Self-help information through various links, documents, publications, etc. Check the Community Directory Channel for more resources.
There are 59 resources
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Predatory Lending
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
SC High Cost Mortgage and Consumer Home Act of 2003
(Separate Website)
Report on high cost mortgage loans and laws protecting consumers, presented in a slideshow format. PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
South Carolina's Predatory Lending Laws Brochure
(Separate Website)
PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Buying a Home
This document describes the basic process for buying a home, answering the following questions: What kind of property should you buy? How do you look for a house? What are the steps you must go through before you buy a house? What are the usual terms you find in a real estate contract? How do you pay for your new house?
How do you check the title for the property you are buying? What happens if you can't repay the loan? The document is an excerpt from An Introduction to Law in Georgia, Fourth Edition, published by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998 (updated 2004).
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Buying and Selling Real Estate
(Separate Website)
Lawline FAQ: This information emphasizes the buying and selling of residential real estate. Many would be home buyers use the services of a real estate agent. Although the use of a real estate agent is not required, he or she can help by handling some of the details involved.
By: South Carolina Bar Association
Buying Your Home and the Law
(Separate Website)
Buying a home involves complex considerations. Once you have decided on the area in which you wish to live, you can save time and frustration by working with an experienced real estate broker. PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Bar Association
Comprar un hogar (Buying a Home)
(Separate Website)
PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Bar Association
Consumer Bill of Rights
(Separate Website)
By: SC Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
Consumer Debts and the Law
(Separate Website)
Do you owe someone money? Having trouble paying off your debt? This brochure can help you understand your rights as a consumer debtor. PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Bar Association
Credit
(Separate Website)
The use of credit is a way of life in the United States. At any one time, about three-fourths of American households have some form of debt, including credit purchases of cars, appliances, clothing, vacation trips and other goods and services. Just over two-fifths of households have loans secured by their homes—in other words, mortgages. This web site will help you understand the rules, regulations, and laws about consumer installment credit, designed to protect you, the consumer.
By: American Bar Association
Credit - An FTC Consumer Law Web Site
(Separate Website)
This web site contains over 100 documents that deal with credit issues, including credit scams, privacy issues, identity theft, electronic banking and credit cards. The web site also contains information for businesses. The documents may be viewed and printed from the screen or printed in PDF format.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Ginnie Mae Homeownership Center
(Separate Website)
This web site provides information about (1) mortgages, including mortgate math, (2) choosing a home, real estate agent, and mortgage loan, (3) the process and paperwork involved in getting a mortgage, (4) the process and paperwork involved in closing on a home, and (5) credit counseling.
By: Ginnie Mae
Home Ownership
(Separate Website)
Before you start looking for a home, take a home
buying class offered in your community. Call the
Housing and Urban Development number on
the back of this brochure for classes in your area.
Also, check your credit history so that you can
clear up problems before you apply for a loan.
Even if you do not plan to buy a home right
away, taking a home-buying class will help you
set goals and plan for the future.
By: Appleseed Foundation
Homeownership 101
(Separate Website)
In this section, you will learn some of the basics of buying a home, including choosing the right mortgage.
By: Ginnie Mae
HUD Homes (Answers to Common Questions)
(Separate Website)
This web page explains how to buy a HUD Home and provides links to properties that are available near you for purchase from HUD. When someone with a mortgage insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can't meet their payments, the lender forecloses on the home. HUD pays the lender what is owed and HUD takes ownership of the home. Then HUD sells it at market value as quickly as possible.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Personal Financial Resources
(Separate Website)
This web site contains information and educational materials about: (1) Consumer Banking, (2) Consumer Protection, (3) Economics, (4) Home and Mortgages, (5) Interest Rates, (6) Loans and Credit, and much much more!
By: Federal Reserve System
Protecting Your Home Brochure
(Separate Website)
Information on predatory lending practices. PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Rural Housing Service Section 502 Program
Section 502 loans are primarily used to help low-income individuals or households purchase homes in rural areas.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program
The Nehemiah Program
(Separate Website)
The Nehemiah Program® exists to help people become homeowners. The Nehemiah Program® provides gift funds for down payment and closing costs to qualified buyers using an eligible loan program, such as FHA. Gift funds of 1% to 6% of the contract sales price can be requested, depending on the particular needs of the buyer.
By: The Nehemiah Program
When Your Home Is on the Line: What You Should Know
(Separate Website)
More and more lenders are offering home equity lines of credit. By using the equity in your home, you may qualify for a sizable amount of credit, available for use when and how you please, at an interest rate that is relatively low. Before making a decision, you should weigh carefully the costs of a home equity line against the benefits. Shop for the credit terms that best meet your borrowing needs without posing undue financial risk. And remember, failure to repay the amounts you've borrowed, plus interest, could mean the loss of your home.
By: Federal Reserve Board
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.)
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