Hometown Heroes Mortgage Program

Hometown Heroes Mortgage Program

The hometown heroes mortgage program is Florida’s way of giving back to those who risk the most and work the hardest to take care of the people of Florida. This is a first time home buyer’s program! That does not mean you can’t have ever owned a home. It means you can’t have occupied and owned that home in the last three years. The qualifying occupation list is long!  It includes Florida police officers, Sherriff’s deputies, corrections officers, teachers, fire fighters, nurses, doctors, massage therapists, medical professional, Veterans, and more.  Summed up the hometown heroes mortgage program is designed to help reduce interest rate, closing costs, and out of pocket expenses when purchasing a home.

For a current complete list of the occupations that are eligible for the program scroll down. The list of qualifying occupations is more extensive!

So What’s the Benefit to the Hometown Heroes Program?

In short the hometown heroes first time home buyer program saves you money!  5% of the mortgage amount up to $25,0000 is able to be applied towards your closing costs and down payment. So on a $300,000 loan amount that’s $15,000 available at closing. This is done through a 0% second non-amortizing mortgage, otherwise known as a silent second. However, the second mortgage is not forgivable, Its due once the home is sold, refinanced or if the home owner no longer occupies the property as a primary residence. The hometown heroes mortgage program can be utilized with not only Conventional financing via Fannie or Freddie, but also FHA, the VA lending program and $0 Down USDA financing. The hometown heroes mortgage program can be used to buy a manufactured home well!

Benefits in a Nutshell 

• Seller concessions for closing costs and pre-paids aren’t needed.
• The rate is lower than current market rates.
• Discount points to lower the rate are not allowed.
• No origination points are allowed.
• The program can be used on a 30 or 15 year fixed mortgage.
• State doc stamps and intangibles are waived when the buyer uses this program, with typical financing in Florida a lot of times the seller is paying this so it makes your offer even stronger!
• If you are a Veteran the first time home buyer qualification is waived!

 

Hometown Heroes Mortgage Program Limitations

The program does have income limitations. However the limitations are based on the area median income or the AMI. The current limit for the hometown heroes program is 150% of the AMI for your county. This is actually pretty favorable allowing more individuals and families to partake in this incredible Florida first time home buyer program. In Florida 150% of the AMI and max income limit ranges from $118,950 to $146,250 depending on which county you live in! The loan amount limits are based on current conventional loan limits and FHA lending limits for the state and county. For conventional financing the loan limit is $726,200, and the FHA and USDA loan limit ranges from $472,030 for most counties up to $672,750 for Collier county and $557,750 for Broward County. For these exact numbers you can see them here at the Florida Housing site. The minimum credit score required to participate in the Hometown Heroes Program is a 640! This is dictated by the state, if yours is a little lower ask us how we can help get it up!

What Are The Eligible Occupations for the Hometown Heroes Program?

• Sworn Law Enforcement Officer, Certified Corrections Officer, Correctional Probation Officer
• Juvenile Detention Officer, Juvenile Probation Officer
• Firefighter
• Certified Paramedic, Certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
• 911 Public Safety Communicator
• Teachers who are certified K-12 including classroom teachers, career specialist, librarian/media specialist, school counselor, social worker, school Psychologist
• Licensed or registered Childcare Operator (the owner of childcare facility), child care instructor employed by a licensed or registered childcare facility
• Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Certified Nurse Midwife
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Home Health Aid (employed by a licensed home health agency)
• Physician, Physician Assistant, Anesthesiologist, Anesthesiologist Assistant
• Psychiatrist
• Certified Medical Assistant
• Acupuncturist
• Osteopathic Physician
• Chiropractic Physician, Certified Chiropractic Physicians Assistant
• Podiatric Physician, Certified Podiatric x-ray Assistant
• Naturopathic Physician
• Pharmacist, Nuclear Pharmacist, Pharmacy Technician
• Dentist, Dental Hygienist, Dental Assistant
• Speech Language Pathologist or Audiologist, and their certified assistants
• Nursing Home Administrator
• Occupational Therapist, and Occupational Therapist Assistant, Occupational Therapist Aide
• Certified Respiratory Therapist, Registered Respiratory Therapist
• Licensed Dietician or Nutritionist, Licensed Nutrition Counselor, Registered Dietician or Nutritionist
• Dietetic Technician
• Athletic Trainer
• Prosthetist, Orthotist, Prosthetist Orthotist, Pedorthist, Orthotic Fitter, Orthotic Fitter Assistant
• Electrologist
• Massage Therapist
• Clinical Laboratory Personnel including Director, Supervisor, Technologist, Blood-Gas Analyst, Laboratory Testing Tech,
• Phlebotomist employed full time having completed and accredited phlebotomy course
• Licensed medical Physicist (radiologic) Certified Basic X-ray Machine Operator, Certified Radiologic Tech, Certified Radiology Assistant, Certified General Radiographer, Specialty Tech (Radiologic)
• Genetic Counselor
• Optician
• Certified Optometrist
• Hearing Aid Specialist, Hearing Aide Specialist Trainee
• Physical Therapist, Physical Therapist Assistant
• Psychologist, Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, Metal Health Counselor
• Child Protective Services Enforcement, Adult Protective Services Enforcement
• Veterinarian, Veterinarian Assistant or Tech
• Active Military Personnel, including Air Force Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, National Guard, Space Force, and the Reserves.
• Veterans.

 First Time Home Buyer’s Course

Remember this is generally a first time home buyer’s program for Floridians. Which the states definition to qualify is that you can’t have owned a home in a the last 3 years to be considered a first time home buyer. Before you close on your loan using the Hometown Heroes Program you must complete a first time home buyer’s course by a HUD approved counselor. You can find a list of HUD approved counselors here, you can search by zip code.

 

Coast 2 Coast Mortgage is an Approved Lender through United Wholesale Mortgage For the Florida Housing Finance Corporation

If you have a qualifying occupation for the Hometown Heroes Program by applying for a pre-approval we can confirm your income meets the requirements and validate your eligibility for the program. Our lender will underwrite the loan and work with the state to reserve your benefit at closing. An application is not an obligation, and if you don’t qualify we can help guide you in the right direction for another loan program that meets your needs.