House
Inspections
Before you finalize your house purchase, you'll want to be sure the house is in
good condition. Here are the first steps to take.
Find A Home Inspector Nearest You
(All 50 states & DC)
Website of the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Inspect America
(DC and Most States)
Find an easy way to locate a home inspector in your area, learn the credentials
and affiliations your home inspector should have, what to expect before,
during, and after a house inspection, how the results of the on- site home
inspection should be presented to you and what to expect after the home
inspection.
Home Loans
Tips, Warnings & Legal
Info
The Best Rates
Discrimination
Complaints
Tips, Warnings & Legal Info
Be
Careful When Using Home Equity Loans (Ohio)
Consumer Sales Practices Act Addresses Predatory Lending Issues
(Ohio)
Relates to Mortgages and illegal acts by mortgage brokers.
Consumer Sales Practices Act-Substantive Rules (Ohio)
OAC § 109:4-3-01
Attorney General
Addresses these consumer related issues.
Home Equity
Credit Lines (FTC)
Explains your options and what To look for.
High Rate Home Loans-Your Rights Under The Home Ownership & Equity Protection Act
Using Ads
To Shop For Home Financing (Fast Facts)
High Rate Home
Loans-Your Rights Under The Home Ownership & Equity Protection Act
Getting A Loan: Your Home as Security (Your 3-day Right To Cancel)
Home Equity
Loans: Exceptions To The Three-Day Cancellation Rule
Need a
Loan? Think Twice About Using Your Home as Collateral
High Risk Home Equity Loans: Avoiding & Voiding Them
FAQs On The Real
Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)
When RESPA Does & Does Not Protect You against Unfair Housing Practices.
RESPA-Consumer Protection Laws For Home Owners
Home Equity
Scams-Buyer Beware!
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The Best Rates
Housing Help (Consumer-SOS)
Where to find help in 25 areas related to housing.
Home Loan
& Mortgage Calculator
To solve a loan, enter the desired information and press
"Compute." Leave the unknown field blank, the loan calculator will
solve for that unknown. You can solve for a loan amount, number of payments,
payment amount, or interest rate. You can only solve for 1 unknown at a
time.
Google Search For The Best Rates for Home Equity Loans & Mortgages and Unsecured
Credit Lines
www.debtworkout.com/altcc.html
Links to residential lenders and mortgage brokers throughout the United
States offering loans to borrowers with credit problems, bankruptcy or
foreclosures on their credit report.
Bankrate
Monitor
Will
tell you the best rates for a mortgage or home equity loan.
www.eloan.com
Licensed in at least 40 states,
E-LOAN allows consumers to apply for a home loan via e-mail. On this site,
consumers can search for the best rates on mortgages and home equity loans. It
costs nothing to apply for a loan and your application will get a response
within 24 to 48 hours.
GetSmart.com can help you find an affordable home loan - by
connecting you with lenders happy to compete for your business.
For Even More Lenders See Mortgage Rates
Discrimination
Many of the laws on mortgages also cover home loans.
Homebuyer’s Protection Act (Predatory Lending Law) (Ohio)
Protects against abusive lending practices committed after December 31, 2006 by
non-bank lenders, loan officers and mortgage brokers.
Consumers Should Watch Out for Predatory Contractors (Ohio)
Shady contractors and predatory lenders can team up to rob unsuspecting
homeowners of the value they have in their homes. Tips and questions to ask so
you can protect yourself from being scammed.
Consumer Sales Practices Act-Substantive Rules (Ohio)
OAC § 109:4-3-01
Addresses these consumer related issues.
Find Your
Local Newspaper, Magazine, Radio & TV Stations
Give them a little bad press and you're bargaining power increases tremendously.
Select Ohio, and then click on your county or city for the proper media to
report to. (DC Not Included).
See Housing Help
Where to find help in 25 areas related
to housing.
See Mortgage Complaints
See Mortgage Discrimination
and
For More, See Fair Housing
Complaints
Many of the laws on mortgages also cover home loans.
Ohio Attorney General's Office
Investigates illegal acts against Ohio consumers.
Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing (Ohio)
Forms, complaints, appraisers and information for home buyers and sellers.
Find Your
Local Newspaper, Magazine, Radio & TV Stations
Give them a little bad press and you're bargaining power increases tremendously.
