Wendell Jones Fights Home Improvement and Real Estate Fraud

The Law Office of Wendell J. Jones is adept and well practiced in dealing with all forms of real estate fraud. Unfortunately for the many property owners out there, real estate fraud is common and widespread.

One unexpected form of real estate fraud is the home improvement scam. In this scam, property owners are contacted, sometimes aggressively, with offers of various home improvement projects. If they property owner has never put out queries about such home improvements, this in itself is a giant red flag that the offer is a scam, and should be treated as such.

One example is an offer to have your house reroofed. The roofer, it seems, has just finished a major job and has a lot of material left over. The roofer can work on your house for a much lower rate, as a result. Another scam is one in which a contractor offers to repave your driveway. Again, it seems that this contractor just finished a major job. Very convenient – or so it seems. More often than not, the scammer will try to pressure the reluctant property owner to take advantage of this “special” and “one time only” deal.

The best way to handle these scammers is to gain all the information that you can about them. If the company is legitimate, you can – and need to – learn the company name, address, and contact information. You can then speak with the Better Business Bureau to learn whether this is a legitimate company with an unfortunately aggressive approach, or whether the company does not exist at all, and someone is attempting to scam you. If it is a scam, once you hand over the money (which must always be paid in advance, according to them), you will never receive the services, and your money is gone for good.

As Wendell J. Jones, attorney at law knows, it is far too easy to be sucked into one of these schemes. You might think that something like this would happen in a different neighborhood, or to different people. The sad truth is, it can happen to anyone, anywhere. No one is above being fooled, regardless of what we like to think. If you have fallen victim to such a scam, seek legal assistance. You may not be able to regain your money – but it is always a possibility. Plus, you may prevent it from happening to anyone else.

Wendell J. Jones, Counseling Agencies

Wendell J. Jones, attorney at law, is highly experienced at helping people who have been victims of real estate fraud. Real estate is a field that is rife with opportunists, and many of the victims are unfamiliar with the practices these fraudsters use.

Real estate is a booming business. Houses, condominiums, apartment buildings, vacant lots – there is a market for all of them. Popular urban areas have extremely high prices, and homes often sell the same week they are listed. Small lots with a single houses are sold so that the house can be torn down, and an apartment building is constructed in its place. Large land lots are divided so that an extra house (or houses) can be built there; this is particularly good for homeowners who don’t want a very large yard, and prefer to build rental property on part of the lot to earn a profit. It is fairly easy to get a mortgage.

Owning a home comes with its own problems. There are property taxes, for one. And, of course, there are mortgage payments, for those who weren’t fortunate enough to be able to pay for their house in cash. Upkeep is another issue. Before even moving into a home, the owners usually paint it inside, as well as outside (depending on the time of year). Carpets are replaced; plumbing is fixed; electrical wiring patched up. The yard has to be kept in good condition, particularly if the owner is a member of a homeowners’ association, which can have very strict rules on the appearance of every house and yard in the association. Security is almost always an issue, and various alarms are implemented to prevent break-ins, or to chase away intruders who have already broken in. Roofs must be re-roofed every now and then. The chores are endless.

And then there are the so-called “counseling agencies”. These companies target homeowners with various offers that seem too good to be true, and they are. They attempt to convince homeowners that the company can perform various services for the owner, which will result in lower mortgage rates. They claim that they can negotiate a new mortgage payment plan, or they drop hints of rate reductions. The problem is, these companies charge a large sum for their “services”, which can include making homeowners pay for information provided by the company that is available for free online.