Rental properties available in great places, for a great price! But one viewer emailed the NBC10 Investigators, asking if unbelieveable deals are too good to be true.
We checked it out, and found many times, ads like these should be carefully considered.
Realtor Bob Weiss says it's easy for scammers to take ads posted on real estate websites and make them look legitimate on sites like Craigslist.
"It's too easy to lift this information, to click, copy, and paste and create your own ad offering someone else's property for rent," Weiss said.
But, it is possible to beat the scammers. Here are a few tips to avoid real estate fakes:
- Ask to meet with the owner in person. Also, watch out for people who say they are "helping" the owner sell the property, but aren't the primary seller. Scammers usually don't want to make house visits.
- Run the address, telephone address, and other contact details through an internet search, especially if the ad comes from newspapers or non-realtor websites.
- Check for errors in spelling and grammar.
- Be aware of invocations of God or faith in the ad or reply. Scammers use this to make a connection, and sound sincere in their ploy.
- Don't pay for anything before seeing the property or signing any papers.
- Watch out for wire transfers, because these are often untraceable, meaning it will be hard to get your money back.
- Keep an eye out for changes in details, like names, phone numbers, and locations.
For more tips check out these websites:
