Over the past few months we have seen a dramatic increase in the abuse of unoccupied homes in Pensacola. Most of these vacant homes are either for sale with a brokerage or are bank owned properties (i.e. foreclosure).
There was a time not long ago, when homes that were for sale and not occupied were for the most part safe. That is not true any longer. Vacant homes need to be carefully monitored and maintained to avoid people from gaining illegal entry. We used to hear of the occasional vagrant squatting in vacant homes but now we are seeing people moving in that are under the belief that they have a legitimate lease. Many of these people are paying rent to persons that have no legitimate claim to the property!
We have been contacted by potential renters that have seen a home for rent online. After driving by to check out the house and seeing our “For Sale” in the yard they subsequently contacted us for more information. The problem is the house is not legitimately for rent, it’s for sale and the sellers have no idea someone is trying to rent it.
We have been told by potential renters they saw the property listed for rent on Craig’s list. Apparently people list these vacant homes for rent online and occasionally do rent them to unsuspecting tenants.
The FBI investigated this scam last year and surmised: “If you are using Craigslist to find rental property, please make sure that you are in contact with a real person in real life. If a deal seems too good to be true and the person only stays in contact on the internet, odds are that you and your money could be in peril.”
If you are selling an unoccupied home; beware, Find a real estate brokerage that will remain vigilant and help protect your real estate investment. Many “MLS Only” brokerages operate from a central location that can be located on the other side of the state thereby lacking the ability to service local listings. It pays to know who you are working with.
