{"version":"1.0","type":"stack","id":"75894f1d-8446-4260-9de4-edabb0a88d3d","url":"https://stacklist.com/c/finance/stack/75894f1d-8446-4260-9de4-edabb0a88d3d","title":"First-Time Homebuyer Guide (St. Johns County)","description":"Buying your first home in St. Johns County comes with real financial help many buyers don't realize exists. Here's a local, plain language guide to down payment programs and steps for St. Augustine and the surrounding area.","privacy":"public","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:40:18.648Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T14:18:47.549Z","author":{"username":"therasehuff","name":"Therase Huff","url":"https://stacklist.com/therasehuff","type":"person"},"category":{"id":"finance","name":"finance","url":"https://stacklist.com/c/finance"},"items":[{"id":"89342954-031c-44be-8a94-b4ca035b6586","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.\n","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/3f43a46e-25e9-4dce-b379-4b804cc1e778/","alt":"St. Johns County SHIP Down Payment Assistance","width":600,"height":400},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/89342954-031c-44be-8a94-b4ca035b6586","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:40:54.874Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"St. Johns County's SHIP Down Payment Assistance Program offers up to $100,000 in deferred loan assistance to eligible first-time homebuyers earning up to 120% AMI who live or work in the county. The program provides a 15-year, 0% interest second mortgage that is forgiven on a prorated basis starting in year six, subject to homestead and residency requirements.","tags":["down-payment-assistance","ship","first-time-homebuyer","st-johns-county","housing-program","income-eligibility","deferred-loan"],"key_entities":[{"name":"St. Johns County Housing Department","type":"organization","confidence":0.92},{"name":"State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP)","type":"concept","confidence":0.98},{"name":"St. Johns County","type":"location","confidence":0.99},{"name":"Florida Housing Finance Corporation","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Down Payment Assistance Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.97},{"name":"First-Time Homebuyer","type":"concept","confidence":0.93},{"name":"SJC Tax Collector","type":"organization","confidence":0.85},{"name":"Area Median Income (AMI)","type":"concept","confidence":0.9}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-opus-4-6","tool":"@stacklist/mcp-server@2.0.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:05.640Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":1789,"cl100k":1436},"content_hash":"sha256:959ddfdc6726e5c2ac384163610fcec20909f662faeedb355577f980575fb21d","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":1789,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}},{"id":"37eb78d0-9273-4e6d-87ec-93c9b31b515f","position":2,"title":"Florida Hometown Heroes in St. Johns County","url":"https://www.sjcfl.us/affordable-housing/","note":"Teachers, nurses, and other frontline workers employed in St. Johns County can receive up to $35,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance through this statewide program, plus a lower first mortgage rate.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/b4e45820-9b0a-4aba-81c5-e52d5b5db45c/","alt":"Florida Hometown Heroes in St. Johns County","width":1024,"height":1024},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/37eb78d0-9273-4e6d-87ec-93c9b31b515f","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:40:57.101Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"St. Johns County's Affordable Housing Grant Program and related mortgage resources provide grants, down payment assistance, and homeownership opportunities for low-to-moderate income residents. The Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program offers first-time homebuyers lower interest rates, reduced fees, and up to 5% closing cost assistance for eligible full-time Florida workforce members.","tags":["affordable-housing","homeownership","down-payment-assistance","florida-hometown-heroes","st-johns-county","mortgage-resources","community-development"],"key_entities":[{"name":"St. Johns County","type":"location","confidence":0.99},{"name":"Fannie Mae","type":"organization","confidence":0.97},{"name":"Freddie Mac","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"HUD","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Florida Housing Finance Corporation","type":"organization","confidence":0.97},{"name":"Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.98},{"name":"Homeownership Assistance Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.93},{"name":"St. Johns County Housing and Community Development Division","type":"organization","confidence":0.92},{"name":"Florida","type":"location","confidence":0.97}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-opus-4-6","tool":"@stacklist/mcp-server@2.0.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:06.816Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":3941,"cl100k":3320},"content_hash":"sha256:0b74af4c8300f77f1625329446e3d351d0b09025ad257c82fe359b011885f7ec","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":3941,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}},{"id":"2c4b0183-d7c3-49d1-aa55-13d5c3ddd04a","position":3,"title":"Required Homebuyer Education Class","url":"https://www.sjcfl.us/housing-and-financial-counseling-program/","note":"Most St. Johns County assistance programs require applicants to complete a HUD certified Homebuyer Education class through the county's Housing and Financial Counseling Program before closing.