| |
| |
|
Real Estate Information |
|
|
We Buy Houses Scams - How to Spot Them and How to Avoid Them
There are many reasons why a home owner would want to sell a house fast. Job change, relocation, debt problems, divorce and inheritance are just a few. Unfortunately, people in need also tend to attract predators who have no problem profiting from someone else's misfortune. If you're looking to sell a house fast, here are a few scams to be on the lookout for and how to avoid becoming a victim yourself. Equity Skimming One of the most common types of "we buy houses" scams allows the "buyer" of the home to make off with most or all of your equity. It begins with you transferring your home's deed to the "buyer." The buyer may then have you make payments to him instead of the mortgage company, or he may have you move out so he can begin renting out the house. There are several ways the buyer can then profit from this transaction. First, he receives some sort of payment every month - whether from you or from the renter. Second, he can use the equity in your home to secure home equity loans or other lines of financing. Third, he can simply resell the house without satisfying the outstanding mortgage. Ultimately, once most of his profit is exhausted, he simply stops making payments on the mortgage and allows the home to go into foreclosure, because while he holds the deed to the home, he never assumed liability for the mortgage. As a result, you are left with a foreclosed home, no remaining equity and a significant black spot on your credit history. Contract Bait and Switch The contract "bait and switch" is a clever scheme that takes advantage of the trust between buyer and seller. In one version of this scam, the home buyer inspects your house and makes a verbal offer that you accept. A few days later, he presents you with a written contract that he presents as "just a formal, legal version" of your verbal agreement. Because you believe it to be the same offer you had already agreed to, you simply skim it and sign on the dotted line. In the time between signing and closing, he may also deliver one or more "minor changes" to the contract. He presents these as simply "a few tweaks" and nothing that really affects the original agreement. At some point, though, possibly at the closing or even later, you discover that the last contract you signed actually bears little resemblance to the initial offer, and you are either stuck with a losing home sale or tangled in legal battles for months or even years to get out of the contract. Liberian FSBO This scam is an interesting twist on the Nigerian Scam or 419 Scam. In it, a person outside the U.S. contacts you after seeing your house on a For Sale By Owner site, telling you that he is looking to move to the U.S. soon and can pay cash for your home. His story is compelling to the point that you actually feel good about helping him out - not to mention being able to sell your home. Ultimately, though, his only goal is to get you to transfer him money and/or to get access to your bank account so that he can transfer the funds himself before you realize what has happened. And because he is outside the U.S., recovering your money can be next to impossible. How to Protect Yourself from Scams If you need to sell a house fast, here are a few rules for protecting yourself from falling prey to a scam like these. Only Work with Professionals The best way to protect yourself from scams is to work only with professionals who have an established history of home buying. These days, anyone can order a book from an infomercial and become a "professional home buyer," but real professionals have been in business for many years and have closed millions of dollars in real estate transactions. Their primary concern is the health of their business, and they will not risk that by cheating you or otherwise treating you unfairly. Check Out the Buyer If you have any concerns about the buyer, don't hesitate to check them out. Contact your state Attorney General's office, your state's Real Estate Commission, or your District Attorney's Consumer Fraud Unit. If they are an established business, also check out the Better Business Bureau.Always Understand What You're Signing Not asking questions because you are afraid of looking stupid could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars or more if you end up in a deal that wasn't what you thought it was. A lawyer or even your mortgage company can help you if you want professional advice from a third party. Never, ever sign a contract that you don't understand. Get All Agreements in Writing If a disagreement arises about a verbal agreement, the issue becomes your word against theirs and often must go to a court of law to be settled. Don't risk that. Insist that all terms be in writing, and don't agree to anything that isn't.Be Willing to Walk Away If you have any doubts about the buyer or the contract - or if it just doesn't feel right - just walk away. It's never worth the months (and maybe years) of future headaches to sell your house a few days sooner. Conclusion If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. So don't get so emotionally tied up in the sale of your home that you abandon caution and logic. Your home is both a major financial obligation and a major asset. Falling prey to a scam like these will have major repercussions many, many years down the road - and maybe for the rest of your life. Duane LeGate is president of House Buyer Network, America's fastest-growing home buying service. Since 2002, the company's nationwide network of professional home buyers has helped more than 45,000 families and individuals who needed to sell a property fast - processing more than $7.5 billion in property during that time.
