Ohio Professional Housing Provider (OPHP) Program

What is OPHP?
OPHP stands for Ohio Professional Housing Provider

What is the OPHP designation?
The OPHP designation is a statewide, education-based certification program designed by the Ohio Real Estate Investors Association to recognize the high level of knowledge and professionalism among the designation holders. It is sponsored and overseen by OREIA.

Why obtain the OPHP designation?
OREIA’s goal is for OPHP designation holders to be recognized as serious investors who have put forth the time and effort to study the processes, procedures, and ethical conduct of real estate investing.

Course of study
The course of study will be divided into 42 clock hours of core courses and 18 hours of elective topics for a total of 60 hours of formal education. The core topics are as follows:

Appraisal – 2 hours
Including formal appraisal methods (cost, income, and replacement methods), Haines instruction and demos, how to compare properties, etc.

Contract Law – 3 hours
Including basic contract law; using contracts and clauses to protect yourself; developing contracts such as leases, options, purchase contracts, etc., for the real estate investment business.

Ethics – 1 hour
Including ethics in financing, negotiation, etc.

Exit Strategies – 2 Hours
Including discussions regarding wholesaling, retailing, lease/options, renting, selling with owner financing, etc.

Fair Housing Law – 3 hours
Including federal, state, and local fair housing 

Finance – 6 hours
Including conventional financing, FHA/VA financing, owner financing of all types, comparing financing, offering financing.

Inspections – 2 hours
Including pre- and post-purchase inspections; move-in and move-out inspections.

Insurance – 2 hours
Including what type of property insurance is appropriate for investment property; negotiating for best rates and coverage; renter’s insurance, worker’s compensation, liability insurance, etc.

Landlord/Tenant Law – 2 hours
Including responsibilities of landlords and tenants, evictions, etc.

Management – 4 hours
Including record keeping, dealing with tenants, maximizing cash flow, etc.

Marketing – 2 hours
Including how to market properties for sale and for rent; how to market to prospective sellers.

Negotiation – 3 hours
Including negotiating with sellers, buyers, renters, contractors, vendors, banks, etc.

Purchasing – 2 hours
Including finding deals and calculating profitability

Rehab, Classroom – 1 hour
Including estimating rehab costs, which projects will pay for themselves, etc.

Rehab, Hands-on – 1 hour
Including actual hands-on opportunities and demonstrations, volunteer work for organizations such as Habitat For Humanity, and rehab property tours.

Regulations, Local – 2 hours
Including zoning and building codes, foreclosure laws, etc. Attendance at meetings of the city council or other political bodies for the purpose of learning, testifying, objecting to new or existing local laws can be counted.

Regulations, Federal – 2 hours
Including regulations affecting real estate investment OTHER THAN tax laws and fair housing laws, such as lead paint regulations, wetlands regulations, underground storage tank regulations, Environmental Quality Zone regulations, etc.

Tax Law – 2 hours
Including calculating and minimizing taxes, and tax laws as they affect the real estate investor, 1031 exchanges, property taxes.

The remaining 18 hours may include further education in any combination of the above subject areas, as selected by the OPHP candidate.

How will I obtain these hours?
These hours may be obtained through local association meetings and seminars OR through pre-approved courses taught outside of the local groups. All outside courses and seminars must meet the following requirements: they must be taught live; they must be pre-approved by the OPHP committee; and they must provide a certificate of attendance acceptable to the OPHP committee.

Continuing education to maintain OPHP designation
Once the OPHP designation has been obtained, designees must complete 20 hours of continuing education every two years in order to maintain the designation. These hours are elective and may be used by the designee to continue his or her education as he/she sees fit.

Download the OPHP Manual

Goals of OREIA
The Ohio Real Estate Investor’s Association believes that creating well-educated investors is important in our efforts to build the credibility of our members and our association. We also believe that the ability to present our members as dedicated, educated professionals will aid in the political action to which we are dedicated. While this education is already the mission of the local associations, we hope that a statewide designation will further this goal by making legislators, regulators, and the public at large recognize that we are not simply “landlords”, but informed business persons who make an ongoing contribution to our communities.

Member of OREIA

The Akron Canton Real Estate Investors Association does not collect personal information about its website users. As a non-profit organization we do not engage in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. We do not endorse products or services nor take a political position on any issue. Please see our complete disclaimer of liability for more information. 1/1/2010