| |
| |
|
Real Estate Information |
|
|
Fraud in Real Estate, Are You Being Victimized? - Part II
The phone range and Peter was on the other end of the line. "Willard, I have a friend of mine that has a real estate problem." I said, "Send him over." Two hours later, Jerry sat in front of me terribly upset. Three years earlier, he had been talked into buying a 4 unit building in partnership with Smooth Talker, a knowledgeable, smooth talking real estate salesman. Smooth Talker offered to find the property, arrange the financing, manage the building and even put up the down payment. Jerry was told that all he had to do was use his perfect credit to qualify for the loan and then sit back, wait seven years and the money would come rolling in. Smooth Talker also promised that the two of them would do more deals and Jerry would make over $100,000. What Jerry did not know and he would not figure out until 3 years later was that Smooth Talker had no intention of splitting anything and Jerry could kiss his perfect credit goodbye. 3 years ago, Smooth Talker had Jerry and two other buyers, buy three buildings, located on one street. The buildings cost $150,000 each. Smooth Talker put up $1,500 down payment for each property, while at the same time, telling the buyers that he was putting in $12,000.00 for each. There was an unexplained difference of $10,500 each. Smooth Talker also collected a $9,000 Real Estate commission on each. Smooth Talker also agreed to take the building in as-is condition, with no inspections and without requiring the seller to make any repairs. There were, unknown to Jerry $10,000 worth of air-conditioning as well as other work. Smooth Talker had those other two buyers borrow from the Federal Government a remodeling loan of $48,000 to make the needed repairs. When those other two buyers each got their loans, Smooth Talker took all the money and said he spent it on Jerry's building. Let me clarify that. Smooth Talker stole the money from the other two investors, telling them he used it on Jerry's building. That is still stealing. My research later showed that he did almost no repairs to any of the buildings, and what little repairs he did have done, were not even paid for. Smooth Talker cheated the poor workers out of their pay. No one could ever understand what he was doing. He even collected rent, pocketing any cash. When the buyers wanted an accounting. Smooth Talker wouldn't even supply it. When I came on the scene and demanded, as a matter of law, an accounting of what was received and spent. Smooth Talker didn't have any proof of what happen to all the money. Jerry wanted out of the partnership but Smooth Talker didn't want the building sold; but he did want to make sure he got his due, if it was. He gave me a statement showing that he had put in $34,000 (which was not true) into the building and wanted that before any split of profits. This would of left Jerry receiving $5,000 and Smooth Talker making $46,400 on the whole deal. To avoid being in this kind of a situation, I advice the following, before doing any sort of real estate deal; a) Evaluate your risk. What is your downside? Have a real estate expert study the deal. b) Set up operating and reporting guidelines with your partners. Put everything in clear English. c) Have everything reviewed by an attorney or an accountant. d) Choose your people partners with care. About The Author Willard Michlin is an Investor, Business Broker, California Real Estate Broker, Accountant, Financial Distress Consultant, Well known Public speaker and Administrative/Business Consultant. He can be contacted at his Ventura, California office by calling 805-529-9854 or by e-mail at kismetrei@earthlink.net See other article by Willard at http://www.kismetgroup.com
MORE RESOURCES: This RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Choosing a Reputable Real Estate Appraiser When you are considering purchasing a property; either for investment or personal use you will need to hire a real estate appraiser. If you are financing the purchase through your credit union or another financial institution will most likely be required to hire a real estate appraiser to perform an appraisal on the property. FSBO - Selling Your Home FSBO (for sale by owner) - Is It Worth It? FSBO, what is it? FSBO means For Sale by Owner, and it's a term that's generally referred to when you're selling your home without soliciting help from a Realtor.FSBO, what's the benefit to you? You'll save thousands of dollars in commissions if you sell your home this way. For Sale in Ridgefield Ridgefield Connecticut, located near the New York border, is a small, quiet town, and a great place to live. There are many types of homes that are for sale in Ridgefield, including luxury homes. Investing In Real Estate