How to Spot a Rental Scam

Spotting a rental scam can be crucial in protecting yourself from financial loss and potential fraud.

Recently, we were looking for a room for rent. It sounded like an ideal place, in the right location, for the right amount. My alarm bells should have been sounding from the get-go. But we decided to proceed. Everything seemed typical until we got to the part where she discussed rental and application fees. No biggie right – no scam alerts yet. Then she stated that he would have to fill out an application to view the room under the premise that if he didn’t like it, it would be refunded. 

There it was – alarm bells. I immediately did a reverse look-up of the number to see if the name provided matched – and no info could be found – another alarm bell. He told her to contact me and guess what – no calls. Thankfully, I was able to catch this before any money was provided or an actual email was given – as this is where they can hack you as well. 

Without further delay, here are some signs that may indicate a rental scam:

  • Unrealistic or too-good-to-be-true offers: Scammers often lure victims with exceptionally low prices or luxurious properties at a fraction of the market rate. If the deal appears too good to be true, it’s likely a scam.
  • Request for upfront payment or wire transfers: If the landlord or agent asks you to wire money or pay a large sum upfront before signing any documents or viewing the property, it’s a red flag. Legitimate landlords typically require a security deposit or first-month’s rent after signing a lease agreement.
  • Absence of property viewings: Scammers may provide excuses for not allowing you to visit the property or claim they are currently out of town. They might even offer fabricated reasons such as renovations or ongoing repairs. Always insist on visiting the property before making any payments.
  • Lack of proper documentation: Legitimate landlords will provide a lease agreement or rental contract outlining the terms and conditions. Be wary of landlords who refuse to provide written documentation or use generic, poorly constructed contracts.
  • Pressure tactics and urgency: Scammers may use high-pressure tactics, claiming that there are multiple interested parties or that you need to act quickly to secure the rental. They want you to make impulsive decisions without thoroughly considering the details.
  • Communication irregularities: Poor grammar, spelling mistakes, excessive capitalization, or generic email responses can indicate a scam. Legitimate landlords and agents generally maintain professional communication.
  • Unverified or untraceable contacts: Scammers often use untraceable email addresses, generic names, or free online messaging services. They may avoid providing a physical address or use fake contact information.
  • Inability to meet in person: If the landlord or agent refuses to meet you face-to-face or conduct video calls, it raises suspicion. Physical interaction and communication are essential when dealing with rental properties.
  • Duplicate listings or stolen property images: Scammers may copy legitimate rental listings from reputable websites and repost them with altered contact details. Perform a reverse image search to check if the property photos are stolen from elsewhere.
  • Trust your instincts: If something feels off or doesn’t seem right, trust your gut feeling. It’s better to walk away from a potentially fraudulent situation than to risk losing your money or personal information.

Remember, scammers continuously come up with new tactics, so stay vigilant and educate yourself about common rental scams. Whenever possible, work with reputable real estate agents, use trusted rental platforms, and conduct thorough research before entering into any agreements.

If you are looking to buy or sell or need an agent to help provide resources, check out our PCS map below and click on “Connect with the PCS Professional” at the location you need. 

Military Move Network Map

Click here to access our PCS Map

Our military map has lots of resources for every military base within the United States including schools, base housing, colleges, Facebook groups, and connections to local real estate agents that are military affiliated and provide OUR credit

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Changes to Your New Home

New Home Changes

I have moved over 15 times and about 1/2 of those were in my adult life.  Moving is what we do in the military.  Change is inevitable.

Moving can be a fun, yet exhausting adventure.  When you move in to your new place, you either want to start packing immediately or crash because of all of the packing, the move itself, and the unloading.

However, how often do you think of the little things you need to change?

Here are 5 changes you need to do when you buy your new house.

Changes to Your Home

*This post may contain affiliate links – if you purchase something from this post, I receive a small commission with NO extra cost to you. To see my full disclosure click here. Thanks for supporting us!

Change the Locks

You never know if the last owner/tenant still have keys to YOUR new house. This is the most important change you can make for the security of your family. 

You can buy new locks at a home improvement store (I recommend a deadbolt lock for all exterior doors – including the garage). If you are not handy, consider hiring a recommended local locksmith to change the locks.

Included in this – check all your windows and be sure they are locked.

Throw Out the First Ice Batch

The first ice from the automatic ice maker should go down the drain.  Hopefully, the appliances received a good cleaning – perhaps with bleach. If not, go ahead and give it a good clean and then throw out the first batch. You don’t want any residual in your cold drinks while unpacking all those boxes. 

