Be careful out there folks.  Rental websites like ours have been fighting off rental scammers for years.  Historically, they have listed their fraudulent houses for rent on free sites like Craig’s List, and unfortunately, even some like ours. However, today, they have somehow tapped into a stolen credit card source (sorry, we don’t have any idea which one) and are using those cards to pepper the housing rental websites with premium paid for ads.  They are getting their ads placed all over the web without regard for cost.  Why not?  It’s not costing them anything.

What does a Scammer do?

They take a legitimate rental house ad from any place they find it, make a bogus copy with their email address on it and put an incredibly low price for the rent.  When you email them, you get a story about how they are away (typically out of the country) and, gee I’m sorry, I have the keys with me.  They offer to send you the keys for a small deposit.  Just a hundred dollars or so.

How can you protect yourself?

• Never give anyone money if you have not toured a house you are interested in.  A legitimate landlord will want you to tour the inside of the house and will arrange to get you inside.  If they can’t they most likely don’t really have the keys.
• Never deal with anyone with an out of country phone number.  They feel safe.  Who are you going to complain to that will go find them?

Can’t the house for rent websites do something?

We are working on it.  Unfortunately, it’s not easy.  We can’t verify ownership of a property, those tools just aren’t available today.

Many of us are implementing phone confirmation systems.  We are verifying that people advertising properties on our sites have a phone number that we can confirm by calling it and having them provide a response.  HouseHitz is working to not only confirm phone numbers of advertisers, but we are going to limit the phone numbers we accept to US phone numbers.

Please be careful out there.  Protect yourself.  If it looks too good to be true and they want money, look somewhere else.

For new homeowners and even those purchasing a second property, the process of getting home insurance can often be quite daunting to say the least. With such a varied selection of insurance package offered, finding the right insurer and package for you and your property shouldn’t be something you rush into blindly. Here are a few pieces of advice that we have put together to get you started, and hopefully find the package that is perfect for you and your new home.

With a world of information available at our fingertips via the internet, you should definitely be taking advantage of the various resources available online. Resources such as InsWeb.com will allow you to get quotes from up to 8 different insurers at once. There are a plethora of resources like this that can be found quite quickly and can greatly cut down on the amount of time you would otherwise spend on the phone with a number of different insurers.

One thing that you are always going to want to keep in mind is requirements for insurance as well as specific coverage options are going to vary from state to state, and of course, country to country. Those that live in areas where environmental conditions may pose a risk to your property, insurance conditions will most likely be affected. For instance, those that live in San Francisco will more than likely have to invest in earthquake insurance. This is something you will definitely want to keep in mind or ask insurers about if you are in a location prone to natural disaster or harsh environmental conditions.

Remember to get 2 to 4 quotes at the absolute minimum before ultimately making your decision!! You may find the majority of your quotes are quite close to one another, but its better to weigh your options as sometimes packages can vary quite greatly from one insurer to the other.

It’s quite easy for me to tell you that the key to getting noticed and standing out from the rest as a real estate agent is all about creating lasting client relationships. The question is, what’s the best approach for one to go about doing this? Of course a few things might quickly come to mind, whether it’s getting referrals or simply doing your best to be remembered among the competition. However, there are a few specific techniques that many agents have employed for years that should definitely be part of your agent-client relationship, if they’re not already.

Building relationships with your clients is one thing, keeping those relationships long after providing your services to them is another. No matter what market you may find yourself in, maintaining client relationships long after the sale of a property is absolutely crucial to eventually making your dream come true of working completely off referral. This is why you want to be remembered and there are easy ways you can do exactly that and be in the minds of your clients when they or their friends are considering selling months, or even years down the road.

Have you branded yourself as an agent? A great way to do this is by using varying gifts that represent your personality and display your thoughtfulness. This is a great way to stay in the mind of your clients long after a sale. While many agents will bring cliché gifts such as a bottle of wine to clients after a sale or purchase, sending a unique, personalized gift around the holidays can be the perfect way to be remembered. This will definitely pay off in the long run and lead to referrals down the road.