Sourcing standards
How this guide checks Ohio programs
What we read, how often we reread it, and what the stamps on each listing mean.
Where do the numbers come from?
From the people who hand out the money. Our file on Ohio holds 18 programs and 50 official documents behind them. For Ohio Heroes, that is the state housing agency's consumer pages, its lender rate sheets and its county income charts. For a city grant, it is the city's own housing department page or brochure. Directories, lender ads and news write-ups are leads at best; nothing gets printed here on their word. If two official documents give different figures, the program's page tells you both.
How fresh is it?
Look for the month stamp on each listing. That is the last time someone opened the official source and compared it line by line. Statuses get changed the week we learn a pot of money is empty, a new funding year starts, or an amount moves. Dead programs are deleted. Programs that are merely paused keep their listing with a Closed stamp, because paused programs often return with the next budget.
Decoding the stamps
| Stamp or label | In plain terms |
|---|---|
| Open | You can apply today, usually through a lender on the program's approved list. |
| Money can run out | One budget per year, handed out in order. Ask your lender to confirm dollars are left. |
| Waitlist | This year's dollars are committed. Your name goes in line for the next batch. |
| Closed | No applications accepted at the moment. Watch for the next funding cycle. |
| Grant, no repayment | A gift. Nothing comes due, ever. |
| Forgivable loan | Shrinks to zero once you have lived in the house for the required stretch. Leave early and the balance is yours to pay. |
| Deferred loan, no monthly bill | Sits as a lien. The whole amount is collected at sale, refinance or move-out. |
| Loan with a monthly payment | An ordinary second loan with its own payment. |
House rules
- The word "grant" appears only when the program's own terms promise you will never repay.
- No confirmed amount, no full report. Unconfirmed programs get a one-line entry until the administrator publishes terms.
- Listings are free. No program, lender or agency can buy a spot or a better position.
- We are a publisher. We do not lend, and we do not work for the state.
Seen an error?
Tell us. Send the program name and what changed to leads@ohdownpmtassistance.com. We go back to the source before touching the page.
