If a seller’s home has solar panels, they should research how those panels could impact their transaction before going under contract.
Forged deeds, driver’s licenses, titles, etc., continue to grow as real estate-theft scams, in part because the tactic often works and, when it does, nets a criminal hundreds or thousands of dollars in fake real estate sales. They even have a name now: Title Pirates.
A proposed rule would allow fair-housing testers to have prior convictions – a way to determine if a landlord illegally turns away renters based on criminal history.
A jury found NAR and others liable in a compensation lawsuit, but the association will immediately appeal and the case probably won’t conclude for several years.
The scams begin with a hunt through public records for vacant land, an absentee owner and no mortgage. Look for red flags, like a refusal to talk in person.
It’s okay to include a floor plan in a listing, ruled a federal judge. He said it's “fair use” and doesn’t infringe on architectural-design copyright laws.
On Oct. 24 at 1 p.m., FREC will focus on foreign buyer “Affidavits of Buyers of Property” and broker-held escrow deposits. The public is invited, virtually or in-person.
