The idea of “fake news” and how to tell it from the real
thing has gotten scads of attention lately, so Schertz web users are entitled
to be more skeptical than usual of news items. Last week, there was one of
those “come hither” headlines you run across on the web—but with a byline from The Washington Post, it looked like it
would contain actual news.
Sure enough, this one was for real: “How to Spot a Housing Rental Scam.” Housing rental scams aren’t
totally unknown in Texas—so dispatches about how to spot any new kind of Schertz
housing rental funny business figured to
be worth checking into. It turns out that the article originated in the Washington Post for a good reason: it
centered on a surge in housing rental rip-offs
being attempted right now in the nation’s capital.
It seems that every change in Administration causes a real
estate upheaval in D.C. Literally thousands of out-of-towners have been looking
for short-term living quarters during the
changing of the political guard. Many plan
on having more time to find permanent living arrangements once they’ve adjusted
to their new situations—so a quick temporary fix is called for. It isn’t just
the headline cabinet heads and their assistants who may suddenly be looking for
digs near Pennsylvania Avenue, Capitol Hill, or Foggy Bottom: lots of temps on
short-term contracts are piling into town, too.
Since they aren’t familiar with rental stock and prices in
the area (a situation familiar to some Schertz newcomers), they become prime
targets for scamsters lying in wait. The
hoped-for payoff is a nice fat security-plus-rental deposit meant to secure one
of the coveted furnished apartments in the right area.
The downside for the
would-be renter is that the hokum artists have no connection with the actual
apartment being offered. They advertise with pictures and detailed descriptions
(the pictures can be from real D.C. apartments at different addresses). For
out-of-towners in a hurry and too occupied with affairs of state to sweat the
details, the result can be a crater in their checkbook and no place to put
their belongings once they arrive in Washington.
This might seem like a brazen move, but for accomplished
crooks, knowing exactly how to vanish after receiving a mailed-in money order
or bank account information is a basic skill.
What’s the solution for someone seeking to reserve a
housing rental in Schertz when circumstances make it impossible to visit in
advance? Zillow says that a request for payment via Western Union, Moneygram or prepaid credit card is one definite red
flag. Others are a failure to disclose the street address—or a price that seems
too good to be true (although the current batch of Washington crooks may be
onto that, setting prices just below market). The ultimate answer—which applies
to Schertz housing rentals as well, is to ask a lot of questions (anathema to
most scam artists). Better yet, if you have a trusted friend in the area,
asking him or her to take a look at the property in advance should uncover any
funny business.
We aren’t hosting momentous government changes at the
moment, but for Schertz real estate matters of all stripes, knowing that you
are dealing with a trusted and experienced real estate professional is the
surest way to rest assured no funny business is at hand. A call to my office is
all it takes!
Emily Terrell
Terrell Macy Group
eXp Realty, LLC
REALTOR®
Cell Phone: (214) 931-9758
Office: (210) 960-4677
E-mail: Emily.Terrell@exprealty.com
Address: 9600 Great Hills Trl, STE 150W
Austin, TX 78759
Realtor Licensed in the State of Texas, #0659142
Texas Law requires all real estate licensees to give the following information about brokerage services: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0vx74mjnt1fpanm/Information_About_Brokerage_Services_BuyerTenant__11215_ts82551.pdf?dl=0
Texas Law requires all real estate licensees to give the following information about brokerage services: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0vx74mjnt1fpanm/Information_About_Brokerage_Services_BuyerTenant__11215_ts82551.pdf?dl=0
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