A hand-painted sign reading “THE HOUSE IS NOT FOR SALE” hangs on the house of the Chilton family this week, after tons of prospective home buyers flocked to their street in Northwest Bexar County. At first, the family attributed the increased traffic to potential home buyers checking out the neighborhood. They did not realize the crowds were flocking to their house until a man approached the homeowners, asking about the sale of their home. Their home was fraudulently listed on Zillow at an attractive $400,000 discount. The Zillow listing advertises the house for $27,000, demanding that $7,000 be paid upfront and $20,000 be paid overtime. Extreme discounts, request to wire money, listing providers that are unable to meet in person, and excessive typos are all red flags of fraudulent home listings.
Of the incident, Ms. Chilton says, “It’s just disappointing and sad. People are out of work, concerned about how to put food on the table, how to care for their children. I mean, there’s a lot of things that are going on, and people are taking advantage of that, and people will fall for it. And that’s really concerning.” The Chilton family’s incident highlights why it is essential to work with a real estate professional to buy, sell, or rent your property. Don’t become a victim of fraudulent real estate listings. Contact Sam Maropis at 210-504-4420 or sam@profitrealty.com for a secure discussion of your real estate plans today.
