Sarasota County will put up to $75,000 toward your down payment. The window is open right now.
⏰ The window opened September 1 and it's first qualified, first served. When the money's gone, it's gone. Last year's lesson: the buyers with their paperwork ready got funded.
This is Sarasota County's SHIP purchase assistance program, and it's real. I pulled the county's own program flyer and read the whole thing so you don't have to. Here's the short version.
Do you fit the box?
Income limits for the standard tier (effective 5/1/26, by household size):
| 1 person | $63,950 |
| 2 people | $73,050 |
| 3 people | $82,200 |
| 4 people | $91,300 |
You'll also need to be a first-time buyer by the county's test (haven't owned in 3 years), and the home can be a single-family house, townhome, or condo here in Sarasota County. No manufactured homes.
The honest part
Nothing's free, so here's the string attached: this money carries a shared-appreciation agreement. When you eventually sell or move out, you pay the assistance back plus a slice of your home's appreciation, sized to how much help you took. Stay put and build a life, it's a genuinely good deal. Planning to flip in two years? It's basically not for you. That's the trade, and you should know it walking in.
How to actually get funded
First qualified, first served means the race is won before it starts, and it has already started. Three things to get done this week:
1. Your homebuyer education certificate, or at least a scheduled class appointment (required at application).
2. Your documents pulled together: income, taxes, IDs.
3. A real pre-approval. Any licensed lender can submit for you — there's no approved-lender list — and the application goes in through your lender.
I've got the county's program packet sitting on my desk and I've helped buyers through these windows before. If your income fits that table, grab twenty minutes with me and we'll get you in line before the line forms. Or call the county directly: 941-861-5336.
Verified against Sarasota County's official SHIP program materials and the county's own application page as of September 1, 2026, the day the window opened; program terms and funding are the county's call and can change. Income limits shown are the standard tier; a lower-income tier has lower limits and set-aside priority. Assistance is a deferred loan with a shared-appreciation rider; repayment triggers on sale, transfer, or moving out. This is general information, not a commitment to lend or individual advice. Adam Klugh NMLS #1596587 · Success Mortgage Partners, Inc. NMLS #130562 · Equal Housing Lender.
Biology grad, former firefighter, and finance nerd who structures loans to save you money. NMLS #130562.