Buying your first home in Palm Beach County.

You probably do not need 20 percent down

This is the myth that keeps more people renting than anything else. Many conventional loans allow far less than 20 percent down. FHA loans are widely used with a low down payment. VA and USDA options can allow zero down for buyers who qualify. Putting less than 20 percent down usually means paying mortgage insurance, which is a genuine cost worth weighing, but it is not a wall between you and owning.

What matters more than the down payment percentage is knowing your full monthly number before you shop, which here means principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and any HOA dues.

Florida assistance programs worth asking about

Florida Housing runs several programs that first-time buyers in Palm Beach County regularly use. The specifics change, so treat this as a list of questions for your lender rather than a promise:

• Hometown Heroes. Aimed at full-time Florida workers across a wide range of professions, including healthcare, K-12 school employees, first responders, law enforcement, and military members and veterans. It has provided down payment and closing cost assistance as a second mortgage, subject to income limits tied to area median income and a minimum credit score.
• FL Assist and the HFA Preferred and HFA Advantage products. The usual alternatives when Hometown Heroes is not a fit or its funding has been exhausted.
• First-time buyer definition. These programs commonly define it as not having owned a primary residence in the past three years, which means more people qualify than assume they do.

The local wrinkles that surprise first-time buyers

• Insurance is a bigger line item than you expect. It varies with the age of the home, the age and type of the roof, elevation, and location. Get quotes while you are still choosing homes, not after you are under contract. An older roof can make an otherwise affordable house unaffordable.
• Your taxes will not match the seller's. The property is reassessed after you buy. Budget from your own projected bill, not the number on the current listing.
• HOA and condo approval takes time. Many communities here have an application and approval step. Build it into your timeline so it does not threaten your closing date.
• Condo reserves and assessments matter. Read the financials. A low monthly fee with a looming special assessment is not a bargain.
• Club communities carry more than dues. In parts of central Boca, membership can be mandatory and significant. Ask before you tour.

The order to do things in

• 1. Talk to a lender first. Not to commit, just to learn your real number and whether an assistance program fits. This one call reframes everything.
• 2. Set the monthly budget, then the price. Work backward from what you are comfortable paying every month with taxes, insurance and HOA included.
• 3. Narrow the map. Decide the two or three areas that fit your commute and life before you tour. Our Boca, Delray and Boynton comparison is the fastest way to do that.
• 4. Tour with a trained eye. Roof age, insurance history, HOA rules, and resale potential matter as much as the kitchen.
• 5. Offer and negotiate. A strong pre-approval and clean terms often matter more than a slightly higher price.
• 6. Inspect and protect. Use inspections to renegotiate or to walk away if something serious surfaces.
• 7. Close. Final walkthrough, signing, keys.

Where first-time buyers actually find value here

Boca Raton and Delray Beach both have entry points, they are just not always the ones people picture. Condos and townhomes closer to downtown Delray put you in the walkable life without a single-family price. Boynton Beach consistently offers more square footage per dollar. West Boca has newer communities where the value equation works for a first purchase with room to grow. If you have children, verify school zoning for the exact address, which our school zone guide explains.