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
Should You Sell Before the Housing Bubble Pops For the past several years housing prices have risen dramatically. With interest rates continuously moving up, and more and more people being priced out of the market, all signs point to an imminent housing market correction. How to Buy Fixers for Profit Do you dream of becoming a multi-millionaire real estate investor? Here's how to get started: find a bargain "fixer-upper" owned by a worried seller. The hardest house for a homeowner to sell is a "doghouse," "dump," or "fixer-upper. Helpful Hints for First-Time Home Buyers Buying a house can be a daunting task, even for someone who has owned several homes. My husband and I recently purchased our first home together, and it was hard to find good advice that we truly found useful. An Investors 1st and Most Important Lesson Are you ready for the lesson that will put you ahead of 99% of all real estate investors?Here it is in a nutshell ?USE AS LITTLE CASH AS POSSIBLE!The days of mortgage burning parties are long over. But you will still meet people who believe that it is good idea to pay off the mortgage on a property so that they can have big cash flow. Burn, Baby, Burn! Luxury homes are lots of fun to inspect. Sure, the pay is better too, but mostly it's just fun to see how the other half lives! I also get to meet those people who have reached such a level of financial success that they are buying a home that seems like it could have been a boarding school!One of the fun aspects of inspecting large and expensive homes is seeing furnishing and interior design work at the highest level. I Believe God Wants Me To Tell All In Real Estate After years of experience in the real estate industry I felt that God wanted me to write about everything in real estate. There were young people that were not being protected by anyone, including buyer's agents. How to Afford Your Dream Home Is it your dream to one day own a holiday home in the sun; a beautiful house where you can escape, relax and be free of the worries that seem to go hand in hand with every day life?Well, you're not alone!A recent survey by a well known mortgage lender in the UK revealed that up to one in three Britons not only dream about owning a home in the sun but fully intend to make that dream a reality some day. And in the US the number of Americans planning to one day buy that ideal second home haven is now up to three in ten people. How to Research and Purchase a Good Investment Property How much do you really know about investment property? Accurate research and professional expertise applied to the purchase of an investment property builds a solid foundation for financial success. You may want to work with a REALTOR who can help to identify the great opportunities in investment properties in the area of your choice. Good Tenants - Learn Twelve Ways Landlords Keep Them Happy, Long-term Good Tenants Paying On TimeHow to Create a Win-Win Relationship for the Both of You!After you've found your tenants, how do you keep them? Establish a friendly, pleasant, business-like relationship with your tenants, so they'll want to renew again each year. By using one or a few ideas below, you will learn how to keep good tenants. How To Buy Property in Spain Safely Buying property abroad is not an undertaking one should embark upon lightly! It is not wise to assume that the entire purchase process will follow the rules we're used to 'back home' and generally speaking there are usually a whole new set of rules and regulations, traditions and traps to learn, understand and watch out for.Spain is absolutely no exception and has a tangled web of laws and legislation seemingly designed to trip up an unwary real estate buyer. Fixing Houses: Mixing Your Own Paint for Savings and Harmony To make the maximum profit on your investment properties, you'll need to save money wherever you can. One way to save significant amounts of money is to mix your own paint. Real Estate: Reasons and Priorities for Purchasing Property Real Estate: Reasons and Priorities for Purchasing Property. It's not just about Real Estate as an Investment. 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. First-time Home Buyers - 100% Home Loans There is an increasing trend in South Africa that is seeing youths entering property market at a much earlier age. These youths are mostly first-time home buyers, applying for their first home loan, who have been renting for a short while and feel the need to invest in a property of their own. Real Estate Investing Produces Extraordinary Profits Imagine making $5000 a year from real estate investing without recognizing you are real estate investing!Real estate values are so dynamic. The marketplace is always fluid and changing. Property Investors, Scrub Your Thoughts and Start Again - Brazil, Brazil, Brazil! Brazil Property - FortalezaThe PlaceWhat to do in a place like this - You can swim, surf, dive, sail, golf, play ball, ride, explore, bargain hunt, sight see, explore, drive a dune buggy for 100 miles in any direction, or take a jeep up a steep mountain trail. You can explore environmental preserves, or just swing in a hammock and do nothing at all. Salt Lake City Real Estate From the mountains to the valley, there are many types of Salt Lake City real estate to choose from.Cabins:Cabins nestled into the mountains on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley are a great place to escape for those who have a home in the valley (or nearby). Should You Sell Your Home Yourself? Are you thinking about selling your home? Would you like to sell it by yourself instead of hiring a real estate agent? If so it would be beneficial to review the pros and cons of selling your home by yourself before hanging out the sign.PROSSelling your home without an agent means More Money. Important Information For Condo Buyers Here is a step by step guide for buyers looking to buy a condo in any area. These are important tactics to make a solid and accurate judgement on the property you're looking to purchase. Location, Location, Location Location, location, location - known as the 3 most important factors when buying a property, and it is easy to see why. The location of your property dictates how much yield you get, and how much capital growth, which ultimately decides how well you do.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 TIGER MEDIA |