Select Ohio, and then click on your county or city for the proper media to
report to. (DC Not Included).
Find The AARP In Ohio
The AARP offers legal advocacy for seniors and may also have state specific
consumer brochures which are available to everyone.
See Housing Related Help Groups
See Mortgage Complaints
See Mortgage Discrimination
and
See Fair
Housing
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Selling
Real Estate Agents, Brokers & Recording Offices
Tips, Warnings & Legal Information
Home Loans (To fix up you house before sale)
Tips, Brochures & Legal Info For Sellers
Consumer Sales Practices Act-Substantive Rules (Ohio)
OAC § 109:4-3-01
Attorney General
Addresses these consumer related issues.
Selling
Your Home (Seller's Links with Descriptions)
Seller
Disclosures (What You Need To Tell Potential Buyers)
Real Estate Agents, Brokers & Recording Offices
Do you even need a realtor to buy or sell your home? How to select one and
what should you expect from one.
How Much is Your Home Worth?
Various tips to determine your home's estimated value.
Juggling
A Sale And A Purchase
Always sell before you buy. Tips on how to sell, structure
the deal and close.
Home Sales-Actual Prices Of
Homes By Their Address or Zip Code for the Last 18 months
Simply choose an area, and you'll get a list of homes recently
sold there, with the sale price and date. Also get an overview
of all sales activity in the area.
Selling Your Home Without An
Agent (Quick Tips)
Selling Your Home-Negotiating The Price
Closing On The Sale Of Your Home (Tips & Checklist)
Home Sellers' Checklist (National) Tips on Fixing Up For Resale
Homes-Sure Fire Selling Strategies
Buying A
House, Selling A House & Neighbor Law (Nolo.com)
Great articles on the basics in all the areas above.
County Real Estate Records. A Nationwide Listing of County Real Estate Recording
Offices
Real Estate Agents & Brokers (BBB Tips)
Real Estate Links For Most States and Big Cities
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"Castle Laws" Change Self-Defense Rights (Ohio)
Ohio’s self-defense laws now give homeowners more rights to protect themselves.
Citizens Can Take Action Against Water and Air Polluters (Ohio)
Property
Law (An Overview With Some Reference to Ohio Law)
Types of Property, Types of Ownership, Liens, Mortgages and Condo Ownership,
Easements, Licenses, Deeds, Titles, Adverse Possession and more!
For Zoning and Unit planning, see "Other Real Property Issues" on left hand
index.
Illegal Drug
Tipline (Ohio Attorney General)
Works with local law enforcement agencies to fight illegal drug activity in
Ohio. The bureau’s Narcotics Unit assists law enforcement on a variety of drug
cases, ranging from cracking down on street-level drug dealers to participating
in larger investigations involving multiple law enforcement agencies. The bureau
also has a special unit that focuses on eradicating marijuana in indoor grow
houses throughout the state.
Use Internet phone books and reverse lookups to find out who your neighbors are
and contact them. Good to organize a neighborhood watch, or simply have them
turn down the noise.
Housing Related Help Groups (Consumer-SOS)
Find Your
City's Municipal Codes
Learn how your city code treats, garbage, nuisance and safety hazards. If you
can't find your city, follow their links to other code sites that can help you.
Disaster, Fire & Emergencies
Homeowner survival tips.
Homeowners'
Associations & CC & Rs
When you buy a house in a new subdivision or planned unit
development, you may be subject to a host of rules and regulations that apply to
your property.
Neighborhood Organizations
Find out about neighborhood watches and other community groups in your area or
anywhere else throughout the country.
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Neighbors &
Nuisances
Contacting Your Neighbors (Consumer-SOS)
Use Internet phone books and reverse lookups to find out who your neighbors are
and contact them. Good to organize a neighborhood watch, or simply so they'll
turn down the noise.
Illegal Drug
Tipline (Ohio Attorney General)
Works with local law enforcement agencies to fight illegal drug activity in
Ohio. The bureau’s Narcotics Unit assists law enforcement on a variety of drug
cases, ranging from cracking down on street-level drug dealers to participating
in larger investigations involving multiple law enforcement agencies. The bureau
also has a special unit that focuses on eradicating marijuana in indoor grow
houses throughout the state.
