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Florida program

"Dare to Own the Dream" Homeownership Program

Florida route through City of Tampa Housing and Community Development Division. This page stays free for the core public facts. Open paid access only when you need the full state board, related paths, and the decision layer around this program.

Forgivable second mortgage Check official rules 2026-04-21
Agency City of Tampa Housing and Community Development Division
Support type Forgivable second mortgage
Amount highlight Current City of Tampa materials describe tiered assistance up to $50,000 as a second-position deferred payment loan for down payment and closing costs.
Last verified 2026-04-21

Use carefully

Use the DARE page and FY25 flyer over older Tampa materials

This page stays public because the official structure is still useful, but these details should not be flattened into fake certainty.

DARE looks live and detail-safe, but Tampa still has older housing-program pages and 2022 materials with outdated amounts and forgiveness terms.

Source note: Current DARE materials use a $50,000 top tier and 20-year forgiveness, while older Tampa materials still preserve an up-to-$40,000 / 10-year version.

Decision-ready public facts

What stays free on this program page

Quick answer from published facts. Use this first, then jump to Go to Florida program hub if you need the wider state context.

Amount

Current City of Tampa materials describe tiered assistance up to $50,000 as a second-position deferred payment loan for down payment and closing costs.

Type

Forgivable second mortgage

0% silent second with 20-year forgiveness

Repayment

Current City of Tampa materials describe a 0% deferred payment loan with no monthly payments that is fully forgiven after 20 years if the home remains owner-occupied as the buyer's principal residence. Current public materials do not clearly publish the exact acceleration formula for sale, refinance, or non-occupancy before year 20, so public copy should avoid over-claiming the early payoff rule.

First-time buyer

Required

Program guide

What to know before you click through

This is still the free fact layer. Open the official source when a detail affects eligibility, repayment, lender choice, or whether this path should stay on your shortlist.

Who qualifies?

First-time homebuyers, Households at or below 140% of area median income, Buyers purchasing a home within Tampa city limits, Borrowers using current City-approved counseling agencies and approved lenders

What support do you get?

Current City of Tampa materials describe tiered assistance up to $50,000 as a second-position deferred payment loan for down payment and closing costs.

Do you repay it?

Current City of Tampa materials describe a 0% deferred payment loan with no monthly payments that is fully forgiven after 20 years if the home remains owner-occupied as the buyer's principal residence. Current public materials do not clearly publish the exact acceleration formula for sale, refinance, or non-occupancy before year 20, so public copy should avoid over-claiming the early payoff rule.

How do you apply?

Start with an approved housing counseling agency before entering a purchase contract, obtain the required reservation number, and then work through a City-approved lender and approved realtor path for an eligible Tampa purchase.

Application timing

Applicants must begin with an approved housing counseling agency and must not be under contract before receiving a reservation number; buyer and City inspections are required before closing.

Official source evidence

Current Tampa materials show DARE can provide up to $50,000 as a 0% deferred payment loan, with tiered AMI-based amounts and full forgiveness after 20 years of owner occupancy.

View official source

Last verified

2026-04-21

Current FY25 flyer dated 2025-04-16 and current Tampa pages updated through 2026-03-31

Paid preview

What paid access adds for "Dare to Own the Dream" Homeownership Program

See the shape of the comparison output, risk checks, lender questions, and next-step checklist before you decide whether this program is worth carrying into the paid layer.

Example paid output for this program. The free page stays visible either way.

Comparison preview

"Dare to Own the Dream" Homeownership Program

Amount: Current City of Tampa materials describe tiered assistance up to $50,000 as a second-position deferred payment loan for down payment and closing costs.

Repayment: Current City of Tampa materials describe a 0% deferred payment loan with no monthly payments that is fully forgiven after 20 years if the home remains owner-occupied as the buyer's principal residence. Current public materials do not clearly publish the exact acceleration formula for sale, refinance, or non-occupancy before year 20, so public copy should avoid over-claiming the early payoff rule.

First-time buyer: Required

Timing: Applicants must begin with an approved housing counseling agency and must not be under contract before receiving a reservation number; buyer and City inspections are required before closing.

Risk checks preview

What gets flagged before you call a lender

  • "Dare to Own the Dream" Homeownership Program requires a participating lender.
  • "Dare to Own the Dream" Homeownership Program must be paired with a specific first mortgage.

Lender questions preview

Questions tied to this exact path

  • Is your team approved to originate "Dare to Own the Dream" Homeownership Program for this household and loan setup?
  • Which first-mortgage product must be paired with "Dare to Own the Dream" Homeownership Program, and what breaks eligibility?

Action checklist preview

What you would do next

  • Confirm the first-time buyer definition before you apply
  • Review the official City of Tampa mortgage assistance page for "Dare to Own the Dream" Homeownership Program
Open the full Florida board

Paid research preview

What paid research already covers in Florida

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5 tracked deeper records

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What unlocks after payment

Specific program names, source notes, current-vs-conditional judgments, and the next lender or agency questions tied to this state.

2 tracked

city and county programs

City and county down payment or closing-cost programs that never make it into the free statewide layer.

3 tracked

specialty and conditional paths

Conditional, paused, or specialty paths worth checking before you assume the state is a dead end.

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Private workspace

What paid access adds after the free facts

This page stays free for public facts. Paid access turns this program into a shortlist item, a related-path decision layer, risk checks, lender-call prep, and a next-step queue.

If the public facts still look relevant, paid access is where you decide whether this path is stronger than your fallback and what to do next.

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