Morrow County, Ohio Real Estate

2011 Welcome Home Affordable Housing Program Funds Available March 1, 2011

Homebuyers may qualify to receive up to a $5,000 grant to be used towards down payment and closing costs, household income limitations apply. • Property type: One to Four Unit (Owner-Occupied only)

 

• Do not need to be a First-Time Homebuyer to qualify.

• Homeownership counseling required for First-Time Homebuyer's.

• Homebuyer's must contribute a minimum of $500 of their own funds, however, $300 can be gifted

by a relative.

• Warranty Deed Restriction for a five year period - If the home is sold or refinanced during the five year retention period, the homebuyer may be required to pay back a pro rata amount of the Welcome Home grant.

• Funds reserved for homebuyers on a "first-come, first-served" basis, but only to the extent that funds are available.

For more information, contact Herb Baldwin at 419-947-4004 or your local mortgage lender.

Mount Gilead Homeowner Charged $1600 To Get Help Avoiding Foreclosure?  Last week I sat down with some very frustrated and discouraged homeowners who are facing foreclosure and possible bankruptcy. 

These Mount Gilead homeowners were beside themselves because they had been "working" with their mortgage lender and doing everything they thought was the right thing to do and they were getting nowhere.  They were continuing to get harrassing phone calls from their bank and even though they thought they were doing the "right thing", they were actually getting in deeper and deeper.

When alas, they received a call from someone who told them they could "help" them through the process.  All they had to do was give them their VISA card number and allow them to charge $1,600 so that they could begin the process.  Although these Mount Gilead homeowners were in no position to pay out $1,600 to anybody, they heard the person on the other end of the phone make promises that he wasn't going to be able to keep.

People, .... YES, there IS help out there.  BUT, you do NOT have to pay for the help!

Here in Ohio, we have www.savethedream.ohio.gov and the help is free.  Yes, there will be some work on your part.  You will need to have a phone conversation with a HUD counselor and you will need to gather some documentation to give to your HUD counselor.

Follow this link to see and print the SaveTheDreamOhio flyer.

If you don't need the information on this flyer, I'll bet that you know someone who does.  15% of your neighbors or co-workers are either currently IN the foreclosure process or just days away because they are in default on their mortgage payments (30 days late).

Please don't allow your Mount Gilead, Cardington, Marengo, or any other Morrow County, Ohio friends, family members or co-workers go through what my clients went through before calling me.  Let them know there IS help out there.  Have them pick up the phone and call SaveTheDreamOhio at 888-404-4674 or they can call Herb Baldwin, Realtor at RE/MAX Genesis at 419-947-4004 and I'll be glad to talk with them and give them some guidance at no charge.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and spread the news.

Morrow County Homeowners Can Avoid Foreclosure. 

As I work in Morrow County with sellers, many of whom are "upside down" we almost always have the conversation about the differences between a Foreclosure and a Short Sale. It's important to understand the differences and how it can affect a home seller for years to come.

Take a look at this short video that explains the new Short Sale guidelines and how this can help you or someone you know.

In taking the class for CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) I was given this one page document that clearly and succinctly illustrates the differences. If you (or someone you know) might owe more than your home is worth AND you have a financial hardship, you may qualify for a short sale.

Take a look at the comparison sheet by clicking here Foreclosure VS ShortSale

If you would like to have a confidential interview to discuss your options, call me at 419-947-4004

Mount Gilead Homeowner Saves $400 On Property Taxes!  That's right and so can homeowners in Cardington, Marengo, Edison, Chesterville, Sparta, Johnsville, or any other Ohio city for that matter.

If you (or anyone you know) is at least 65 years old OR permanently and totally disabled, then that person (assuming they're a homeowner) can qualify for the modified, expanded Ohio Homestead Exemption.  By applying for this Ohio Homestead Exemption (application form here) and submitting it to your County Auditor's Office, you can receive a 25% reduction (credit) on your property tax bill!

This is not your Father's Homestead exemption where you probably wouldn't have qualified based on some income limits that they had set.  This new and revised exemption is available to ALL Ohio homeowners 65 and older or permanently and totally disabled.

To find out more and read all the FAQ's, follow this link to the Ohio Dept of Taxation web site.  My point is this:  Even if YOU would not qualify based on your age, tell your parents, aunts/uncles, friends at church, ANYBODY who is over 65 so they might save a few hundred dollars this year!

Are you or someone you know in danger of losing your home? Are you behind in mortgage payments? Are you being pressured by your mortgage lender to make a monthly payment that you're finding difficult if not impossible to make? There are a lot of situations out there, whether here in MORROW COUNTY or elsewhere where people have been unemployed for some time, or the marital status has changed, or perhaps the interest rate has climbed to an unmanageable rate. Don't give up hope yet! Although you may be feeling pressured and feeling as though there is no way out, that's not necessarily the case. The SHORT SALE process may be an option available to you. My advice is this: Contact a Realtor in your market area that has dealt (successfully) with short sales and that person can guide you through the process.