CLICK HERE TO READ ‘AGINGCARE’S’ ARTICLE ON ELDERLY REAL ESTATE SCAMS
This scam, while not entirely new, has reached new levels with the advent of the Internet. Mistakenly believing that the Treasurer’s Office or Recorder’s Office in your county can or will protect you from such a fraud is to have faith in a system that — quite literally — doesn’t exist to protect the homeowner.
Any property you own can be subject to simple legal actions that can leave you being evicted — even from homes or properties you’ve owned for decades!
It’s almost impossible for one to imagine: Becky, who owned her property with a disabled mate for whom she was caring, had a Dual Residency/Right of Survivorship deed.
When her mate turned up with dementia in 2018, his strange actions forced her to evaluate her situation — she was no longer safe on the property they shared. She had to leave.
When she went to the county Tax Assessor to record her new address, she discovered the daughter of her mate had secured a separate deed and the property she had shared with her mate had now been passed to his daughter.
A ‘Dual Residency/Right of Survivorship’ deed is almost impossible to break. How had this happened? Who had facilitated it? You can’t just go online and change the named owner… or can you? How did this occur? Who facilitated it?
She sought help from the county following the death of her mate in March of 2021. They issued her a Deed for her property and she had the utilities changed into her name. Soon after, she was notified by the utility company that someone else had claimed her property and she was told to hire an attorney. She tried to file the case in court only to be told her case would not be heard unless she hired an attorney. When the ‘new owner’ began removing RVs and other goods from the property, she was not even allowed to file a police report. The police. witnesses reported, threatened to arrest Becky if she didn’t immediately leave the police station. Beck is nearly 80 years old.
Sheryl, now 83 years of age, encountered a similarly disastrous situation. She purchased her home 13 years ago. Suddenly and without warning, she was notified that she was being evicted by the seller’s daughter. She went to the county, as did Becky, only to be told the same thing: this is a legal matter. No one would assist her. She, too, was told to ‘Hire a lawyer’.
Don’t let this happen to you or anyone you know. There are simple and readily available solutions that can protect your assets from those who would steal them. Until this situation can be rectified, no one is safe.
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