\n","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/1c30a3a9-9b4b-48bc-a8db-354f155b7110/","alt":"Required Homebuyer Education Class","width":1000,"height":600},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/2c4b0183-d7c3-49d1-aa55-13d5c3ddd04a","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:40:59.017Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"St. Johns County Housing and Financial Counseling Program offers HUD-approved homebuyer education, credit counseling, and access to state and federal down payment assistance programs for eligible first-time homebuyers. The program provides a 2026 class schedule (by invitation only) running from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on select dates, along with one-on-one counseling and coordination with lenders, realtors, and closing agents.","tags":["homebuyer-education","housing-counseling","hud-approved","down-payment-assistance","first-time-homebuyer","ship-program","st-johns-county"],"key_entities":[{"name":"St. Johns County Housing and Community Development Division","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"HUD (Housing and Urban Development)","type":"organization","confidence":0.98},{"name":"SHIP Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.9},{"name":"St. Johns County","type":"location","confidence":0.99},{"name":"St. Johns County Health and Human Services","type":"organization","confidence":0.92},{"name":"Homebuyer Education","type":"concept","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Home Buyer Education Class Schedule 2026","type":"event","confidence":0.9}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-opus-4-6","tool":"@stacklist/mcp-server@2.0.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:07.599Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":2614,"cl100k":2103},"content_hash":"sha256:c93b58f965bc6785073c3b88068e633adbb2a96cc3403e8ad2d7785f2e67bf4a","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":2614,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}},{"id":"0c45dfc6-b0a0-4e7e-be8d-d673ae2f7b59","position":4,"title":"One-on-One Credit Counseling Before You Apply","url":"https://www.sjcfl.us/housing-and-financial-counseling-program/","note":"St. Johns County's Housing and Financial Counseling team offers one-on-one credit counseling to help first time buyers rebuild or strengthen their credit history before applying for assistance.\n","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/c6ccf1e6-6eb9-457c-a73b-dd6ba64adba7/","alt":"One-on-One Credit Counseling Before You Apply","width":600,"height":400},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/0c45dfc6-b0a0-4e7e-be8d-d673ae2f7b59","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:41:00.932Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"St. Johns County Housing and Financial Counseling Program offers HUD-approved one-on-one credit counseling, homeownership education, and access to state and federal down payment assistance programs for eligible first-time homebuyers. The program coordinates housing professionals, lenders, and purchase assistance resources to guide residents through the home buying process, with scheduled education classes throughout 2026.","tags":["housing-counseling","homeownership","credit-counseling","hud-approved","down-payment-assistance","affordable-housing","first-time-homebuyers"],"key_entities":[{"name":"St. Johns County Housing and Community Development Division","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"HUD (Housing and Urban Development)","type":"organization","confidence":0.98},{"name":"St. Johns County Health and Human Services","type":"organization","confidence":0.9},{"name":"SHIP Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.88},{"name":"St. Johns County","type":"location","confidence":0.99},{"name":"Housing and Financial Counseling Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Home Buyer Education Class Schedule 2026","type":"event","confidence":0.85}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-opus-4-6","tool":"@stacklist/mcp-server@2.0.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:13.736Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":2614,"cl100k":2103},"content_hash":"sha256:c93b58f965bc6785073c3b88068e633adbb2a96cc3403e8ad2d7785f2e67bf4a","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":2614,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}},{"id":"fa6f376c-4564-4a7f-beb0-6fa247f8b20e","position":5,"title":"What Counts as a First-Time Buyer Here","url":"https://www.sjcfl.us/ship-down-payment-assistance/","note":"In St. Johns County, a first time buyer is generally defined as someone who has not owned a home in the past three years, not necessarily someone who has never owned one at all.