The down payment is the biggest hurdle to your first home — and Florida, Texas, and Charlotte County all have programs to help clear it. BayPort is a SHIP-approved lender, and we'll check every program you qualify for.
BayPort Lending is an approved lender for Charlotte County's State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program — Florida's state-funded purchase assistance for income-eligible buyers, which can help cover your down payment and closing costs. As a local, approved lender headquartered in Punta Gorda, we handle the SHIP process alongside your loan so the two close together.
Program availability, funding, and eligibility requirements change and are set by the administering agencies — income limits, purchase price limits, homebuyer education, and residency requirements typically apply. We'll confirm current details for your situation.
SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) is Florida's state-funded affordable housing program, administered by each county. Charlotte County's SHIP program provides purchase assistance — help with down payment and closing costs — to income-eligible homebuyers, and it must be used with an approved lender like BayPort Lending.
It depends on the program. Some assistance is a deferred loan that's forgiven if you stay in the home a set number of years; others are repayable when you sell or refinance. We'll explain exactly how the program you use is structured before you commit.
Limits vary by program, county, and household size — and they're often higher than buyers expect. A quick call with your household income is all we need to tell you what's on the table.
In many cases, yes — assistance combined with a 3–3.5% down loan program can bring your out-of-pocket close to zero. Amounts depend on the program's current funding and your eligibility.
One call — we'll check SHIP, state, and local programs against your situation. Free, fast, no obligation.