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Officials, Realtors preach wariness of texting offers to buy homes

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Owning a home in the Valley often means getting a pesky, annoying text message from an unknown someone wanting to buy it.

A top official from the Arizona Association of Realtors has, too.

“It’s an issue,” said Gary Nelson, president-elect of Arizona Realtors said. “Like I said, I receive them myself.”

While the practice may skirt a gray area as to whether it's legal, in some cases those who take advantage of the buyer's offer run the risk of losing a lot of money.

 Mr. Nelson said the best thing to do is to be careful. He said those text messages likely don’t come from licensed Realtors.

Instead, the people are “typically individuals” looking to buy low and sell high, Mr. Nelson said. 

People are taken advantage of in some cases, Mr. Nelson said.

In one instance, Mr. Nelson said he knew of a property owner who sold his home after getting a similar text message. The new owner had said the tenant, who was renting, could stay.

A week later, the property was sold again — leaving the tenant without a place to live. The tenant had rented the same property for 16 years, Mr. Nelson said.

The Arizona Realtors official said the original owner sold the property for much less than what the home was worth.

“He gave away $125,000 without even knowing,” Mr. Nelson said.

Mr. Nelson said he has also been slydialed, a process where the caller gets directly connected to another person’s voicemail — so the caller doesn’t have to talk with anyone on the other end.

“I don’t know how they get my phone number,” Mr. Nelson said. “But they do.”

These days, Arizona homes are being snatched up quick. In most cases, buyers are getting top dollar for their houses in the current market. 

Earlier this year,  Arizona Realtors President Jan Leighton predicted the Arizona housing market would remain strong and steadfast. 

“If a buyer is looking for a bigger house or a better location, they will pay top dollar for it,” said Ms. Leighton in a press release. “But they will also get top dollar in return for the sale of their current home.”

Phoenix is considered among the hottest housing markets in the country. An S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller report released this week regarding home prices in the Valley during January found the region's prices up 15.8% compared with a year ago and up 1.2% from December.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said those looking to buy homes can mail advertisements as long as they don’t violate the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act.

Katie Conner, spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, said individuals likely get homeowner information because those documents are public record.

“There is a lot of information about property records that are public records,” Ms. Conner said.

Each situation depends on various factors on whether an individual may or may not have committed consumer fraud, Ms. Conner said.

Sending a simple text message about a particular home might not fall under any illegal wrongdoing. But Ms. Conner said homeowners can still protect themselves from unwanted text messages. 

Conner offered some tips:

  • Never click on any links or use a phone number provided in an unsolicited or unknown text message.
  • If you continue to receive the same text message from an unsolicited phone number, reply “STOP” or block the phone number.
  • Never provide sensitive personal or financial information to an unsolicited or unknown phone number or email.

Using a licensed Realtor can rid sellers of worry about whether the individual is legit, Mr. Nelson said. He said Realtors must abide by an ethics code and follow rules set by the Arizona Department of Real Estate. For instance, a Realtor has to follow "do not call list" guidelines.

In an extreme circumstance, a Realtor who continually violated those rules could lose their license.

A licensed Realtor would ensure a property is properly appraised and would help the homeowner maximize the earnings of a particular sale.

“We are pretty governed, strictly,” Mr. Nelson said. “...Realtors don’t take advantage of people.”

A social media profile that claims to be legit doesn’t mean the person has met the requirements to be licensed. Mr. Nelson said consumers can  check reviews of agents online. Agents are rated based on their performance. 

Licensed Realtors must complete code of ethics training every three years, according to the National Association  of Realtors website. Training consists of "not less than two hours and 30 minutes" of instructional time.

"There are online reputation portals now," Mr. Nelson said.  "Meaning people can rate their agent. It's a big part of the industry now."

Ms. Conner said consumers can verify licensing by looking up individuals on the Arizona Department of Real Estate website.

"Attorney General (Mark) Brnovich often gives this advice to consumers: if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Ms. Conner said. “Before you sign up with a company or real estate agent to sell your home, do your research. Read reviews online and ask for referrals.

“... Remember, spending time on the front end can save you a lot of time, money and aggravation. If a company is pressuring you to sign documents right away, that’s a red flag.”

If you believe you’ve been a victim of consumer fraud, you can file a formal complaint with the attorney general’s office at https://www.azag.gov/complaints/consumer