Protect against scams while selling a house

[Luke H.]

Hello all,

Hope all is well with you. I am doing my 1st seller finance deal and waiting for it to close.

I am going out to the property daily (if possible) to keep an eye on it and take care of any maintenance. Today when checking the mailbox I found 3 letters addressed to a name I have never heard of. To add to the strangeness, was that the letters where from 3 different banks.

So today I am asking for tips/hints/ideas/gotchas/watch out for/to-dos from experienced sellers on the forum to make sure I am doing my best to cover myself from any possible scams out there while I wait for closing.

Note: I put an alarm in the house, but it doesn't have a gate to keep people from getting to the door or windows. I put out 'for sale' signs so I still get people driving by and calls on it. I did put a big sign in the front that says "under contract" so people would know it is not currently available.

Thank you

[Account Closed]

I get mail sent to my apartment addressed to people I've never heard of (I've lived here three years). Some of these people probably used to live there. Most of the mail are catelogs (which I toss), but a few have been credit card applications. I have the bank-related mail returned to the sender.

Other scams are current homeowners who find their property listed for rent or for sale on Craigslist. Ten years ago, the FBI reported on the scam on house stealing:

https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2008/march/housestealing_032508

During the aftermath of the financial crisis, vacant homes were the target for burglars (copper is valuable). The For Sale sign or the realtor's lockbox, along with junk mail (advertising circulars left on the front door knob), are open invitations to the criminal element. There was a vacant house across the street from me (in California) where my neighbors found a homeless person sleeping in the backyard overnight.

Beware of the brazen daytime burglary. I've heard these stories from credible sources for decades (one occured on my street a few years ago): A moving van pulls up in front of a house in the middle of the day and movers in uniform load the contents of the house on to the van. The van and uniforms look legit in that they have the name of what looks like an official moving company. It's all bogus. The homeowner or renter returns from work or vacation to an empty house and wonders what happened. Wait until you return from vacation to post your photos on your Facebook page.

My advice is be vigilant. Give your property the lived-in look (mow the lawn, keep a house light on with a timer). Look for indications something isn't right (does someone want to rent it? has someone been in the backyard?). Make friends with the neighbors so they will contact you know when something looks out of place.