Warning real estate agents about the prevalence of deed fraud.
Have you ever heard of deed fraud? Unfortunately, it is a very real thing in our industry, so you need to be aware. I recently did a lot of research on the subject and found that it is a problem all over Arizona and the country. We ran into a problem because of this issue, and we want to help you avoid this.
“Deed fraud is a big issue all over the country.”
Recently, we were contacted by someone who claimed to want to sell their house. We went through all of the work to price it correctly, get photos taken, do marketing, and list it on the MLS. However, after all of this, we got a call from the actual homeowner—it turns out we were representing a fraudulent person.
Fortunately, it was easy to unwind the work that this criminal started, but if they had gotten further into the transaction, it could’ve gotten a lot harder. We dodged a bullet, but know that if this can happen to us after 36 years in the industry, it can happen to you.
We were communicating with this person over the phone and online, which is common in today’s day and age. Just know that if you do that, you need to be careful. Get a copy of their photo ID and do your due diligence. Also, make sure to be educated, and you can find a lot of helpful resources online.
I would highly encourage you to register with the links below, even if you occupy your home as your primary residence:
Maricopa County: https://recorder.maricopa.gov/MaricopaTitleAlert/Default
Yavapai County: https://yavapaicountyaz-recorder.tylerhost.net/recorder/eagleweb/fraudGuardSignup.jsp
If you have any questions about this or if I can help you in any way, call me at (602) 430-5226. I look forward to hearing from you!
