Smart Money Moves for Home Buyers

Once you close on your Jacksonville home, this is the first money move: up to $50,000 off your assessed value plus the Save Our Homes cap limiting future increases to 3% a year. File with the Duval County Property Appraiser by March 1.

Duval County's online portal lets new homeowners file for homestead exemption without a trip downtown. Allow about 60 days after closing for the deed to process, then apply, ten minutes that saves you money every single year.

Search any Jacksonville property's assessed value, exemptions, and sales history before you make an offer. Smart buyers check the tax picture on a home in Riverside, Mandarin, or the Beaches before falling in love with it.

Free and low-cost homebuyer counseling from HUD-approved agencies across Northeast Florida, including the pre-purchase education course that programs like Hometown Heroes require. A smart first stop before your first mortgage application.

The best time to understand your safety net is before you need it. This CFPB guide explains every option available to Florida homeowners who hit a rough patch, from refinancing to repayment plans, knowledge worth having on day one of ownership.

Jacksonville homeowners 65 and older with limited income can stack additional exemptions on top of the standard homestead, and they now auto-renew each year. A meaningful saving for retirees buying in Northeast Florida.

Free monitoring from the Duval Clerk that alerts you whenever a document is recorded under your name or your business's name. Title fraud is real, and this is the easiest protection a new Jacksonville homeowner can set up.

Florida's flagship down payment program offers first-time, income-qualified buyers up to $35,000 toward down payment and closing costs as a 0% deferred second mortgage. The 2026 round launched in July and funds go fast, so Jacksonville buyers should get pre-approved early.