Relief will soon be on the way for some first-time homebuyers.
The Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Development will award up to $100,000 each to eligible applicants through its HOME Investment Partnership First-Time Homebuyer Program. The agency has $3 million to distribute. The funds can be used for a down payment or to pay for closing costs. The home must be used as one’s primary place of residence.
In April, The Palm Beach Post reported that a previous round of funding was quickly exhausted. Those who have received funding have called the program “a lifesaver.”
One was Betty Legendre, who was able to use the $100,000 she received to buy a home in Wellington. As renters, the Legendres were moving from house to house. At one time, her landlord opted to sell and asked her to leave. Another time, a landlord found a tenant willing to pay more in rent. Without the loan, she and her husband and two children would never have been able to buy their new home, she said.
The funds are provided to jurisdictions across the country by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Funds will be awarded on a first-submitted, first-qualified basis
The online application portal for the latest awards will open at noon on July 23 and close at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 20 or until 100 applications have been submitted. Online applications will be processed on a first-submitted, first-qualified, first-served basis, subject to funding availability.
All financial assistance will be in the form of a deferred loan secured by a recorded mortgage. But no payments need to be made as long as one continues residing in the property and complies with the terms and conditions of the program. The loan is forgiven at the end of the 30-year term.
Before applying, applicants must have a first mortgage loan approval from a lender. Eligible applicants can apply by visiting the website at discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/HOME-First-Time-Homebuyer-Program.aspx
There are income requirements that must be met. A one-person household can earn no more than $65,450; a six-member household is limited to an income of $108,500. The property’s purchase price cannot exceed $568,557.
A first-time homebuyer is defined as an individual who has no ownership in a principal residence during the three years ending on the date of purchase of the property. An applicant may not currently own or have liquid assets exceeding $200,000.
For more information about the program, contact the county’s Mortgage and Housing Investments Division, 100 Australian Avenue, 5th Floor, West Palm Beach, FL, 33406, or call 561-233-3600 or email the office at HEDverify@pbc.gov.
Those interested in the program should attend one of the virtual pre-application orientation meetings held on July 10 at 2 p.m., July 15, 2025, at 5 p.m. or July 22 at noon.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Good news for a lucky 100 first-time Palm Beach County home buyers: Help is on the way
Reporting by Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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