The Ultimate Guide to Safe Renting: Tips for Avoiding Rental Scams
Here are tips to help you stay safe and avoid costly rental scams.
Renting a property can be a stressful and overwhelming experience, especially when you’re concerned about getting scammed. Unfortunately, rental scams are on the rise, and it’s important to know how to protect yourself.
One of the most common rental scams involves real estate agents. Here’s how it works: A real estate agent takes a new listing and posts it on various search portals, such as Movoto.com, Zillow, and Realtor.com. Scammers then take screenshots of the images and repost them on Craigslist, Facebook, and other websites, advertising the property for rent.
Unsuspecting renters call the scammer, who may even give them a tour of the property. The renters then send money to the scammer to rent a house that they don’t own. Unfortunately, the renters are now out of their deposit money, which can sometimes be thousands of dollars, and they have no way of getting it back.
“It’s important to know how to protect yourself.”
To avoid this rental scam, it’s important to do a little research online. Look up the address of the property and see if it’s also listed for sale. If it is, that’s a giant red flag. Call the listing agent who has the for-sale listing and ask if the property is actually for rent. The agent will know 100% of the time if the property is listed for rent.
If the property is not listed for sale online, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re safe. You still want to do a little bit of due diligence. Talk to the person advertising the property and ask for references from other people who rent from them. Ask your landlord for a reference, too. Protect yourself by making sure that you don’t send any money until you’ve got a fully executed lease agreement and that you have access to that property.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me by phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you.
Low Credit Score = Low Interest Rate: Say What?!
What you need to know about the truth of credit scores and interest rates.
Are you worried about the recent news that’s saying people with lower scores are getting better interest rates for their homes? If so, know that I’m here today to clear the air and show you the truth about this situation. This news has gotten a lot of action lately, but there are some misconceptions involved.
Listen to the video above for a full explanation, or skip to specific topics using these timestamps:
0:00 — Introduction
0:30 — The truth about credit scores and interest rates
1:30 — Analyzing the Loan Level Price Adjustment (LLPA) graph
2:05 — The reality of the situation
3:55 — Helping people with lower scores to incentive buying homes
5:02 — Wrapping up
Overall, just know that people still benefit significantly from higher credit scores. If you are still confused or have any questions about this, don’t hesitate to reach out! You can call or email me anytime, and know that I’m always happy to help.
How the Real Estate Market Is Shaping Up: Insights From the Latest NAR Report
An important update on how the housing market is changing all over.
The new numbers from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) for the first quarter have come in, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you today. Some of the statistics are very interesting and unlike what people predicted. It is my goal to help you understand the real estate market so you can make informed decisions about your housing plans this summer.
Hear the full market update in the video above or skip to specific topics using these timestamps:
0:00 — Introduction
0:26 — The number of home sales
1:16 — How home prices are changing
1:45 — Stats are affected by interest rates and affordability
2:22 — The NAR’s predictions
3:00 — People have made peace with interest rates, but those could change
4:31 — What we need from the economy
5:27 — Why it’s a great time to buy and sell
6:21 — Wrapping up
This information should set you on the right track if you’re thinking about buying or selling a home soon. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to reach out for help, as I have the knowledge and experience that you need in your corner. You can call or email me anytime.