\n","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/218d9a58-a421-4b7c-8ceb-fa604cf485b1/","alt":"What Counts as a First-Time Buyer Here","width":1500,"height":750},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/fa6f376c-4564-4a7f-beb0-6fa247f8b20e","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:41:02.760Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"St. Johns County's SHIP Down Payment Assistance Program provides up to $100,000 in financial aid for first-time homebuyers meeting income and residency requirements. The program offers a 15-year deferred second mortgage at 0% interest with forgiveness beginning in year 6.","tags":["down-payment-assistance","first-time-homebuyer","housing-program","florida","ship-program","mortgage","eligibility"],"key_entities":[{"name":"St. Johns County","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP)","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Florida Housing Finance Corporation","type":"organization","confidence":0.9},{"name":"SJC Tax Collector","type":"organization","confidence":0.85},{"name":"Down Payment Assistance","type":"concept","confidence":0.95},{"name":"First-Time Homebuyer","type":"concept","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Area Median Income (AMI)","type":"concept","confidence":0.85},{"name":"St. Johns County, Florida","type":"location","confidence":0.95}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-haiku-4-5","tool":"@stacklist/be@0.1.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:00.183Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":1789,"cl100k":1436},"content_hash":"sha256:959ddfdc6726e5c2ac384163610fcec20909f662faeedb355577f980575fb21d","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":1789,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}},{"id":"51cd0fea-2ed6-478d-8143-2f432321e658","position":6,"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/dd7bfe1f-14f9-409b-805f-7d3c60768296/","alt":"St. Johns Housing Partnership: Local Support","width":493,"height":338},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/51cd0fea-2ed6-478d-8143-2f432321e658","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:41:04.979Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP) is a non-profit, HUD-certified housing counseling agency in Northeast Florida offering free services including foreclosure prevention, first-time homebuyer guidance, credit counseling, and financial literacy programs. Their programs help homeowners navigate mortgage challenges, qualify for down payment assistance, improve credit scores, and develop budgeting skills.","tags":["housing-counseling","foreclosure-prevention","first-time-homebuyer","credit-counseling","financial-literacy","non-profit","hud-certified"],"key_entities":[{"name":"St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP)","type":"organization","confidence":1},{"name":"HUD","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"FDIC","type":"organization","confidence":0.9},{"name":"Northeast Florida","type":"location","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Foreclosure Prevention","type":"concept","confidence":0.95},{"name":"First-Time Homebuyer Services","type":"concept","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Down Payment Assistance","type":"concept","confidence":0.85},{"name":"Money Smart","type":"concept","confidence":0.85},{"name":"Florida Bond","type":"concept","confidence":0.8},{"name":"SHIP","type":"concept","confidence":0.8},{"name":"HOP","type":"concept","confidence":0.75}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-opus-4-6","tool":"@stacklist/mcp-server@2.0.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:22.219Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":838,"cl100k":653},"content_hash":"sha256:bb4f7c9529ec2e9955fb6c74fdc367b632a1a52ac16555297d3cd9e99408cbc7","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":838,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}},{"id":"8381b428-0ff9-4071-9d5f-67cbf6e6e750","position":7,"title":"The Housing Finance Authority of St. Johns County","url":"https://sjcountyhfa.com/","note":"Established in 1980, the St. Johns County Housing Finance Authority issues bonds that fund the First Time Homebuyer and SHIP Down Payment Assistance programs used throughout the county.\n","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/8ed777b3-6c25-4a75-8672-94049df6ced0/","alt":"The Housing Finance Authority of St. Johns County","width":2560,"height":1707},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/8381b428-0ff9-4071-9d5f-67cbf6e6e750","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:41:06.866Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"The Housing Finance Authority of St. Johns County is a quasi-public special district in Florida established in 1980 to alleviate shortages of affordable housing and provide capital for low, moderate, and middle income families. It offers programs including first-time homebuyer assistance, SHIP down payment assistance, multifamily bond programs, and serves communities throughout St. Johns County.","tags":["housing-finance","affordable-housing","st-johns-county","special-district","homebuyer-programs","florida","bond-program"],"key_entities":[{"name":"Housing Finance Authority of St. Johns County","type":"organization","confidence":1},{"name":"St. Johns County","type":"location","confidence":1},{"name":"Florida","type":"location","confidence":0.98},{"name":"affordable housing","type":"concept","confidence":0.97},{"name":"St. Augustine","type":"location","confidence":0.9},{"name":"Ponte Vedra","type":"location","confidence":0.85},{"name":"SHIP Down Payment Assistance Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.9},{"name":"First Time Homebuyer Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.88},{"name":"special district","type":"concept","confidence":0.92}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-opus-4-6","tool":"@stacklist/mcp-server@2.0.