Backround

I created this website to help the thousands of Ohio families faced with the foreclosure of their home. Whether you are in foreclosure, facing a short sale, or even a bankruptcy I sincerely hope that the information on this site helps you to make an informed decision.

John

Disclaimer

None of the information on this site should be construed as legal advice. You should always consult an attorney for advice about your specific foreclosure situation.

How Wikapedia.org  explains foreclosure…

Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgagee, or other lien holder, usually a lender, obtains a court ordered termination of a mortgagor’s equitable right of redemption.[clarification needed] Usually a lender obtains a security interest from a borrower who mortgages or pledges an asset like a house to secure the loan. If the borrower defaults and the lender tries to repossess the property, courts of equity can grant the borrower the equitable right of redemption if the borrower repays the debt. While this equitable right exists, the lender cannot be sure that it can successfully repossess the property, thus the lender seeks to foreclose the equitable right of redemption. Other lien holders can also foreclose the owner’s right of redemption for other debts, such as for overdue taxes, unpaid contractors’ bills or overdue homeowners’ association dues or assessments.

The foreclosure process as applied to residential mortgage loans is a bank or other secured creditor selling or repossessing a parcel of real property (immovable property) after the owner has failed to comply with an agreement between the lender and borrower called a “mortgage” or “deed of trust”. Commonly, the violation of the mortgage is a default in payment of a promissory note, secured by a lien on the property. When the process is complete, the lender can sell the property and keep the proceeds to pay off its mortgage and any legal costs, and it is typically said that “the lender has foreclosed its mortgage or lien”. If the promissory note was made with a recourse clause then if the sale does not bring enough to pay the existing balance of principal and fees the mortgagee can file a claim for a deficiency judgment.

Summary of Ohio’s Foreclosure Laws

Judicial Foreclosure Yes
Non-Judicial Foreclosure No
Security Instruments Mortgage
Right of Redemption Yes
Deficiency Judgments Yes
Time Frame Usually 150 days

Judicial foreclosure is the only foreclosure process used in Ohio. The lender must sue the borrower in court to obtain a judgment of foreclosure. The defendant borrower is served with a complaint and summons by mail, or by publication if the borrower cannot be located. The borrower then has 20 days to file an answer. If no answer is received, a default judgment is entered.

Prior to the scheduled foreclosure date, three disinterested freeholders in the county in which the property is located must appraise the property. The appraised value must then be filed with the county clerk. The property must be offered for sale at a minimum price of no less than two thirds of the appraised value.

Prior to the sale, the notice of sale must be published weekly for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the property is located.

The county sheriff will conduct the sale, and the property sold to the highest bidder. The borrower has a statutory right of redemption until the sale is confirmed by the court Redemption requires payment of the amount of the judgment, court costs, and interest.

Deficiency judgments are allowed. There is a two-year statute of limitations to collect in the event the judgment was rendered prior to confirmation of the sale, and the property consists of two units or less.

Foreclosure Laws & Procedures, Talking Law TV

Five Warning Signs of a Loan Modification Scam

http://www.expert-loan-modification.info. Many American homeowners today are falling behind on their mortgage payments. Sadly, a close family member was one of them. Faced with the threat of foreclosure by his bank he started looking into the possibility of refinancing the mortgage to reduce his monthly payments. He knew that if he could get the payments down, he would be able to keep his family’s home. This article provides an overview of some key lessons he learned during this painful process.

I won’t go into all of the details of his personal journey through the loan modification process but let’s just say that it was pure hell. He tried to figure out the process on his own and quickly found out that he needed some expert advice.

He then started contacting “loan modification experts” and that is when things got really confusing. He expected to deal with professionals. Instead he was swamped with annoying calls from kids, fresh out of college, who didn’t even know how to spell mortgage let alone renegotiate my loan with my bank. He learned the hard way that most of these amateurs (who called themselves specialists) were really part of a complex network of loan modifications scams.

