Realtors urge city to fix ADDIE inspection, communication issues after buyers lose offers

Several members of the Greater Cincinnati Realtors Association and local agents told Cincinnati City Council on Monday that inconsistencies and delays in the American Dream Down Payment Initiative, known as ADDIE, are blocking home purchases and imposing costs on buyers.

Al Rosser, chairman of the Greater Cincinnati Realtors Association, told the council the association wants to partner with the city to “create, communicate, and execute clear and consistent inspection criteria” for ADDIE and to improve communications with local lenders and buyers. “We'd love to work with the city…to form a review process for administering the ADDIE grant,” Rosser said.

The council heard multiple concrete examples backing Rosser’s remarks. Shawna Davis, a licensed agent since 2022, said a client lost a house after the city’s inspection flagged items a week after the contract inspection window closed. “My client really wanted the home…she paid the money to fix the items,” Davis said. Later the city informed the agent the home exceeded the funding limit by $5,000 and the buyer could not close with ADDIE funds; the buyer lost more than $1,000 in inspection and appraisal fees, Davis said.

Denise Taylor, a 22‑year licensed agent, described long approval waits and inconsistent inspections. “We had a buyer who spent several months waiting for approval…only to find out that they did not qualify after several months,” Taylor said. She urged the council to “streamline both the approval and inspection process, ensuring clear and consistent standards so buyers are not left in limbo.”

Kyra Graves, a 32‑year agent and troubleshooter on her office’s files, described a case in which city inspectors failed to respond to messages and an inspector’s voicemail went unanswered; the file ultimately closed on March 13 after lengthy delay. Maura Lynch, also with the Realtors, said one client was approved for $10,000 but later was told she did not meet income criteria and was turned down; inspectors then contacted the client months after she moved in.

A city staff member explained to the room that ADDIE (the American Dream Down Payment Initiative) provides funds through the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development that can help with down payments up to about $14,000. Council members did not take formal action during the meeting; they thanked the speakers and acknowledged the concerns.

Why it matters: Down payment assistance programs are commonly used to increase homeownership among first‑time and moderate‑income buyers. Residents and Realtors said inconsistent inspection standards, windows for inspections, communication lapses and unclear income or funding limits are causing buyers to lose homes or to absorb nonrefundable costs.

What speakers asked for: The Realtors group requested standardized inspector criteria and timelines, clearer qualification rules (including a suggested change from a front‑end DTI requirement to a back‑end debt‑to‑income measure), better outreach to local lenders, and faster inspector responses to prevent last‑minute disqualifications.

Council response and next steps: Council members acknowledged the testimony and said they appreciate the suggestions. No ordinance, grant change or motion was introduced during the meeting related to ADDIE; city staff were not recorded committing to a specific policy change on the record at that time.

Ending: Realtors said they support ADDIE and want it to continue; their testimony asked the city to fix procedural issues they say are preventing qualified buyers from using the funds. The council did not vote on ADDIE changes at the session but received multiple, detailed accounts that proponents said warrant administrative review.