{"id":5335,"date":"2016-05-20T23:31:44","date_gmt":"2016-05-20T23:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/?p=5335"},"modified":"2016-05-20T23:31:44","modified_gmt":"2016-05-20T23:31:44","slug":"ultimate-homebuyers-guide-real-estate-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-real-estate-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoid Real Estate Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5340 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Real-Estate-Scams_banner.jpg\" alt=\"Real-Estate-Scams_banner\" width=\"600\" height=\"125\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/basics\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-home-search\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-5393 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Search_thumb_22.jpg\" alt=\"Search_thumb_2\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a>With such a huge investment, you\u2019re bound to encounter unsavory people who are trying to take advantage of you. There are a few rules to follow to ensure you don\u2019t fall victim to a real estate scam.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Research an agent &#8211;<\/b> Always research an agent before doing business with them. Make sure their license is up to date and there aren\u2019t any outstanding complaints against them.<\/li>\n<li><b>Always meet an agent in-person &#8211;<\/b> Do not sign anything with an agent or give them any money (you shouldn\u2019t directly give your agent any money at any point in the transaction, really) until you\u2019ve met them in person. Don\u2019t agree to work with an agent until you\u2019ve met them in person.<\/li>\n<li><b>Always double check before you wire money\u2014never pay cash &#8211;<\/b> Certain scams involve people posing as agents or sellers and requesting deposits from buyers. Your agent will not request money from you (they are paid by the seller when the transaction closes). There have been instances of hackers hacking agents\u2019 email accounts and requesting money for a closing. If you ever get an email from your agent suddenly changing details of your closing or asking you to send money, call them to confirm.<\/li>\n<li><b>Don\u2019t give out personal banking information &#8211;<\/b> With the exception of a mortgage broker or lender who is getting you pre-approved, there\u2019s no reason to give any seller or agent your personal information. This includes your social security number and banking information. If your agent requests any sensitive information, call them to confirm that they are making the request and what it\u2019s for.<\/li>\n<li><b>Trust your instincts &#8211;<\/b> If a deal sounds too good to be true, it is. If a home is listed at $100,000 below the market price and the seller is rushing to close, something is wrong. If the seller is being aloof about the home\u2019s condition, it\u2019s OK to be suspicious. The allure of a good deal might be overwhelming, but always go with your gut instinct. It\u2019s a cliche, but it truly can\u2019t be said enough\u2014particularly when it comes to an emotional investment like a home.<\/li>\n<li><b>Ask a lot of questions &#8211; <\/b>There are some sellers who will try to deceive you about the condition of the home. Don\u2019t be shy about asking a lot of detailed questions about its history and its condition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-spacing: 5px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/basics\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-red-flags\"><span style=\"text-align: left; font-size: 11pt;\">&lt;&lt; PREVIOUS CHAPTER: House Hunting Red Flags<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%; text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/basics\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-property-tour-etiquette\"><span style=\"text-align: right; font-size: 11pt;\">NEXT CHAPTER: Property Tour Etiquette &gt;&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/basics\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5426 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/foundation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Hombeuyers-Guide_button.jpg\" alt=\"Hombeuyers-Guide_button\" width=\"334\" height=\"48\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With such a huge investment, you\u2019re bound to encounter unsavory people who are trying to take advantage of you. There are a few rules to follow to ensure you don\u2019t fall victim to a real estate scam. Research an agent &#8211; Always research an agent before doing business with them. Make sure their license is up to date and there aren\u2019t any outstanding complaints against them. Always meet an agent in-person &#8211; Do not sign anything with an agent or give them any money (you shouldn\u2019t directly give your agent any money at any point in the transaction, really) until [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[167,260],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basics","category-buyer","post--single"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Avoid Real Estate Scams<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-real-estate-scams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avoid Real Estate Scams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With such a huge investment, you\u2019re bound to encounter unsavory people who are trying to take advantage of you. There are a few rules to follow to ensure you don\u2019t fall victim to a real estate scam. Research an agent &#8211; Always research an agent before doing business with them. Make sure their license is up to date and there aren\u2019t any outstanding complaints against them. 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content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Movoto Editorial Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-real-estate-scams\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/ultimate-homebuyers-guide-real-estate-scams\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Movoto Editorial Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06693b6bfbd6fec38952da620bd47c0e\"},\"headline\":\"Avoid Real Estate 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