Real estate scam

When I was looking for office space to start my business I had to do heavy research to make sure that the location was good and the office space was well maintained. Prior to that I have purchased and sold property as a property owner. I understand one of the most rewarding and stressful experiences is renting or purchasing property. Especially as a new property owner or renter unfortunately there are scammer waiting to take advantage of your inexperience when dealing with property.  So besides checking out the location, the price and how much you need to get started in your renter/home owner experience let me offer a few suggestions to be aware of when a scammer maybe trying to lure you into taking your money.

So there are a few property scams the most popular is the renting scam. So you are searching online for your possible rental property it look great clean good location all the closet space you need. The scam is that the property is not available. So with technology comes the advantage of downloading picture off the internet and being able to make a fake post online of the property. So you see the rental property on a website you make contact with the fraudster posing as the land lord. When you make arrangements to meet the landlord they are unavailable but will only deal with you through email or deal with you only over the phone. This is the first clue that something is wrong. You should be able to meet and see the property with the land lord at a given time. When they ask for a payment it may be to a place overseas or a P.O. Box this is your second clue. At no time you should give any money without meeting and seeing the property.

The other rental scam is a homeowner who is near foreclosure. They will show you the property take your money allow you to move in and before you know it the bank is asking you to leave the property and the fraudster now where to be found. There are online databases you can use to determine who the owner of the property is so you know you are not being scammed. There are free services you can use which will provide accurate information on the property and the owner. Any foreclosure properties have to be filed with the county clerk. So it would be a good idea to visit them when you are close to making a decision on our rental property or before any money is exchanged.

I hope this is helpful as always please leave a message

Mark Carbajal