Selling a Home As Is in Ohio (A-to-Z Guide)

An ‘as is’ real estate listing means the owner of the property wants to be relieved of the duty of making any repairs to complete the sale.

‘As is’ sellers must still follow state legal contract regulations and adhere to property transfer laws.

The term ‘as is’ simply means the buyer isn’t interested in dealing with any items in the house or on the property that might need repair or replacement.

Ohio sales contracts have an option for an ‘as is’ condition clause.

Yes, you can sell a home ‘as is’ in Ohio.

State law, however, requires the seller to inform potential buyers of any defects or other problems with the house that negatively impact its value by using a signed-and-dated formal disclosure.

If the buyer decides not to go through with the Ohio sale after reading the disclosure form, they can back out without any penalty.

We’re now ready to answer the question, “How do I go about selling my house ‘as is’ in Ohio.” Let’s start with a review of the basic steps.

Buckeye sales work pretty much the same way as other states with a couple of key exceptions.

1. Listing the property for sale and filling out the disclosure paperwork.
2. Marketing the house.
3. Concluding the sale by signing a sales contract and completing the required legal forms.
4. Finishing the legal transfer of the property title. Here’s where Ohio is a bit different from some other states. Title searches examine property records for any liens, and trace ownership and official title records. Escrow services at the title office handle the paperwork and the money exchange. In many states this is done by separate companies. Ohio transactions typically use a title company to handle both title and escrow work.
5. Completing the financing and providing the final settlement paperwork to both seller and buyer. This step involves lenders and underwriters who approve loans. When using a cash buyer, the traditional lending requirements are eliminated. The final settlement work includes things like taxes and any fees such as homeowner association dues. This document still needs to be completed to finalize the sale even in a cash sale.
6. While some states involve a lawyer in house sales, using a real estate attorney in Ohio is not a requirement.

How does selling a house ‘as is’ work in Ohio? Let’s focus on the first major task in selling your ‘as is’ property — the disclosure.

Ohio laws require a formal real estate disclosure outlining any issues that might decrease the value of the house, but there are three major exceptions:

1. Buckeye disclosure rules don’t apply to fiduciaries holding a property in a trust, or fiduciaries operating on behalf of a deceased relative.
2. The laws also don’t require a disclosure when selling the property as part of a conservatorship or guardianship.
3. If the seller inherited the property and hasn’t lived in the house for a year immediately prior to the sale, the seller is also off the hook for filling out and sharing a disclosure with potential buyers.

You’ll need an Ohio disclosure to inform the new buyer for any of the following:

• Selling a house with bad water supply, failed septic or sewer system problems, structural or foundation issues, as well as the presence of asbestos and mold, must have that disclosed.

• While haunted houses and bed bugs don’t need any disclosures, selling a house in Ohio when it has urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, polybutylene pipes, lead pipes, and levels of radon gas exceeding state limits do need disclosing.

• Selling a house in an area where fracking (hydraulic fracturing) happens needs to be disclosed. Fire damage and water damage also need a specific mention in the disclosure statement. Termite damage also needs to be noted on the disclosure.

• The federal law titled Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 requires all Ohio sellers to fill out a lead-based paint disclosure.

• When selling a house with unpermitted improvements or one that has citations for code violations, you must note those problems on the disclosure form.

• Selling a house in a floodplain (federally-designated flood zone) or that’s been flooded needs a formal disclosure in Ohio.

• You can leave stuff behind when you sell your Ohio house ‘as is,’ but you’ll need to let your buyer know in the disclosure statement that’s your plan.

Ohio doesn’t have a formal statute of limitation law for disclosures, but typically a five-year limit is used to “look back” on any disclosure statements.

Once you’ve completed the disclosure, you’ll be in a better place to determine the route to take – ‘as is’ or fixing. Next, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of selling ‘as is.’

Expert Insight

What are the common pitfalls related to properly disclosing the home’s condition?

The thing that trips people up most with an as-is sale is figuring “as-is means I don’t have to mention anything.” Not true here.

Ohio still makes you fill out the Residential Property Disclosure Form, and you have to be honest about what you know.

However, people often lie and I think the most important thing is to still get an inspection, or at least send one of my contractors through for a thorough walkthrough.

— Ryan Hawker, H3 Homebuyers, Owner

As-is generally means the seller is agreeing to purchase the property as-is, but it doesn’t mean the seller is not legally required to disclose material information about the property.

For example, items like mold, major plumbing issues, a leaking roof, etc.

Our rule of thumb is, if you’re wondering if you should disclose something, disclose it.

It’s better to disclose everything in order to not only protect the buyer but yourself as the seller against future litigation.