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:20.267Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":670,"cl100k":543},"content_hash":"sha256:933ef3be5b16dc3f56088780c495ed0b90d82797e021ac7ee93555bd6902fc93","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":670,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}},{"id":"90bb2c50-99cf-448f-92c5-76a5093071ad","position":8,"title":"Income Limits and Repairs: The Fine Print","url":"https://www.sjcfl.us/ship-down-payment-assistance/","note":"SHIP funds in St. Johns County can also help cover necessary repairs to major systems like roofing, plumbing, and HVAC at the time of purchase, though this doesn't apply to condos, duplexes, or townhomes.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/bac2bc99-4f0e-4e32-a511-90b3035de26d/","alt":"Income Limits and Repairs: The Fine Print","width":1728,"height":1153},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/90bb2c50-99cf-448f-92c5-76a5093071ad","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:41:08.660Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"St. Johns County's SHIP Down Payment Assistance Program offers up to $100,000 in deferred loan assistance to eligible first-time homebuyers earning up to 120% AMI who live or work in the county. The program provides a 15-year, 0% interest second mortgage that is forgiven on a prorated basis starting in year six, subject to homestead and residency requirements.","tags":["down-payment-assistance","ship","first-time-homebuyer","st-johns-county","housing-program","income-eligibility","deferred-loan"],"key_entities":[{"name":"St. Johns County Housing Department","type":"organization","confidence":0.92},{"name":"State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP)","type":"concept","confidence":0.98},{"name":"St. Johns County","type":"location","confidence":0.99},{"name":"Florida Housing Finance Corporation","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Down Payment Assistance Program","type":"concept","confidence":0.97},{"name":"First-Time Homebuyer","type":"concept","confidence":0.93},{"name":"SJC Tax Collector","type":"organization","confidence":0.85},{"name":"Area Median Income (AMI)","type":"concept","confidence":0.9}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-opus-4-6","tool":"@stacklist/mcp-server@2.0.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:05.640Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":1789,"cl100k":1436},"content_hash":"sha256:959ddfdc6726e5c2ac384163610fcec20909f662faeedb355577f980575fb21d","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":1789,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}},{"id":"eb95b4dd-a024-4778-b79e-57c96e42458c","position":9,"title":"Combining State and Local Assistance","url":"https://www.sjcfl.us/departments/housing-community-development/","note":"SHIP funds in St. Johns County can often be paired with other state or federal programs like Hometown Heroes on an as-needed basis, giving buyers more than one source of help.","image":{"url":"https://ucarecdn.com/ef46249d-020c-4fe5-839f-0c109ebf6e41/","alt":"Combining State and Local Assistance","width":1024,"height":683},"direct_link":"https://stacklist.com/card/eb95b4dd-a024-4778-b79e-57c96e42458c","created_at":"2026-07-24T12:41:10.771Z","updated_at":null,"aco":{"summary":"St. Johns County's Housing and Community Development Division oversees affordable housing programs, including SHIP, CDBG, down payment assistance, rehabilitation, and housing finance authority initiatives for low- to moderate-income residents. The division also provides housing and financial counseling, supports the Live Local Act workforce housing strategy, and coordinates with advisory committees and local boards.","tags":["affordable-housing","community-development","ship","down-payment-assistance","cdbg","st-johns-county","housing-finance"],"key_entities":[{"name":"Housing and Community Development Division","type":"organization","confidence":0.95},{"name":"St. Johns County","type":"location","confidence":0.98},{"name":"State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP)","type":"concept","confidence":0.95},{"name":"Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)","type":"concept","confidence":0.93},{"name":"Housing Finance Authority of St. Johns County","type":"organization","confidence":0.92},{"name":"Live Local Act","type":"concept","confidence":0.9},{"name":"Affordable Housing Advisory Committee","type":"organization","confidence":0.88},{"name":"Florida Housing","type":"organization","confidence":0.85},{"name":"Florida","type":"location","confidence":0.9}],"classification":"reference","language":"en","confidence":0.85,"provenance":{"model":"claude-opus-4-6","tool":"@stacklist/mcp-server@2.0.0","confidence":0.85,"timestamp":"2026-07-24T12:41:20.918Z"},"token_counts":{"approximate":1025,"cl100k":733},"content_hash":"sha256:5a72d46d0d9d76ca7929db9f393d7871cd0d6a583220dfd4d3e596eb03da31a0","acp_version":"0.2","body_available":true,"body_tokens":1025,"visibility":"public","agent_accessible":true,"status":"final"}}],"stats":{"likes_count":0,"items_count":9},"_links":{"self":"/api/public/stack/75894f1d-8446-4260-9de4-edabb0a88d3d.json","html":"https://stacklist.com/c/finance/stack/75894f1d-8446-4260-9de4-edabb0a88d3d","rss":"/api/feeds/stack/75894f1d-8446-4260-9de4-edabb0a88d3d/rss","json_feed":"/api/feeds/stack/75894f1d-8446-4260-9de4-edabb0a88d3d/json"}}