Columbus home buyers and renters can feel pressured in fast-moving markets. When property inventories are lean and housing costs are rising, the quest to find a new home has a certain urgency. When you add in today’s social distancing and remote transaction practices, it creates a perfect stage for real estate scammers.
Real estate scams typically work like this: the scammer duplicates a real estate listing, makes a few changes, and posts it on social media and various websites. The contact info is changed to the scammer’s email and text number. The copycat listing is shown as “for rent” or “for sale by owner” or “rent-to-own” with attractive terms.
The first red flag of a scam is that the contact person will be difficult to reach, except by text or email. They will have an excuse for being “out of town.”
The second red flag will be the scammer’s inability to show you the home. Instead, you’ll be told to look around the property and peek through the windows. They will invent stories to explain any real estate company signs.
The third red flag is the demand for an up-front security deposit or down payment. The scammer will tell you to wire money in exchange for keys and paperwork through the mail. Once the money is wired – to an untraceable overseas account – the scammer disappears!
The lost funds are rarely recovered. The online nature of the scam enables the perpetrator to be located anywhere in the world. A first-time home buyer or newly-formed household can easily fall for the trap.
Home buyers, when you become our Buyer-Client, we will help you with your home search, and show you any home on the market that meets your criteria. This includes homes for sale by owner, and for sale by home builders, and homes listed on the Columbus Regional Multiple Listing Service! This gives you the widest possible selection of homes for sale, with exclusive home buying repesentation to help you evaluate them.
As your Exclusive Buyer’s Broker, we serve your best interests at all times! Unlike real estate agents and brokerages who represent sellers, as an Exclusive Buyer’s Broker, we only represent you, the buyer, getting you the best price and terms with no conflict of interest at all times.
Understanding this distinction could literally save you thousands of dollars not only on the purchase price and terms, but also on seller concessions and home inspection issues, whether you are a first-time homebuyer or an experienced homeowner!
Contact us with your home buying questions! Remember, we are with you every step of the way…all the way home!
Andrew Show
Exclusive Buyer’s Broker, CEBA-M, MCNE, CSP, PSA,e-PRO, CREM, ABRM, AHWD
Buyer’s Resource Realty Services www.BuyersHome.com
Serving Metro Columbus, Ohio with Exclusive Buyer’s Agents
7100 North High Street, Suite 204, Worthington, Ohio 43085
614-888-4110 | 888-888-4110 Toll Free | 614-839-4110 Fax
