My girlfriend found a house listed on Craigslist for $800/mo, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom 1,200 square foot house with a fireplace and big backyard. So she sends them an email and the guy replies later, saying that the realtor he was working with had screwed him over (somehow) and now he has taken the keys from them and he is gonna handle all of it himself. He said he was trying to sell the property but his job had him move to another state (California) and at this point he just wants someone to take care of the property for the 3 years that he will be gone.
So, after some emails back and forth he sends us the applications which were basically written up himself on Word. What I found strange was that we did NOT provide any sort of personal identification aside from references/place of work/past rental history. So I assume there was no credit check. We send the applications back and he says they were approved and that he must handwrite the lease so it might take a few days to get it all typed up.
So he's asking for $800/month, and $800 deposit. I've looked and the house is listed for sale on various realtor websites too. He encouraged us to go look at the house and look in the windows, look at the neighborhood, etc. He said once we sign the lease and pay that he will overnight the keys via FedEx and give us the receipt when he ships it out.
This is a very much "too good to be true" situation. He even mentioned all bills are paid except for trash. What can I do to assure myself that this isn't a scam? Should I call the realtor on the For sale sign outside the property? (He said the sign is still up only because he's out of the state).
Is this a scam?
Edit: I've searched the address online and his name does match the "online records" of being the owner. I've only communicates through email at this point. What's got me concerned also is that the Craigslist listing was flagged for removal when I asked my girlfriend about it..
Submitted May 21, 2017 at 10:19AM by chronicdemonic http://ift.tt/2pZgePN