Change the Toilet Seats

You just bought a house. I know, you are probably very low on money. However, this may be one area of upgrade or change you may want to invest in if possible. 

A toilet seat costs on average $15-30.  We changed the porcelain ones that were standard on ours to nice elongated durable plastic ones.

Mow Overgrown Grass

Seems pretty obvious, right?  Well this usually gets put on the back burner.  However, if you have outdoor pets or kids, you want to get this under control fast. 

Overgrown grass is home to slithering creatures such as snakes (which can be dangerous depending on the area), ticks, fleas, and more. 

Children may not want to be cooped up in your house and the backyard can be a perfect outlet for them while you are unpacking.  Spend a few hours focusing on the yard to give yourself the time you need to organize indoors.

Changes to Your New Home

Change the Batteries in the Smoke Alarms

There is nothing worse than waking up Day 3 at 3am to the annoying chirping sound of the smoke alarm.  It gets the dogs barking which then wakes up the children, and you are now an official zombie.  Go buy a few packs of 9-volt batteries and change them.  

Getting ready to move? Get your PCS guides here.

Doing a DITY move? Read 5 tips that I swear by here.

If you found this advice, or any of my advice helpful, please consider buying from one of my affiliates at no additional cost to you and supporting The Military Move. When you click and make a purchase within 24 hours (at no additional charge), we receive a small donation. Thank you!

Kelsey Ramirez

About the Author

Kelsey Ramirez is a Real Estate Broker in western Washington. She is also a veteran elementary school teacher, military wife, and mom to two daughters.  She is the founder of The Military Move, a military-based website to help families in the PCS process. Kelsey loves to travel, write, and create amazing content.  She has her Masters in Technology, which she uses to learn all new things digital.

With three decades of military support, Kelsey’s mission is to help new and existing military families in their unique adventures through all military topics including PCSing, budgeting, school choice and rights, housing, and especially just being a military spouse.

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House Selling Tips

Maximizing Profits When Selling

Selling a house is a scary process. 

Will the house sell? 

Will it sell for the amount you want or need? 

For military sellers, will it sell before you transfer to your next unit? 

We bought a home when we came to Georgia.  We are up for orders this year, so I solicited some of the best realtors to provide me their best seller’s tips. They are sure you will maximize your profits on selling your house if you do some of these things below.

Tips to Maximize Selling

*This post may contain affiliate links – if you purchase something from this post, I receive a small commission with NO extra cost to you. To see my full disclosure click here. Thanks for supporting us!

Tips from Jessica Kelly

With prices rising and inventory low, this is a great time for military home owners to maximize their investment when selling their home. Here are a few quick tips to help attract buyers to your property.

  • Take some time to go through each room and remove all your personal items. Try to create a neutral, clean palette. This will give you a head start on the actual moving process while providing prospective buyers the opportunity to “see themselves” living in your home.
  • Elevate your curb appeal – Have some overgrown hedges or maybe a few branches blocking the view of your home. Now is the time to step back, look at your home from the street and get to work. Some buyers will drive up to a home and with the first look decide whether or not to go inside. Make sure your home shows well so buyers make it through the front door.
  • Pre-listing inspection – Everyone hates surprises, especially in the home buying and selling process. This will help with your seller’s disclosure and ensure that your client’s inspection doesn’t find anything in your home that may cause the deal to fall through. Take the time to repair anything that the inspector finds and give yourself some peace of mind.
  • Work with a qualified realtor in your area. Remember realtors who specialize in military relocations understand your unique concerns and can help you navigate the process. Whether it’s questions about VA loans or short notice orders requiring quick sale time, we have the knowledge and experience to guide you through a successful transaction
Realtor Jessica Kelly

Jessica Kelly

RS-79548

Century 21 All Islands Fine Homes & Estate

Website: www.jessicakelly.hawaiimoves.com

FB: Jessica Kelly, Realtor  C21 All Islands Fine Homes & Estates

Tips from Erin Ward

  • Price your home correctly. Ignore what the online “estimates” say and work with your Realtor to accurately price your home based on local activity in your area. A Realtor has more information available to them for better accuracy than many of the online websites providing home estimates today. Having an accurate pricing strategy will allow you to decrease your time on the market ultimately netting you more money.
  • Military families often need to sell their homes quickly in order to avoid carrying two mortgage payments. It’s important to set your home up to be desired. According to the National Association of Realtors, 90% of home buyers search for online for their new home, so your home needs to shine through professional pictures. Ensure that you have decluttered and have a neutral color palette that will entice buyers to go from online through the front door of your home to get that perfect offer quickly!
Erin Voirol

Erin Ward

HR/VA Homes and Keller Williams
Work with your Realtor to accurately price your home.
Moving Guide

Moving soon? Get your complete moving guide here.

