Marion County, in Land Contract Cautions

Land contracts let buyers pay sellers instead of using a mortgage, but Marion County buyers typically did not receive the deed until final payment.
Marion County’s homeownership rate was ~55%, yet a local housing review said that headline number masked racial disparities in who could access traditional ownership.
A local review of 600 Marion County contracts found ~85% went to Hispanic-sounding names, while four firms accounted for ~41% of recorded deals.
In a review of ~40 Marion County contracts, default terms let sellers pursue eviction without notice, and some buyers were potentially removed without any filing.
Possible protections included requiring land contracts to be filed with the county clerk and clarifying default terms, steps lawmakers discussed but had not finalized.