With interest rates high and home prices rising, the dream of homeownership can feel out of reach for many in Jacksonville.
But one local mortgage broker says there’s a way in...even if you don’t have money in the bank.
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As part of our “Addressing A4dability” series, we spoke with longtime loan officer Jason Kindler, who says zero-down mortgages are not only possible, they’re happening every day.
Kindler, the owner of First Coast Mortgage Funding, has spent more than two decades helping families navigate the highs and lows of the housing market. Now, he’s using TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook videos to reach a younger generation of homebuyers and challenge the biggest myth he hears.
“The one myth that people talk about is you’ve got to have this big down payment,” Kindler said. “We’ve got people that are in homes for $0.”
That’s thanks to a range of down payment assistance and grant programs — including Hometown Heroes, HomeZero, Florida Bond, and the Chenoa Fund.
Some of these programs offer forgivable loans or full down payment coverage, even for buyers who aren’t purchasing their first home. Others provide loans, which may be repayable immediately, after a certain period, or upon the sale or refinance of the home.
To qualify, buyers generally need a credit score of at least 580. There’s no maximum income limit for most of the programs.
In one recent case, Kindler said he helped a client keep her savings intact by structuring a deal where assistance programs covered the down payment and the seller picked up the closing costs. She walked away with her $1,000 binder fee refunded at closing.
“There are grants, first-time homebuyer products, and some where you don’t even need to be a first-time buyer,” Kindler explained.
Despite affordability concerns, Kindler believes Jacksonville remains a buyer’s market. He says rising interest rates have sidelined some buyers, which gives others an opportunity to act, especially before rates eventually drop and prices spike again.
“[Once] there’s more people in the market, prices are going to go up, and then you’re in a different ball game,” Kindler said.
And through his social media videos, Kindler hopes to spread a simple message:
“People don’t realize it’s truly possible to get in for zero money,” he said. “So when it really happens, then that person usually goes, ‘OK, I got in the home for $0, let me tell somebody. Let me tell my friends. Let me tell somebody.’”
For more information, to apply for a loan, or to talk to a mortgage expert with First Coast Mortgage Funding, click here.
You can also download Kindler’s free first-time homebuyer guide here.
