Just last evening, I heard of another scam artist taking money from a "renter." Problem is, the home didn't belong to the scammer, and they advertised the property on Craig's List. Somehow they - the scammer - got a key to the house which was vacant, and rented it to an unsuspecting tenant who paid a $1,500 security/rental deposit. Unbeknownst to them, the real owner shows up surprised that someone is moving in.
People, in Maricopa County, you can check on the Maricipa County Recorder's website to find the REAL owner. So many people out there waiting to grab unearned income by scamming.
Be careful, and check to make sure that the home you are renting is (1) owned by the real owner, and (2) check to see if there are any foreclosures pending on a potential rental. There are many people collecting rent for a home they are not making payments to their lender, and thus, it goes into foreclosure. Be very wary!!!
Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: MesaAzRealEstateVoice; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog
Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.382-8711 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit my website: HomesAzRE.com, or stop by my blogs at: MesaAzRealEstateVoice and AzLadyInRed!
Our mangement tells us to get a property profile for lease properties as well, and to make sure the landlords are up to date with payments, etc. They end up being almost as much work as a sale!!
Carol, excellent idea; though you're right about this being a LOT of work. An actual profile, huh? I'll have to think on that one. I typically don't do many of these. Leasing is can be a challenge these days....;-)
Teri, We've heard about phony sellers actually selling someone else's home in other areas, we haven't heard about it here yet. Better be careful out there.
Teri, isn't it amazing the depths some folks will go to? These guys are creative, I'll give 'em that.
Teri, this is a very important message for those that need to find a place to rent. I flagged it for "Featured" and I hope that the public gets ahold of it.
Great advice Teri, some of the questions on Trulia lately have been about people doing rent to own and putting down large deposits only to find the seller was NOT who they thought and the house goes into foreclosure.
Teri, there are many scams going on on Craigslist, including out-of-town renters who want to rent the property sight unseen for more money than the advertised rent. You receive the check and are supposed to send the balance of money somewhere to "pay for something" for them. In the end, you deposit gets returned unpaid and you are out the money you paid for them, and they never show up. Sad!
Hi Teri - The scammer that is able to get a key to your home is pretty darn good at his line of work :)
Jacqueline, it is definitely something we need to warn people about. We're typically more aware of this type of behavior, but the public always isn't. ;-)
Jesse, it seems that wherever there's money to be made, someone comes up with an idea on how to take it. It doesn't matter from where....or how they do it, unfortunately. ;-)
Mark, I'll put it on my website and my other blog as well....hopefully that will help. ;-)
Missy, Craigslist - in my opinion - is being used by scrupulous thieves as well as honest folks. I think it's a good idea for people to work with a Realtor, don't you? ;-)
Bill, it's hard do know where they get the key. Even these days, our lockboxes are stolen...;-)