Here's a local, plain language guide to the down payment programs and steps available across St. Johns County and Duval County.","privacy":"public","created_at":"2026-07-31T08:57:18.157Z","updated_at":"2026-07-31T12:06:26.752Z","author":{"username":"karah-kummer","name":"Karah Kummer","url":"https://stacklist.com/karah-kummer","type":"person"},"category":{"id":"finance","name":"finance","url":"https://stacklist.com/c/finance"},"items":[{"id":"ed4c9679-19d4-475f-aca5-c47a1caae96f","position":1,"title":"St. Johns County SHIP Down Payment Assistance","url":"https://www.sjcfl.us/ship-down-payment-assistance/","note":"The SHIP program offers down payment help for first time buyers purchasing a primary residence in St. Johns County, though the purchase price cannot exceed $400,000 and applicants must have lived or worked locally for at least 12 months.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/9f25d2c9-9a0e-42a0-963d-f04aba1fa272/","alt":"St. Johns County SHIP Down Payment Assistance","width":1799,"height":1280},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/ed4c9679-19d4-475f-aca5-c47a1caae96f","created_at":"2026-07-31T08:57:45.347Z","updated_at":null},{"id":"88928b7d-3dc8-48e1-abe6-5e1146dc90b1","position":2,"title":"Florida Hometown Heroes Program","url":"https://djandlindsey.com/florida-hometown-heroes-program-2026/","note":"Teachers, nurses, first responders, and other frontline workers in St. Johns County and greater Jacksonville can receive up to $35,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance through this statewide program, at 0% interest with no monthly payments.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/7f115737-55f6-439b-a10c-9dbea2b4d7ee/","alt":"Florida Hometown Heroes Program","width":724,"height":483},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/88928b7d-3dc8-48e1-abe6-5e1146dc90b1","created_at":"2026-07-31T08:57:47.125Z","updated_at":null},{"id":"f981e7ba-8007-4b96-a000-86bbc26e05ae","position":3,"title":"City of Jacksonville Down Payment Assistance","url":"https://www.jacksonvilledownpaymentassistancehomeownershipprogram.com/","note":"Jacksonville's Head Start to Homeownership program offers up to $25,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance for first time buyers purchasing in Duval County, structured as a 0% interest second mortgage.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/fa990275-92c3-409b-81c9-21d64c57a53b/","alt":"City of Jacksonville Down Payment Assistance","width":1598,"height":899},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/f981e7ba-8007-4b96-a000-86bbc26e05ae","created_at":"2026-07-31T08:57:48.907Z","updated_at":null},{"id":"062cc91f-e485-4aef-b7b4-5d87708034f3","position":4,"title":"Required Homebuyer Education Class","url":"https://www.sjcfl.us/housing-and-financial-counseling-program/","note":"Most St. Johns County and Jacksonville assistance programs require applicants to complete a HUD certified Homebuyer Education class before closing, typically a short online course.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/0baeb9e9-b947-457e-9839-192cedb565e0/","alt":"Required Homebuyer Education Class","width":700,"height":400},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/062cc91f-e485-4aef-b7b4-5d87708034f3","created_at":"2026-07-31T08:57:50.684Z","updated_at":null},{"id":"3b08b9d1-b0d0-4337-8182-ef3370b7c469","position":5,"title":"St. Johns Housing Partnership: Local Support","url":"https://www.sjhp.org/keep/","note":"St. Johns Housing Partnership offers HUD certified counselors who help buyers navigate down payment assistance options like Florida Bond, HOP, and SHIP, especially useful for buyers who've had bumps in their credit history.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/a586f39b-1a6c-40bc-a45b-9fda9bfef856/","alt":"St. Johns Housing Partnership: Local 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Loans Paired With Hometown Heroes","url":"https://mortgage-info.com/blog/florida-hometown-heroes-program-2026-complete-guide","note":"Veterans buying in St. Johns County can combine a zero down VA loan with Hometown Heroes assistance to cover closing costs, sometimes resulting in little to no out of pocket cost at closing.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/1ce521fc-2cad-4b26-b44d-810be4dd9057/","alt":"VA Loans Paired With Hometown Heroes","width":1024,"height":683},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/19f55d82-90c6-4ddf-8fb7-38e164b4d449","created_at":"2026-07-31T08:57:56.138Z","updated_at":null},{"id":"560b26b9-ec46-42d9-8c6c-0c590eba3d08","position":8,"title":"What Counts as a First-Time Buyer in Florida","url":"https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/2-million-dollars-in-down-payment-assistance-available-for-first-time-homebuyers-in-jacksonville/77-9226e9fb-ffab-483f-a13f-f58d092d68dc","note":"Most Jacksonville and St. Johns County assistance programs define a first time buyer as someone who hasn't owned a home in the past three years, not necessarily someone who has never owned one at all.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/0d9da838-0a06-455c-94ac-8ad6e4fdef3c/","alt":"What Counts as a First-Time Buyer in Florida","width":1080,"height":771},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/560b26b9-ec46-42d9-8c6c-0c590eba3d08","created_at":"2026-07-31T08:57:57.963Z","updated_at":null}],"stats":{"likes_count":0,"items_count":8},"_links":{"self":"/api/public/stack/3b47a15b-cf57-4868-b969-d0443dddb90e.json","html":"https://stacklist.com/c/finance/stack/3b47a15b-cf57-4868-b969-d0443dddb90e","rss":"/api/feeds/stack/3b47a15b-cf57-4868-b969-d0443dddb90e/rss","json_feed":"/api/feeds/stack/3b47a15b-cf57-4868-b969-d0443dddb90e/json"}}