Investors With the never-ending changes in our Real Estate Markets real estate professionals are starting to pay attention to the sound of new commission streams of income. Some realtors have either shied away or ran-away from such terms as "Cap Rate," & "Cash-on-Cash Returns. Buying Houses at Discount Prices Buying a house is the best way you can create immediate equity. Gaining equity through buying a house is something which is very easy to do, as long as you follow these guidelines. How to Find and Buy a Bargain House with Little or No-Money Down Real estate investors know how to make money buying distressed houses. Investors recognize that bargain houses offer the best way to make a return quickly. Evil Gains Entry When we open our doors to strangers, we can never be certain what malice an outsider might bring in. Police officers tell us to keep our doors locked with good reason. Home Buying: Things To Keep In Mind So you've decided you want to own a home and now you want to begin your search for one. Before jumping into a home search, there are a few things you should keep in mind when going about buying a home. Empty Nesters Flock To Inner City Babyboomers whose children have left home, commonly known as "empty-nesters" are buying inner city apartments in record numbers.Director of Acton Special Projects, Marc Drexel says the trend is towards quality rather than mass developments. Feel At Home Faster After You Move Moving to a new community can be a great adventure, if you go with the right attitude and a sound strategy for settling-in. Incorporate these tips into an action plan, and you'll stay focused, organized and proactive-just what's needed to put roots down fast. Is a Vacation Home Right for You? Many of us dream about owning the vacation home in the Mountains, or on the Lake or Ocean. A place where one can retreat periodically from the hustle-bustle of everyday life. 10 Important Tips to Successful Real Estate Investing When it comes to investing, everybody has certain goals and aspirations. However, we have found that there are certain guidelines every aspiring real estate investor needs to know:1. The Many Benefits Of Lease Purchasing Lease Purchasing affords wonderful benefits and opportunities to sellers, buyers, investors and those who would like to operate a home-based business. Lease Purchasing allows you to control property without ownership which has benefits for all. The Real Estate Bubble Fallacy There has been a lot of talk lately about the "Real Estate Bubble", and a lot of folks are asking the question: "When it is going to burst"?They are saying that the market just can't sustain this level of growth and appreciation much longer, and I heat them say that it is inevitable that it must come crashing down soon. People are worried. Home Staging Strategies Who are you preparing your home to sell to?You, as a home seller, have two initial choices.1. Home Appraisal Values Are Critical To most, owning a home is a necessity, but sometimes it is a matter of pride or a business investment. Home appraisal values become relevant if one wishes to sell his house. Create a Sizzling Home Sales Flyer Did you know that the sales flyer is the most important tool in selling a house?Even if your home is listed with an agent, check the flyer that your agent has created, to see if you can jazz it up. Examine it closely, to make sure that all your amenities are listed. Death, Taxes, and Foreclosures So how do you find the best foreclosures. Its not easy as the business is very competitive, especially in this current crazy real estate boom. The Sadness of Old Buildings From the book No Smooshing!For years, I've carried on a not-so-friendly debate with some of my artist friends from the West Coast about their ideas of what constitutes a good subject. We seem to be able to agree on certain things, like apples and oranges-and even certain landscapes. How to Buy a Home When Your in Your Twenties A Single's Game of Real Estate(Getting started in your twenties)Due to the fact that most of us grow up in either a rented apartment or our parent's single family home, it stands to reason that most people, when beginning to ask themselves the question of purchasing their own dwelling, will come to the conclusion that a condo or small house is probably the way to go. That's a result of conditioning and it's a hard mindset to break! After taking the time to talk to or personally guide a respectable number of people in their twenties, I have come to find that firm, direct and accurate information can really adjust the reality of how real estate can be acquired and used to their best advantage starting with property that sets the tone for a much more profitable and rewarding future.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 TIGER MEDIA |