Wisconsin Senior Medicare Patrol

In Detroit, officials set up a task force to investigate fraudulent home sales online.

Some enthusiastic buyers put down cash on homes for sale online, but say they never received a deed. Turns out, it was all a scam – and many are out thousands. Some of the homes were available on sites like eBay, according to The Detroit News.

If you want to buy homes online to get a deep discount, check out these tips to avoid scams:

• Call the county assessor’s office in the county the home is for sale in. Ask to confirm who the homeowner is, and verify with them that the home is, indeed, for sale.
• Get a title company to check the deed first.
• Look at home(s) in person before you buy.
• Ask about water and mineral rights. If you don’t have water rights, you won’t be able to build on the property. Also, find out from the city or county how the property is zoned.
• If there are buildings on the property, find out from city officials if there are problems, complaints or fines associated with those buildings.
• On sites like eBay or Craigslist, some users have complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau. Do a search for that particular user name to see if they, as individuals, have a history of complaints.
• If it sounds like its too good to be true, it probably is.

Other posts of interest:

Big eBay Scam (Scambusters.org)

eBay Real Estate Rental Scam (eBay user thread)