— Nick Kuang, Home Sweet Home Offers, Co-Owner

With estate sales, this can be tricky. Trustees and administrators assume because they have never lived in the property, so they don’t have to disclose anything.

Last year, a client of mine was selling his late mother’s home. He’d never lived there, but he knew about specific issues that had occurred in the house.

Even where an exemption to the disclosure form might apply, Ohio law still requires sellers to disclose material defects they have actual knowledge of.

We disclosed everything he knew, and the sale closed without a problem. The sellers who get sued after closing are almost never the ones who disclose too much.

— Marc A. Van Steyn, EasySell Cash Homebuyers, Owner

​​​​Why sell an Ohio house ‘as is’? A quick review of the pros and cons of selling ‘as is’ helps put things into perspective.

Pros of Selling Your House As Is

• Speedy sale. When you sell your house fast in Ohio ‘as is’, it typically takes less time when compared to making repairs and then putting your house up for sale.

• ‘As is’ sales eliminate the hassle of locating and hiring contractors to do repairs.

• Selling a house ‘as is’ typically doesn’t mean a number of open houses for the general public. If you have nosy neighbors, they may be disappointed when you don’t need to open your house to the looky-lous.

• Inspections aren’t usually required when signing for an ‘as is’ sale. Eliminating this step saves time and avoids tough negotiations from picky buyers.

• Removing the inspection step also means you won’t need to disclose those professional reports to other potential buyers. Any inspections done by a professional home inspector in Ohio must be shared with all potential buyers, even when the buyer who ordered the inspection doesn’t end up purchasing your property.

• You can typically leave stuff behind for the next owner when selling ‘as is’ in the Buckeye State.

Cons of Selling Your House As Is

• Your sales price will typically be lower compared with a turnkey sales offering.

• Errors on the disclosures may mean potential lawsuits. You are the point person for Ohio real estate sales laws.

• You’ll need to market it to attract buyers. Fixer-uppers have a unique and smaller pool of potential buyers (unless you are ready to sell it fast and below market value to a cash house buyer).

Sitting down with a balance sheet to compare the costs of selling for a lower price and doing the repairs might offer some insight to help make up your mind to sell or fix.

By factoring in the costs for contractors, materials, property taxes, and insurance, you might end up with more cash out from your house when selling ‘as is’ to a cash property buyer in Ohio.

The added costs during the repair down time are particularly true if you’re making mortgage payments during the repair period.

You can make the cost/profit analysis quickly with a more formal evaluation.

Once you’ve answered the question, “Should you sell your Ohio house ‘as is’ or fix it up?” the next step is to figure out if you want to represent yourself in the transaction or hire a professional to handle the sale.

Before we cover that decision, it’s helpful to know the estimated closing costs for sellers to weigh your selling options.

How to Sell a House As Is, Fast and For Cash Directly to an Investor

Selling your home to an investor might be a good option for you. Let’s talk more about this group of buyers.

Who Are Cash House Buyers?

Cash house buyers are investors or groups of investors with cash to move quickly in a home sale. They buy investment property in Ohio, repair, and then resell it.

Sometimes cash buyers focus on buying properties for rental income. They focus on purchasing fixer-uppers as well — to repair the house as a more affordable option to buying a turnkey rental.

Property investors in Ohio look for a variety of opportunities, including owners selling a house in poor condition, selling a house in a divorce situation, and people selling a house in probate.

Some investors look specifically for an owner selling a house with a tax lien or someone selling a house for job relocation. Some investors work with people who are downsizing.

Investors usually expect the house to need repairs. They also bring cash, so you won’t need to wait through the appraisals required for typical mortgage loans most buyers have to borrow to buy a home.

When you accept a cash house buyer offer, the investor will typically open the escrow with an investor-friendly title company in Ohio. That’s a firm that has experience with this type of sale.

Pros of Selling Your House As Is Directly to an Investor

• Sales move faster with investor cash offers.
• Using a cash house buyer eliminates the need for formal appraisals and the long underwriting periods to wait for loan approvals from traditional lenders.
• Inspections typically aren’t involved since there isn’t a traditional lender.
• When the seller and buyer don’t use agents, you’ll save those commission fees.
• Cash investors typically pay all of the closing costs.

Cons of Selling Your House As Is Directly to an Investor

• Your offer will be lower than the market value of the house. Cash buyers pay for house repairs and also budget a profit for their efforts. The price you’re offered reflects these things.
• For-sale-by-owner sellers aren’t represented by a professional to protect the seller’s best interests. Of course, disreputable investors typically don’t remain in business for the long term.