Property
Law (An Overview With Some Reference to Ohio Law)
Types of Property, Types of Ownership, Liens, Mortgages and Condo Ownership,
Easements, Licenses, Deeds, Titles, Adverse Possession and more!
For Zoning and Unit planning, see "Other Real Property Issues" on left hand
index.
Citizens Can Take Action Against Water and Air Polluters (Ohio)
Housing Related Help Groups
(Consumer-SOS)
Problems With
Neighbors (Nolo.com)
Living as near to our neighbors as most of us do, we're bound to have trouble
occasionally. From noisy parties to precarious tree branches, from ugly fences
to blocked views, here's where
to learn the basics of neighbor law.
Dog Bite Law In General
Use Google toolbar or advanced Google to search for the name of your state
within this website.
Find
Your City's Municipal Codes
Learn how your city code treats, garbage, nuisance and safety hazards. If you
can't find your city, follow their links to other code sites that can help you.
Neighborhood
Organizations
Find out about neighborhood watches and other community groups in your area or
anywhere else throughout the country.
For More See Nolo.com
Taxes
Ohio
Benefit Bank
Free Tax assistance if you make under $56000
per year.
Tax Assessor Data Base
(All 50 States, Not DC)
Find phone numbers and links to tax assessors throughout the US.
Tax Breaks
For
Selling Your Home: Read the Fine Print
If you sell your home, you may exclude up to $250,000 of your capital gain from
tax. For married
couples, the exclusion is $500,000.
Your Home
As A Tax Shelter (Nolo.com)
Your home shelters you from the elements, but it is also a valuable tax shelter.
Offer & Compromise When You Owe A State Agency Money (Ohio)
An offer in compromise allows a person who owes the state money to negotiate
less than the balance owed. Offers in compromise can be made to debtors who face
economic hardship or to the innocent spouse of a debtor.
FAQS on Offers
& Compromises On Debts To The State of Ohio
Are all obligations to the state of Ohio eligible for an offer in compromise?
Can I file an offer in compromise during a bankruptcy?
Do I have to continue to make payments under an existing payment plan with the
Attorney General while an offer in compromise is pending?
How can I make an offer in compromise?
If I owe more than one debt to the state of Ohio, can I resolve only one of the
debts?
Once accepted, how long would I have to pay an offer in compromise?
What is an offer in compromise?
Who is eligible to participate in the offer in compromise program?
Who should I contact about the status of an offer in compromise?
Will I receive formal notification of whether an offer is rejected or accepted?
Would I have the right to appeal a rejection?
For More See Nolo.com
and
See Consumer-SOS/Taxes
Related Topics
Lawyers, Courts & Self Help
Occupational Licensing Boards
Government
Scams & Cons
Taxes
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See
the agencies below if you've been denied housing or been discriminated against
in a housing related matter because of your Race, Color, Religion, Sex, National
Origin, Family Status, Or Disability.
The
Fair Housing Division of the Commission of Equal
Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Discrimination Hotline (800) 669-9777
Defective Conditions
License Look
Up For Ohio Realtors or Ohio Construction
Condominium Sales Act (Ohio)
Protects the rights of condominium unit owners.
Mandates disclosures during construction.
Know Basics of Condominium Law (Ohio)
New Condominium Laws: Your Questions Answered (Ohio)
Consumer Sales Practices Act-Substantive Rules (Ohio)
OAC § 109:4-3-01
Issues below may relate to defective repairs or conditions.
Housing Defects-Getting The At Fault Party To Pay For Repairs (Consumer-SOS)
Where To Go If You Have
a Problem With
Those Who Build and Repair Housing
Construction
Associations, Design Professional Organizations, Government
Agencies, Standards Organizations and other agencies that hold these groups
accountable.
Find
Your City Municipal Codes
(All 50 States, Not DC)
Learn how your city code treats, garbage, nuisance and safety hazards.
Find Your
Local Newspaper, Magazine, Radio & TV Stations
Give them a little bad press and you're bargaining power increases tremendously.
Select Ohio, and then click on your county or city for the proper media to
report to. (DC Not Included).
Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing (Ohio)
Forms, complaints, appraisers and information for home buyers and sellers.
Contract For Purchase Of Residence Or Other Real Estate
See Lawyers/Legal Forms (Consumer-SOS)