Residents of high-end neighborhoods are used to feeling safe around their homes and communities, but times may be changing for some who have been targeted by violent crime in the Dallas, Texas area. Continue reading
Tag Archives: crime
Are Realtor Lockboxes Safe?
A string of lockbox thefts came to an end when Arkansas police arrested Amanda Tester, an executive at Cooperative Arkansas Realtors Multiple Listings Services. One would hope that a licensed real estate agent would do the right thing, but readers of this site know that not all agents are as trustworthy as they would lead us to believe. Continue reading
Realtor Caught Stealing on Camera
When you hand the keys over to your agent, you expect that they might do a little bit of cleanup before a tour, but generally your personal belongings should remain undisturbed. But when agents behave badly, they have full access to the entire contents of your home, including your wardrobe. Continue reading
Agent Threatens Homeowner With Gun To Get Real Estate Sign Back
According to The Dallas Morning News, a resident of the 4200 block of Windhaven Lane in North Dallas found a real estate sign in his yard. Since his house wasn’t for sale nor did he give permission to have a sign posted in his yard, he took it down and threw it away. Now I know how much real estate agents have to pay for those signs, having a stack of signs myself, but I think this person (article doesn’t confirm whether or not it was a real estate agent) went a bit too far. Continue reading
The Homeless Are Coming To YOUR Neighborhood
Homelessness is a horrible issue that I don’t wish on anyone. But there are two types of homeless people. The first type are the good people, down on their luck who need temporary assistance until they can get back on their feet, and they faithfully follows the housing authority’s rules, meeting all requirements. The other type is the drug-addicted or mentally unstable homeless who spend most of their days “defecating and masturbating” in the front yard of the housing project they’re assigned to. Both types are put into homeless shelters and those shelters are being disbursed into neighborhoods such as yours whether you like it or not. The big question is what type of homeless will become your neighbors? Continue reading
1,295 Prisoners Bought Homes Using Homebuyer Tax Credit
Once again, your tax dollars at work. According to CNN Money, 1,295 prisoners, including 241 serving life sentences, bought homes and defrauded the government of $9.1 million in tax credits reserved for first-time homebuyers, according to a Treasury Department report released in June of 2010. The CNN Money article also goes on to say that “Treasury’s inspector general also found that thousands of people filed multiple claims or made claims outside the allotted time period. In all, more than $28 million was improperly doled out. Continue reading
Real Estate Agent Charged With Theft And Tampering Of Public Records
A real estate agent in East Stroudsburg, PA was charged Friday with falsely reporting a property he owned as being mortgage-free, selling that property and then keeping the money from the sale for himself. I can’t believe he thought he could get away with it considering the staggering amount of paperwork and disclosures you have to sign when buying or selling a house. I can’t believe the title company didn’t pick this up. Continue reading
Thieves Target Open Houses & Other Real Estate Robberies
It’s open season on open houses. Home buyers aren’t the only people touring your home. Thieves are too. The Aldergrove Star reports “These crimes are committed by thieves posing as potential homebuyers attending open houses or walking through homes for sale with a Realtor. The thieves will distract the Realtor, perhaps asking for a tape measure, and while the Realtor facilitates the request, property is pocketed. Property targeted during these thefts includes laptops, jewelry, designer purses, small electronics, and other miscellaneous items.” Continue reading
Real Estate Broker Accused of Embezzlement
Somerville and Peabody Police yesterday arrested Kandy Farkhanda Shah, a real estate broker on several charges, including embezzlement and larceny. Kandy was mentioned to be the real estate agent representing the listing. A woman submitted an offer to Shah to purchase the house with a $7200 deposit. According to The Summerville News, she then asked Shah to provide documentation of the sale’s approval which Shah allegedly refused to do, police said. When the deal did not go through, Shah refused to refund the woman’s money, police said. A few of Kandy’s other alleged victims can be found at too. Continue reading
Practice Real Estate While In Jail – Only In California
Did you commit a real estate fraud related crime and are afraid you’ll lose your real estate license when you go to jail? If it’s a California real estate license, then don’t worry. Apparently lots of agents convicted of crimes still have their license and are legally permitted to still practice real estate. That’s right, the California agent you hire may be convicted of stealing from his previous client. Furthermore, he may currently be on probation. Technically, he could also be in jail and legally practice real estate in California. So, what does the State of California say? Basically they say “Who cares?” When you hear the Real Estate Department spokesman, Tom Pool, say things like, “If the person is headed to jail, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to use the department’s limited resources to revoke a license,” and refer to the problem as “a resource issue.” He added, “We’re very busy and very involved.” Continue reading