Avoid This Real Estate Money Wiring Scam

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I wanted to give you a heads up on a scam that's going on throughout town. Luckily, it hasn't affected any of our clients, and I want to make sure you can be prepared, so it doesn't affect you. 

If you're nearing a real estate closing or any situation where you may need to wire funds to a closing attorney, you cannot afford to miss this alert. 

Basically, a fraudulent third party crook is posing as the attorney's office, sending emails to buyers as they near their closing date. They will send an email saying that the buyer needs to wire a certain amount of money for their down payment or a certain amount of money if they're making a cash payment in order to be ready to close on the right day.

Somehow, they're gaining access to this information, and sending out these emails just a few days before close. These emails have the name of someone from the attorney's office and look like they came from the attorney's office. They look very legitimate from what I'm told.

I heard a story that a buyer mistakenly sent $77,000 to the wrong person as a result of one of these scams, and that money is likely going offshore or overseas somewhere. It's a big scam, and it needs to be stopped.

I wanted to let you know so that you can protect and guard yourself against this scam. We're also telling our clients who do need to wire money to call the recipient first, to make sure you have the correct instructions and that any emails did come from them, and not a crook who is impersonating them.

As always, if there's anything I can do for you, a friend, family member, or coworkers, please feel free to give me a call.

Athens Real Estate Market Update

Looking to sell a home in Athens, Georgia? Click here for a Home Price  Evaluation

Looking to buy a home in Athens, Georgia? Click here to perform a full home search

What is going on in the Greater Athens real estate market right now?

Is it a good time to buy, or a good time to sell?

If you’ve been thinking about selling, right now is the best time to sell in the last eight years. The market has risen, supply is low, and buyers are looking, which means prices are going up. In Oconee County, homes priced $350,000 and below are in a strong seller’s market. In Clarke County, homes priced $200K and below are also in a strong selling market. Buyers don’t have a lot to choose from.

If it’s a seller’s market, is now still a good time to buy? Yes! If prices continue to increase throughout the year as expected, now is the time to purchase a home before prices rise further. Of course, we don’t know what will happen next year. All we know is that right now, prices are rising. 

While average-priced homes are in a seller’s market, homes that are priced $400,000 or above are in a buyer’s market. There are plenty of homes for sale and not as many buyers because buyers are being a bit more conservative with their spending. 

This creates a perfect opportunity for the move-up buyer. If you want a home in the $400,000 to $500,000 price range, you can sell your $200,000 home in a seller’s market and purchase your new home in a buyer’s market. If you’ve been waiting to purchase that bigger dream home, now is the time!

If you have specific questions about your property or area, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

How to Get Your Offer Accepted

Looking to buy or sell a home in Athens, Georgia? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (706) 621-6085 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I just wanted to talk with you for a moment about a trend we are seeing with Athens home buyers. As the days go by, we are seeing more and more of our buyers involved in multiple offer situations.

The reason for that is pretty simple, supply and demand. We are finding that in many price ranges and areas, there are simply not very many good homes for sale. This creates buyer interest and buyer activity. When a home does come on the market, there are multiple buyers waiting and diving in after it.

Multiple offers are a great thing if you’re a seller, but not so much if you’re buying. So, what can you do as a buyer in order to win out against other offers? Here are our best tips.

First things first, make the best offer you can. At least this way, you know you gave it your best shot. Price is the most important thing for most sellers, but terms are also very important as well. For example, if you can pay cash, that allows the seller to know you’re serious about buying and your offer isn’t contingent on any financing. Other terms you could manipulate in the seller’s favor include having a shorter inspection period and closing as quickly as possible. If the house is occupied, it makes sense to work with the seller on when they would like to close.

At the end of the day, it’s about the money, but it can be about more. There are a lot of different things you can do with terms and contingencies in a contract in order to make your offer strong. If you’re working with a professional agent, they will be able to tell you how to structure your deal so that your offer is its strongest.

If you have any questions for us, please give me a call or send me an email. I’d be glad to answer them for you.