Don't Be Afraid Of Scams

Many people trying to locate new housing opportunities online are finding themselves in a maze of ads that seem too good to be true. As the economy slowly begins to recover, more people are hoping to find their own place again. As these people begin searching for possible lease to own situations, they are stumbling on rent to own scam reports by the dozens.

Many of these reports tell the same story, usually a would-be buyer attempting to find a home on a free-to-use website that is available to everyone. The would-be buyer finds the perfect rental property, complete with every amenity that could be hoped for, at a price that is so low as to be unbelievable. Anxiously, the buyer inquires as to how they could go about getting the keys to the property.

The answer usually comes in the form of a poorly constructed story. The would-be buyer is informed, in somewhat less than perfect English, that the owner can't come to meet and interview them in person for some reason. The supposed owner then goes on to tell the would-be buyer that the information needed to check the buyer's credit will suffice instead of meeting face to face, given the circumstances. These reports all end the same way: the would-be buyer's identity is stolen.

Many people are allowing these reports to frighten them away from even trying to locate a new home through the online market. Rent to own scam reports often center around free sites that anyone can use. These situations can be avoided by using rent to own and lease to own sites that are members only. Sites of this nature can control what is posted, and block access to violators. This creates an environment in which it's safe to shop for new homes, even rent to own homes. Use a safe, members only alternative to those free sites, and enjoy a safer buying experience for short sale and foreclosure homes today.

Rent to Own Scams Almost Claim another Victim

Rent to own scams have increased in the United States of America at a rate that can only be judged as alarming. Countless potential home buyers have found themselves ruing bad decisions as they have been conned by individuals adept at rent to own scams. However, as Shanika Tucker showed, there are ways through which a prospective home buyer can evade the clutches of rent to own scam artists.

Ms Tucker was looking to rent a home, so she went through Craiglist looking for prospective properties. She visited the property, liked the offer and subsequently responded to the online advertisement. She was then asked by the so called owner of the home to provide 1400 American dollars as an advance towards the first month and the last month. The fact that this offer was also one of the many rent to own scams on the internet these days came out as the owner asked Ms Tucker to wire him 1400 American dollars.

This perked up her ears, which was when she dug deeper into the property and found another listing for the same home on another website as a rent to own property. The lease to own offer on the other website resulted in Ms Tucker asking the first offer provider some penetrating questions. At this point, the so called landlord bailed.

This simply shows that any potential home buyer or renter, if they stay aware and keep alert, can easily avoid being conned by such rent to own scams. There are some telltale signs that a real estate offer is one of the many rent to own scams proliferating on the internet. A demand to wire the money and the claim that the property owner is out of town or country are a couple of examples of these telltale signs.

Bank Foreclosures Can Be Used For Rent to Own Scams

Bank foreclosures can be used for rent to own scams. This was evident in Florida, wherein a man managed to dupe two women into believing that he owned a home and was renting it to them with the option of owning it later. However, in reality the home that this man was touting was one of the many bank foreclosures in Florida. His technique is very common in rent to own scams.

The modus operandi of such rent to own scams is fairly simple. An individual will spot some bank foreclosures, choose the right ones and place an advert on craigslist or other website for a rent to own property. When interested renters start showing up, the individual simply asks them to take a tour of the unlocked property. Once the renter likes the property, the individual meets the renter and takes an advance for the first month, the second month or even both.

In the situation described above, the renter became skeptical while paying the second half of the money to the man which is when she pulled out of the deal. She received a check for the money that she had already paid which, not surprisingly, was for an account already closed. Further scrutiny later revealed that the home from a bank foreclosures listing had already been rented by the culprit to another woman.