Tips from Ashley Tauzier

  • Make rooms appear as large as possible by getting rid of unnecessary items.
  • Freshen up paint colors to a neutral palate to appeal to the majority of buyers.
  • Have carpets steamed cleaned and/or stretch to show in the best condition.
  • Curb Appeal is so important. Clean up flower beds, fresh paint on doors, trim, shutters and window boxes.
  • Change out light bulbs, fix broken blinds, etc. Neglect of small maintenance items can make a buyers mind race to conclusions that bigger items have not been addressed as well.

Ashley Tauzier

Realtor 
Office: 703-396-6000
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services 
PenFed Realty
13555 Wellington Center, Ste 107
Gainesville, VA 20155
Licensed in Virginia 
NVAR Million Dollar Top Producer, 2016
16 Tips to Selling Your Home

Tips from Amanda Durham-Martin

  • We all take pride in displaying our family portraits, vacation photos, and even our kids drawing from school, but sometimes it can be hard for potential buyers to picture themselves in your home when your family pictures are displayed throughout the home. So it’s best to go ahead and pack them away, this will just be a head start on your move packing!!
  • Choose a Realtor that takes pride in providing professional pictures for listings. This makes an INCREDIBLE difference when listing your home for sale. Let’s face it, we all love looking at pictures, and this is the best way to get showings for your home!
  • De-clutter the house. We all know when moving, we suddenly realize just HOW MUCH STUFF we accumulate over the years. When you de-clutter your home prior to listing, this gives the potential buyers an “open & airy” feeling of the home, instead of them thinking, “Oh our stuff will never fit in this home!”
  • Curb appeal! Some new flowers, couple bags of mulch, fresh cut grass, and possibly a pressure cleaning go a long way when it comes to selling a home. If the home looks “dirty” and uncared for, then buyers generally pass over the house. First impressions are always key to getting buyers in the door.
  • One of the most important things, and generally the hardest, is to keep the home in “Showing” condition at all time! This can be especially difficult with kids and pets, but a home that is always ready for a buyer to walk through the door is one that sells. If a buyer wants to see a house at a moments notice, and they are told to come back later, chances are they will just move on to the next home. This is one thing you do not want!
Amanda Durham-Martin - LIcensed Realtor

Amanda Durham-Martin

Licensed Realtor®

Coastal VA Military
Relocation Group
Direct:

321.806.6717

E-mail: coastalvamilitary@gmail.com

Image result for facebook logo for email signatureImage result for pinterest logo for email signature

Keller Williams Coastal Virginia

1100 Volvo Parkway, Ste 200

Chesapeake, VA 23320

 

Choose realtors who take professional pictures.

Moving into a new house? Check out the article – Are You Getting Enough House for Your BAH here.

If you found this advice, or any of my advice helpful, please consider buying from one of my affiliates at no additional cost to you and supporting The Military Move. When you click and make a purchase within 24 hours (at no additional charge), we receive a small donation. Thank you!

Have you ever sold your home?  What tips do you use to sell quickly for the most amount of money? Perhaps your agent can use the new virtual technology to sell to buyers out of area. Leave your tips in the comments below!

Kelsey Ramirez

About the Author

Kelsey Ramirez is a Real Estate Broker in western Washington. She is also a veteran elementary school teacher, military wife, and mom to two daughters.  She is the founder of The Military Move, a military-based website to help families in the PCS process. Kelsey loves to travel, write, and create amazing content.  She has her Masters in Technology, which she uses to learn all new things digital.

With three decades of military support, Kelsey’s mission is to help new and existing military families in their unique adventures through all military topics including PCSing, budgeting, school choice and rights, housing, and especially just being a military spouse.

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Are You Getting the Most House for Your BAH?

Are You Getting the Most House for Your BAH

Home buying is such as important endeavor for families and individuals.  It is such a huge financial move that you want to make sure you are on the right side of things when you pick that perfect starter home or forever dream home.

