Learn about the law and your legal rights in North Carolina. Find self-help resources to resolve your legal problems without a lawyer.
There are 17 resources
Self-Help
"Money Matters" Website of the Federal Trade Commission
(Separate Website)
The FTC created this website to help you tackle some money issues head-on. It contains valuable information and tips regarding a wide variety of scams, credit cards, money management, dealing with debt, your home, and jobs.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Advance-fee Loan Scams
(Separate Website)
Advance-fee loan sharks are preying on unwary consumers, taking their money for the promise of a loan or credit, and leaving them in hot water. Learn how to spot these scams and who to call to report them.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Affordability Calculator: How Much Can You Spend to Buy a House?
(Separate Website)
This web site allows you to calculate how much you can afford to spend on a home.
By: Ginnie Mae
Applying for a Loan
(Separate Website)
Once you have negotiated a final purchase offer with the seller, you are ready to finalize the loan application process. Under RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act), lenders are legally required to provide you with a good faith estimate within three days after receiving your application. The information gives you an estimate of your closing costs and monthly payments. This good faith estimate does not require lenders to provide a detailed breakdown of the closing cost items or to identify the persons responsible for the payments. Therefore, it is important for you to work with your real estate agent or attorney to understand all the closing cost fees. This will ensure that there are no significant surprises related to your final closing costs.
By: Ginnie Mae
Common Foreclosure Terminology
(Separate Website)
If you're going through a foreclosure, here are some words that might come up and their meanings.
High-Cost Home Loans: Don't Be a Target
(Separate Website)
Homeowners Beware! You may be a target for abusive lenders trying to sell you a loan you can't afford. If this happens, you may unable to make the high payments and lose your home at a foreclosure sale or spend all of your spare cash paying off a loan you didn't need or want.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Read this in:
Chinese / 中文
,
Spanish / Español
Home Loan Guaranty Services for Veterans and the Military
(Separate Website)
This website contains information about: (1) the VA Home Loan program, (2) the Loan Guaranty Services, (3) Specially Adapted Housing for Disabled Veterans, (4) VA - Approved Lenders, (5) Refinancing Opportunities, and much more.
By: Department of Veterans' Affairs
Protect Your Investment - Don't Let Predatory Lenders Take Your Home
(Separate Website)
Senior citizens are an attractive target for unscrupulous mortgage lenders because they have a lot of equity in their homes after years of diligently paying off their mortgages, and they use that equity to finance home repairs, medical care and other needs. While these lenders may encourage seniors to use their hard-earned home equity to secure new loans - they will not tell seniors about the high fees, hidden payments or other disadvantageous loan terms that could lead to the loss of their homes.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Tips on Dealing With Financial Matters
(Separate Website)
This guide published by Legal Aid of North Carolina offers important tips on dealing with Financial Matters, such as tips on handling financial matters, tips on signing important papers, and tips on dealing with Welfare and other agencies.
By: Legal Aid of North Carolina
5 Tips for Protecting Your Checking Account
(Separate Website)
No one wants to be a victim of fraud or identity theft. The Federal Reserve has outlined some ways you as a consumer can prevent that from happening.
By: Federal Reserve
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Homeownership in North Carolina
(Separate Website)
Owning a home is a big part of the American Dream. Here are some resources that can help you buy, maintain and keep your home.
By: U.S. Dept. of Housing and Development
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Think Twice Before Using Your Home As Collateral
(Separate Website)
If you need money to pay bills or make home improvements, and think the answer is in refinancing, a second mortgage, or a home equity loan, consider your options carefully. If you can't make the required payments, you could lose your home as well as the equity you've built up. Here are some great tips you should take into account before you decide to borrow against your home.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Shopping For Your Loan
(Separate Website)
Once you've found the home of your dreams, the next step is to shop for a mortgage loan. This video will help consumers use the good faith estimate (GFE), which is a form that spells out the terms of a loan offer, to shop for the best loan for them. Consumers will learn how to use the GFE to determine how long an interest rate is available for a particular loan and how to identify key loan terms and costs of a particular loan offer.
By: Department of Housing and Urban Development
North Carolina Statutes
(Separate Website)
The North Carolina General Assembly is offering access to the Statutes on the Internet as a service to the public. These statutes are the general laws that govern North Carolina's legal system.
By: North Carolina General Assembly
Do You Need Legal Help?
(Separate Website)
This will explain who is eligible for our services, what kind of cases Legal Aid normally handles, some examples of them, and how to locate an office near you.
By: Legal Aid of North Carolina
Avoiding Predatory Lending
(Separate Website)
Follow this guide to protect yourself from predatory mortgage (loan) lenders.
By: NC Housing Finance Agency
Consumer and Contract Matters
(Separate Website)
Issues like identity theft, credit card information, repairing your credit are covered; info that we all need in this economy.
Adobe Acrobat Reader required. (If you are using a screen reader that does not support PDF format, copy the PDF link, and use the Access Adobe online form to convert this file to HMTL text.)
Legal Aid of North Carolina provides free legal advice and representation in some types of cases. Click on the icon to find out what types of cases are handled and to apply online.
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