Real Estate Scams Revisited: Zombie Properties and Stolen Listings

If the Nigerian money transfer scheme weren’t enough, a variety of other real estate scams continue to circulate, trapping not just sellers, but also buyers and renters, too. The aftermath of the housing collapse created conditions ripe for scamming, as foreclosures...

Real Estate Scams: From Nigeria to Your Doorstep

The Nigerian Internet scheme is so well known, it’s become a joke. But now, variations of that scam are targeting the housing market, snagging unwary home sellers and buyers with a mix of pathos and pressure on marketplace sites like Craigslist and eBay. Fraud...

Investors: Solo, Group, Corporate?

What’s in a name? In the years since the historic housing collapse of 2008, “real estate investors” have been alternately blamed and praised for their contributions to the emerging recovery from that mortgage meltdown. But investors can range from major investment...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: New Directions

They’re such a part pf the housing industry landscape that everyone knows their nicknames better than the official titles they stand for: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Combined owners of over half the mortgages in the US, the Federal National Mortgage Association and...