I remember my experience buying our first home, and MAN what an experience that was.  I will write a whole separate post on that journey.  However for now, I took to the experts to get all the best tips on buying your first or next home.

Are You Getting the Most for Your BAH

Tips to Ensure You are Getting the Best Deal

Tips from Realtor Lauren Taylor

1. Start with Virtual House Hunting. Ask your Agent what type of tools they use to facilitate long distance house hunting. Our buyers benefit from house hunting for months prior to when them arriving at their new duty station. It’s saves homebuyers time and money in the house hunting process!

2. Don’t wait to buy. Home ownership is the greatest wealth separator in America. Many military families wait to purchase a home until retirement and ultimately pay the price as rent increases every year. If you are stationed somewhere for more than 3 years you should consider purchasing a home.

3. Use a REALTOR that specializes in VA Home Loan. The VA home loan is a specialized tool. You wouldn’t ask a pilot to captain a submarine would you?? NO! Ask your REALTOR how many VA home loans they close a month and chose an Agent who is well versed in the 0% down program!

4. Leverage sellers for closing costs. In a low inventory market it is difficult to beat out other offers when you’re requesting closing cost credits. Wait until an inspection has been completed to request credit repairs to help with closing costs. Often sellers won’t want to start the entire process over and will accommodate buyers requests mid-escrow.

Creator of Savvy Homes

Lauren Taylor

Savvy Homes – BIG BLOCK REALITY

 

Use a REALTOR that specializes in VA Home Loan. The VA home loan is a specialized tool.

Tips from Realtor Erin Ward

1. Make sure you are working with a Realtor who understands the military, the VA loan and the difficulties with PCS’ing. The VA will not underwrite a loan for just any home, so having a Realtor who understands the VA appraisal process is imperative.

2. I often work with buyers as early as a year out from their PCS, knowing things can change, but it allows us plenty of lead time to get them into the home of their dreams when they move to Hampton Roads avoiding lag time or lengthy hotel stays.

3. Get pre-approved! Work with your Realtor to connect you with local lenders experienced with VA loans to know how much house you can afford. It’s important to know this information before you begin your home search so that you look only at the homes that will work for you and avoid those that are outside or even too low for you budget which often leads to a frustrating search.

Erin Voirol

Erin Ward

HR/VA Homes and Keller Williams
HRVA Homes
Office: 757-499-5911
 
Keller Williams Elite- Town Center
1 Columbus St Ste 1100, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

 

Tips from Realtor Nadia Anac

1. Work with a local lender and compare rates. Local lenders have a vested interest in the community they are serving, making them more knowledgeable about the area than a larger, national corporation. They will also be more competitive with their rates, because they are smaller companies who want your business. Getting pre-approved is the first step in the home buying process.

2. Bring your best foot forward when putting in an offer. If you really love a house, put the best offer that you are comfortable with. Sometimes even a personal note to the Seller telling them about yourself and why you love the house can make all the difference.

Nadia Adac

Liz Moore and Associates delivers extraordinary real estate services in Hampton Roads, Virginia including Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, and others.

Tips from Realtor Ruby Stults

1. Buying a home is such a good investment opportunity! The VA loan is an amazing benefit, and everyone should take advantage of it. Remember that you can use your VA loan more than once! They cap the amount you can borrow, not how many times you can use it.

2. Keep in mind that if a company offers you a monetary incentive, that money comes from somewhere, and it’s not from their bottom line.

3. Most importantly, don’t be afraid of real estate agents! As a buyer, having an agent costs you nothing. We are here to help save you time and money. Let us.

Ruby Stults image

Ruby Stults

 Buyer Specialist
 Welcome Home Team of Keller Williams 
Fort Bragg/Fayetteville, NC
Ruby@WelcomeHomeTeamNC.com
You can use your VA loan more than once! They cap the amount borrowed, not how many times used.
Maximizing Your BAH

Are you in the market for a new home? Use one of the amazing ladies above or let me help you find someone.  I am a real estate broker in western Washington, and I have connections worldwide.

Visit my website here or download my app here.

Do you have any tips when you purchased a home to get the most bang for your buck?  Tell us in the comments below and share this article with your friends so they can too.

If you found this advice, or any of my advice helpful, please consider buying from one of my affiliates at no additional cost to you and supporting The Military Move. When you click and make a purchase within 24 hours (at no additional charge), we receive a small donation. Thank you!

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