Golden Realty Blog

Craigslist has become a popular tool for home buyers and sellers. However, it it a portal not without controversy. For those who are not familiar with Craigslist - according to Wikipedia, Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities, featuring free online classified advertisements.

Recently Golden Realty posted a home for sale on Craigslist, advertising an upcoming open house. We started to get inundated with phone calls from people who were interested in renting this particular property. We were all very confused until we figured out that we were victims of a SCAM!

Here is what happened. A ’scammer’, apparently from out of the country, created a post on Craigslist advertising a home for rent using the information from Golden Realty’s post of a home for sale and advertised it for a really low rental fee. This scammer provided a fraudulent email account using an innocent person’s identity, making it seem as if all this was legitimate. When interested parties contacted the scammer, they were instructed to mail him a Cashiers check and then he would forward on the keys to the home.

Hopefully most people can recognize a scam when they see one, especially if something seems too good to be true. Evidently this is not the first time - nor the last, that Craigslist will be a feeding pool for scammers. In fact it would seem as if scams and fraudulent activity occur frequently on Craigslist because on every page, there is a link, typed in bold that warns users…AVOID SCAMS AND FRAUD.

The Golden Rules

If you open it, close it.

If you turn it on, turn it off.

If you unlock it, lock it.

If you break it, repair it.

If you can’t fix it, call someone who can.

If you borrow it, return it.

If you use it, take care of it.

If you make a mess, clean it up.

If it’s in the way, move it.

If you move it, put it back.

If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.

If it doesn’t concern you, mind your own business.

For the past few days we have been fortunate to see the sunshine and blue sky in Eugene. Everywhere you go you can hear the hum of the lawn mowers, the smell of fresh cut grass, and the sight of daffodils about to burst to life. Spring is in the air and it reminds us that there is hope and light amid all the dark, grey  clouds of winter. This is kind of like the economic doom and gloom we have been hearing about everyday in the media. It makes it easy to overlook the encouraging trends and positive news that is affecting the current real estate market.

There is no doubt Spring is also in the air in regards to the downturn of our Nations economy. Like the hum of lawn mowers, super low interest rates are the buzz of the lending industry. Today’s home buyer can get some of the lowest rates in history. Like the smell of fresh cut grass a new tax credit for first time home buyers offers a scent of relief for buyers who will now be able to buy their first home and have $8000 essentially given to them. This will bring a large number of buyers into the market place. Like the daffodils about to burst, the recent news of the increase in home sales in boom to bust markets like California, Nevada and Florida, shows the leveling out of inventory and stabilizing prices, ultimately leading to an increase in consumer confidence.

Your senses may be coming to life with every sign of Spring, but remember to also notice the signs of Spring within the real estate market. Spring home buying has never been so fun!