Post-purchase engagement — completing the SHIP homeownership model after closing
Daniel Smith · Keepingly · daniel@keepingly.co
Context
Florida's SHIP program is exceptionally strong at getting families to closing — with mature local administration, statewide Coalition support, and proven purchase assistance tools.
Pre-purchase education and guidance
Eligibility and readiness
Access SHIP funds
Finalize purchase
"The SHIP program has assisted in the development or preservation of approximately 94,000 units with approximately $676 million in expended funds — distributed to all 67 counties and 55 cities in Florida."
— St. Johns County SHIP Annual Report / Florida Housing Finance Corporation
The Structural Gap
Without a structured third phase, SHIP relies on good intentions after the keys are handed over.
Reactive calls only — homeowner reaches back when something breaks. No proactive touchpoint.
No early-warning structure — no systematic way to intervene before a small issue becomes a crisis.
Records fragment — repair receipts and maintenance history scatter, leaving no durable record.
File loses continuity — strong programs still lose visibility once the transaction is complete.
Harvard JCHS, 2023
1 in 3
low-income homebuyers faces repair costs they cannot afford after closing
28%
of lowest-income homeowners spend nothing on home maintenance
The Solution
Not another home app. The record layer for housing after closing — persistent, homeowner-controlled, and shareable over time.
Counseling, closing packet, one-time assistance. Record stops. No continuity after keys are handed over.
Address-level home record, maintenance tracking, document storage, expense tracking, ongoing support. The system continues after closing.
"Provide the assistance needed to support long-term affordability." Post-close engagement is not a nice extra — it is protection for the original affordability intervention.
— SHIP program guidance
A structured, long-term cohort partnership — homeowner subscriptions underwritten directly by RNHS. Fully operational.
Financial Model
SHIP allocation
$2.5M
Capital deployed
Households
139/yr
Avg $18K assist
Post-close value exposed
$825K
33% exposure
Value engine (midpoint)
$619K/yr
Post-attribution, base
Net annual stewardship benefit
$544K/yr
6.6x stewardship return
8.3x stewardship return
9.9x stewardship return
$3.1M vs $375K
Illustrative model for strategic planning. Modeled stewardship return = value engine ÷ Keepingly cost. Sources: FHFC, OPPAGA Report 25-07, Harvard JCHS 2023.
Implementation
Simple, sponsor-backed, and easy to map to existing administrator workflow — no changes to core operations.
Homebuyers learn about their post-close record tool during counseling sessions.
Closing becomes a natural activation moment. The homeowner's ongoing record starts here.
Local partners — lenders, nonprofits, employers — underwrite homeowner subscriptions. No cost to administrator or homebuyer.
Structured touchpoints replace reactive calls. Homeowners are supported proactively in the first critical years.
The model scales cohort to cohort. Each new class of buyers enters the same durable post-close framework.
Built on the REPAIR framework priorities the Coalition is already elevating — Permanently Affordable, Innovative, Resilient.
A structured, durable third phase that closes the gap after closing — no changes to core SHIP operations.
A member benefit model with no added cost to administrators or homebuyers. Lenders, nonprofits, employers fund access.
A real, running sponsorship cohort — fully operational. Proof that the model works in practice.
Daniel Smith · Keepingly · daniel@keepingly.co