Finding the Best Cash House Buying Company

You’re now probably wondering, “Where do I find these cash house buying companies?” The easiest way to locate cash home buyers is using a basic internet search.

Limit your search terms to Ohio and the specific area where your house is located for the best results.

If you live in a rural or unincorporated area, use the nearest major city or town. For example:

• iBuyer companies in Cleveland OH
• Cash house buyers in Cleveland OH
• We buy houses Cleveland OH
• Sell my house for cash Cleveland OH
• Sell my house fast Cleveland OH

The companies in business for the longest time and with the best reputation typically show up at the top of a web search.

How to Choose an Ethical Investor?

There are many unethical people out there who would love to relieve you of your house in a cash sale. Fortunately, there are also many trustworthy investors who offer a fair ‘as is’ transaction.

The question is: How do I sort the ethical investors from the others?

There are a number of ways to investigate a potential buyer when requesting a cash offer on your home. These include:

• Your personal and business contacts are a great resource. Talk with them about their experiences.

• Check any investor licenses and certifications and make sure they’re still valid.

• Request a list of other completed real estate investments done by the investor. Look for companies and investors with at least three years of experience in the field.

• Ask for professional recommendations. Contact the companies used in their prior transactions. This might include a title company or an attorney.

• Browse social media for feedback about the person or company. One complaint might be overlooked, but lots of negative feedback citing specific problems means you should walk away.

• Look for prior legal problems. Check the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for any complaints or legal actions taken against potential investors.

• Request a copy of the sales contract used by the investor and have a qualified attorney evaluate it before signing anything.

Expert Insight

What should home sellers look for when screening cash house buyers?

I’d start by doing a little homework on the company before signing anything.

Look up how long they’ve been operating, read reviews across more than one website, and make sure you can identify the actual people behind the business.

In Ohio, you can also check whether the company is registered through the Secretary of State’s business search.

— Nick Kuang, Home Sweet Home Offers, Co-Owner

Ask for proof of funds. Legitimate cash buyers can show you a bank statement or letter proving the money exists sitting in an account somewhere.

Lots of companies advertise “we buy houses” but they aren’t end buyers. They’re wholesalers. A wholesaler will put a home under contract, then tries to sell that contract to an end buyer for a fee.

Ask: are you purchasing this house yourself, and will the name on the contract be the name on the deed at closing?

Make sure you check the contract for an assignment clause, or the term “assigns”. If they can’t answer that simple question or the contract lets them assign it to someone else, you’ve found a middleman.

— Marc A. Van Steyn, EasySell Cash Homebuyers, Owner

I run a “we buy houses” company.

I think the most important thing here is that you choose someone local who understands your market and treats you as a neighbor, not just some random deal that you can make some money on.

Meet with the person that is actually making the offer.

— Ryan Hawker, H3 Homebuyers, Owner

How to Sell a House As Is by Listing It by Owner

FSBO, or “for sale by owner”, refers to selling your home without using a real estate agent, allowing you to handle the process independently, including coming up with a reasonable price that determines its value. By using a house value estimator, you can get a better idea of your property’s worth.

When you’ve prepared your home for listing, the next step is finding ways to market it to your potential buyers. The next section will give you ideas how.

Where Can You List a House For Sale by Owner?

A sign is an easy way to sell a house by owner. That might work if your house is located in a hot neighborhood in a fast-moving market, but it’s no guarantee you’ll find qualified buyers that way.

Fortunately, signs aren’t the only way to advertise your ‘as is’ house. You can expand your buyer pool by using:

• FSBO listing sites help you promote your property for free or at a reasonable fee online.

• Flat-listing-fee brokers will post your house on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The MLS is available to licensed Realtors and gives you a multitude of potential buyers for your for-sale-by-owner property. You’ll pay a fee for this resource.

• Online services, like YouTube, are an excellent place to feature your property videos that can be included in your listings on property advertising websites.

Pros of Selling Your House by Listing It by Owner

• You’ll save money on the seller’s agent commission fees. Ohio real estate commissions typically ask the seller to pay 5-6% of the purchase price. That’s split between the two agents, so your savings may be half of that percentage.

• You can market directly to non-investors. Some buyers in this category look specifically for ‘as is’ properties to remodel to match their personal design tastes.

• You’re the boss. You set the price and control the marketing of your house.

Cons of Selling Your House by Listing It by Owner

• You still pay the ‘for sale by owner’ closing costs in a non-investor sale. Notably, you still pay the buyer’s agent. Non-investors typically use an agent to represent them, and that agent wants a commission.

• Potential legal problems. You might end up sued for failing to disclose problems with your house or making legal errors during the transaction.

