Listed Owner didn't claim Property

[Ryan Copeland]

I went driving for dollars over the weekend and added a few properties into the Deal Finder app. I did a skip trace today and got the info for one of the owners. She and her husband came up in the skip trace.

I called the mobile number provided, the woman answers. I told her I drove past her property and was interested in buying.  She said that she didn't own any property in Columbia. I told her the address and she said she didn't know the address.  I said okay, thanks for your time and ended the call.

I then went to the county assessors website and look up the property.  Behold, there is her and her husband's name right on the county assessors website.

Has anyone had this happen to them before?

[Frank Chin]

@ Ryan Copeland

I think you are dealing with people with similar first and last names.

There are instances recently in elections where it was claimed that dead people voted due to the fact checking public records, a person with that name is actually dead. As it turned out, the person who voted had the same last and first name as the dead person. In many cases, three generations of the same family had the same name, like Martin Luther King,  Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King III, but the public records has incomplete information.

In my case, some 35 years ago when I bought properties, and prior to closing, I would be contacted by title companies regarding someone in my county with the same first and last name as me, had many traffic fines he never paid, and asked if I knew anything about it. They found it incredulous that I knew nothing about it and believed I was lying. I don't drive the cars described and never drove in the areas described. At several closings, I had to sign an affidavit that I am not that person. Did it half a dozen times.

In fact, I from time to time Google myself, and still found my name, phone number, associated with an address that I never lived at. If that guy with my name had a vacant property, someone like you looked up the public information, called me at the number listed at some public site about a property, I would tell you I don't know anything about the property and never lived there. If you were that caller, you'll be wondering why I am lying and denying I am the owner.  I have to say I am NOT that guy, I don't own that property, I don't owe all those traffic tickets, and please don't call me again, as I'll block your number.

Looks like the person you called has the same issues I had over the years. Coming to think of it, I might even be able to pull a scam if that happened, sell a property I don't really own, and pocket the profits if you're so insistent that it's me.