Here are the top 5 warning signs that the company you are talking to might be part of a loan modification scam.

1.They charge a large upfront fee. Many scammers will ask for $1,000 or more up front hoping that they can pocket your money before you catch on. There are lots of good firms that will charge a small fee ($200 or less) to get started but a large fee is a big warning sign.
2.They claim to have “secret information” that will help save your home. That’s a load of (you know what). There are no secrets in the mortgage industry. All legitimate businesses play by the same set of rules.
3.They use high pressure sales tactics. Constant follow up calls, trying to push you to make a decision, describing how your family will end up homeless…these are signs of a scammer at work.
4.They can’t (or won’t) provide references. Ask for a list of families they have helped. If they can’t give you references they are either a scammer or really bad at the loan modification process. Either way, you should avoid them.
5.They “guarantee” that they can save your home. No legitimate and ethical business would ever guarantee that they can fix the problem until they know the details of your situation. If someone guarantees the results to get you to sign up with them they are probably a scammer.

How do you protect yourself? Start by dealing with a free service that already screens out the scam artists. Click here to visit the company that he used.

Find an expert to help you with your loan modification by going to http://www.expert-loan-modification.info

Don’t get ripped off by a scammer!

The following news articles contain references to Ohio’s foreclosure problem

Latest Foreclosure Ohio News

Sovereign citizens’ ranks swell
COLUMBUS, Ohio – They call themselves sovereign citizens; U.S. residents who declare themselves above state and federal laws. Many don’t register children’s births, carry driver’s licenses or recognize the court system.
Read more on Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Growing sovereign citizen movement rewrites US history, rejects government and warns of change

Growing sovereign citizen movement rewrites US history, rejects government and warns of change
They call themselves sovereign citizens, U.S. residents who declare themselves above state and federal laws. Many don’t register children’s births, carry driver’s licenses or recognize the court…
Read more on Fox News

Lastest Foreclosure Ohio News

Government Plans More Aid for Jobless Homeowners
The aid, about billion, comes against the backdrop of a weakening economy, high unemployment and housing market destabilized by foreclosures.
Read more on New York Times

Lastest Foreclosure Ohio News

Obama administration to provide B in housing aid; Ga. to receive 127M
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is providing billion to unemployed homeowners facing foreclosure in the nation’s toughest job markets. The Treasury Department says it will send …
Read more on Rome News-Tribune

Obama to provide $3B in housing aid to unemployed, state to get largest share

Obama to provide B in housing aid to unemployed, state to get largest share
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is providing billion to unemployed homeowners facing foreclosure in the nation’s toughest job markets. California will get the largest share of money for the Treasury program, at 6 million.
Read more on Daily Breeze

Home prices slowly creeping up

Home prices slowly creeping up
The weak economy and continued high unemployment has kept housing markets cool. As a result, the median price of a single-family home crept up just 1.5% to 6,900 in the second quarter, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors.
Read more on CNN Money

Feds To Send Tenn. $81M For Housing Aid

Feds To Send Tenn. M For Housing Aid
Tennessee is one of 17 states receiving money from the federal government to help struggling homeowners pay their mortgage.
Read more on WSMV Nashville

Lastest Foreclosure Ohio News

OBAMA: My Turn columnist right on
Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 4:08 pm | Updated: 12:25 am, Thu Aug 12, 2010. Kudos to John M. Clark for his July 31 “My Turn” column! John, you said everything I feel about this administration.
Read more on Coeur d’Alene Press

Police reviewed shop video in stabbing-spree probe

Police reviewed shop video in stabbing-spree probe
MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP, MICH. — A convenience store manager says police came and reviewed surveillance video as part of an investigation into a multistate stabbing spree concentrated in the Flint area.
Read more on The Washington DC Examiner

Funding will fight foreclosures

Funding will fight foreclosures
Thousands of Ohioans could stave off foreclosure with the help of 2 million in federal funds earmarked for the state yesterday.
Read more on The Columbus Dispatch