• You aren’t represented by a professional who puts your interests first.

• Buyers typically need financing, and that means waiting for loan processing and approvals that are involved with traditional mortgage lending.

Expert Insight

What are the common pitfalls when selling a house by owner?

Selling a house by owner can work, especially if the seller already has a buyer or feels comfortable handling the process.

Pricing is usually the first challenge. Homeowners naturally know what they paid, what they have put into the house, and what they hope to walk away with, but buyers are comparing the property with other recent sales.

Pricing too high can cause the home to sit, while pricing too low can erase much of the commission savings the seller was trying to keep.

Another common pitfall is underestimating how much work goes into marketing and showing the property.

Good photos, accurate listing information, showing coordination, buyer follow-up, and negotiation all matter.

Sellers also need to think carefully about safety when allowing strangers into the home.

— Nick Kuang, Home Sweet Home Offers, Co-Owner

The big ones I see are people pricing it off emotion instead of real comps, skipping the disclosure form and proper paperwork, and not checking whether your buyer can actually pay.

Sellers get so wrapped up in “well Suzie down the street sold her house for $400,000 and I should get that for mine too!” thought process when “Suzie” has a fully remodeled house with 5 more acres and their house needs a full remodel.

These people need to be realistic and understand what their property is really worth.

— Ryan Hawker, H3 Homebuyers, Owner

Who Are Real Estate Agents?

Ohio Realtors guide you through real estate transactions. Licensed agents know the laws and procedures and make buying and selling easier.

This includes finding a buyer for your home and negotiating the best deal for you.

Ohio real estate agents and brokers work under licenses issued by the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing in the Ohio Department of Commerce.

Agents using the title “Realtor” belong to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Members of this trade organization must meet professional standards and work by following a strict ethical code.

All Ohio agents must follow state licensing and real estate regulations, but Realtors are also on the hook for supervision by the Ohio Realtors, a state branch of the NAR.

Pros of Selling Your House As Is with a Real Estate Agent

• You’ll receive the highest selling price when you use a professional agent with experience selling in your area.

• Professional agents have a fiduciary duty to you. That means the agent is obligated to prioritize your best interests. You come first with your licensed agent.

Cons of Selling Your House As Is with a Real Estate Agent

• The cost of selling a house with a Realtor is higher. Ohio commissions are negotiable, but they typically run between 5-6% of the selling price, and you’ll pay Ohio closing costs. Sellers traditionally pay the entire commission bill.

• Most buyers working with agents require mortgage loans. That means loan approval and appraisals that typically take weeks to complete.

• Agent-assisted sales usually move much more slowly than selling directly to an investor.

How to Choose an Ethical Real Estate Agent?

Finding an ethical real estate agent requires a bit of time, but it’s well worth the effort when you find the right agent to match your selling needs.

• Talk with your neighbors or friends who have sold homes with a local agent.

• Investigate licensing for potential agents by using the Division of Real Estate eLicense Center at the Ohio Department of Commerce website.

• Use Ohio’s Better Business Bureau website to investigate your agent. Research by using the specific geographic location for your local BBB office.

• Ask friends and family members for recommendations. Happy clients are a good way to narrow your search for an ethical agent.

We’ve covered the basics about selling a house ‘as is’. You now have the general knowledge to make serious decisions about selling your house in ‘as is’ condition. It’s time to sell!

Expert Insight

What should home sellers look for when screening real estate agents to hire?

We always encourage sellers to speak to at least three different agents before choosing one. The more the merrier.

The goal should not be to find the person who promises the highest sale price. It should be to find someone who understands the local market, communicates clearly, and can support their recommendations with real information.

Ask about their recent experience in your area and with homes similar to yours. A good agent should be able to show you comparable sales and explain how they came up with the suggested listing price.

Be careful with anyone who gives you a much higher number than everyone else but cannot clearly support it. Sometimes agents overprice a home just to win the listing.

— Nick Kuang, Home Sweet Home Offers, Co-Owner

There are too many agents who treat real estate like a hobby and not a business.

The best question a homeowner can ask is this: show me your specific marketing plan for my house. Not the brokerage’s plan but yours.

Most agents will take a couple of pictures, put a sign in the yard, hold an open house, wait and pray.

Agents worth hiring should be able to walk you through exactly what advertising or marketing plan they personally have for your property.

If the agent leans on what their brokerage does only, that’s a red flag. The brokerage isn’t solely responsible for the marketing; the agent is.

— Marc A. Van Steyn, EasySell Cash Homebuyers, Owner

Go read their reviews and call somebody they’ve worked with.

— Ryan Hawker, H3 Homebuyers, Owner