You EarnedThis.
How Homes for Heroes® works in Northeast Florida: who qualifies, how your Hero Rewards® check gets to you, and how it fits with a VA loan or Florida Hometown Heroes. Free guide from a Marine, former firefighter and former deputy.
Heroes save an average of $3,000 when they buy or sell, and an average of $6,000 when they do both. Savings may vary.
Most don't miss it because they didn't qualify.
They miss it because nobody told them the order. They found the house first, asked about the program at the closing table, and it was too late to enroll.
That's a reward you earned, gone, on the biggest purchase or sale of your life. And it usually happens to people who are working nights, on orders, or pulling double shifts. The people with the least time to research it.
The other trap
Three programs with "hero" in the name get blended together, and people walk in expecting one to do another's job.
The way out: know how it works before you talk to anyone. Seven pages, plain English, in the right order.
Everything to know before you talk to any agent.
- P. 2Who qualifiesThe five hero groups, including volunteer firefighters, 911 dispatchers and post-secondary teachers, and what you don't need: no first-time-buyer, income or credit requirement.
- P. 3The 4 steps, in the order that mattersAnd the one step that costs heroes their reward when it's done late.
- P. 4The honest numbersWhere the $3,000 average comes from, specialist by specialist, and what moves your number up or down.
- P. 5Stacking your benefitsHow Homes for Heroes® sits next to a VA loan, Florida Hometown Heroes and HUD Good Neighbor Next Door. Each one explained on its own, so nothing gets blended.
- P. 6Six myths I hear every monthAnswered straight.
- P. 7Your first conversationThe five things to have ready and the three questions to ask any agent.
I've worn three of the five uniforms.
Eight and a half years in the Marine Corps, with deployments to Iraq and Africa. Then wildland firefighting in Arizona. Then a sheriff's deputy in Colorado. Today I'm a REALTOR® and a Mortgage Loan Originator in Northeast Florida.
I know what a 24-on/48-off schedule does to a home search, and I know what a report date does to a timeline. You don't have to explain your life to me before we get to work.
My process
- Enroll first. You're signed up with Homes for Heroes and have your Hero Rewards® Disclosure before we write a single offer.
- The whole picture, good and bad. Every route on the table (VA, FHA, conventional, Hometown Heroes) explained before it happens, not at closing.
- One timeline to the check. Contract, closing, and the paperwork that gets your Hero Rewards® check issued after closing.
One person, start to keys.
Buying, selling, or both at once, anywhere in Northeast Florida. PCS moves, relocation, new construction, land and lots, condos and second homes. And if you want it, the mortgage side too, through FLO Mortgage.
Dually licensed
REALTOR® and Mortgage Loan Originator, so the house and the loan move on one timeline and nothing gets lost between two offices. Always your choice, never a condition.
Built around the shift
Early mornings, late nights, off days, across time zones. Call, text or email any time. I keep my phone on me.
Builder-side experience
I started in new construction working for a builder. I know what's negotiable and where a builder's contract protects the builder.
Remote when you need it
Whole transactions handled for heroes who are still in another state or still on orders.
My five commitments
- You get the truth first, even when it costs me the deal.
- I answer. Calls, texts, emails, after hours and weekends.
- You'll know what's happening before it happens, not at closing.
- If a mistake is mine, I fix it at my cost.
- The mortgage side is always your choice, never a condition.
Palm Coast to Jacksonville, and the drive in between.
Palm Coast / Flagler
Home turf, and the value entry point to coastal Northeast Florida. The big long-term story: Raydient's master plan west of US-1 would raise approved homes to about 22,000 over a 30-year buildout.
FlaglerLive, April 2026
St. Johns
The tightest supply in the region. Silverleaf has no CDD fees, a new K-8 that opened August 2026, and a Baptist Health 24/7 Emergency Center. Shearwater Community Park and the Silverleaf Sportsplex open early 2027. 15,000 more homes certified under SB 686.
News4Jax, August 2026
Duval / Jacksonville
Home to NAS Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and Blount Island, with NSB Kings Bay just over the Georgia line. I've already mapped commute ranges from each community to each installation.
Volusia
Beach access at a fraction of St. Johns coastal prices, from Daytona Beach north.
Putnam
Inland and rural, part of my service area. Tell me where you report and I'll show you what's realistic from there.
Your commute is a station, a base, a hospital or a school, not an office park. I'll show you what the drive actually looks like at shift change before you fall in love with a house.
Our brokerage, Navy To Navy Homes, was named Homes for Heroes® 2026 Real Estate Specialist Team: #1 in Florida and #2 Nationwide. The Decker Group is part of that program.
Eleven different clients over six years named the same thing: he answers. When you work odd hours, that's the whole job.
"He also always responded immediately, and I called him often, after hours, weekends. Always kind and helpful."
Buyer review · RateMyAgent
"They took great care of us and their follow through was outstanding (especially since we're not in the State just yet)."
Buyer review · RateMyAgent
"As our lender he was our advocate in getting closed while dealing with adversity from the builder."
Buyer review · RateMyAgent · Garrett acted as loan originator
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Every week Angel and I put out straight answers on buying and selling in Northeast Florida: VA loans, PCS moves, the hero programs, and what the market is actually doing.
"You Earned This." Free, and instant.
The Homes for Heroes® Guide. Everything you need to know before you talk to any agent.
- Who qualifies, and the 4 steps in the order that protects your reward
- The honest numbers behind the $3,000 average
- How it works alongside a VA loan or Florida Hometown Heroes