Lies, Details and Fort Lauderdale Home Sales

When it comes to listing or selling your Fort Lauderdale home, are you comfortable with the team you’re working with? Now could be a great time to list your single-family home, condominium or duplex in Galt Ocean Mile, Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Pompano Beach and throughout Broward County. But could you be inviting a deal with the devil?

With the current real estate market on fire, everyone is coming out of the woodwork for a piece of the action to try to make a quick buck. A recent listing I had attracted numerous offers; more than a half dozen were over the listing price.

As you’ll see in this video, I read each offer closely to make sure everything’s legit. One looked odd. It was higher by far than any other offers, which was enticing. But the name on the offer was different from the name on the email that the offer was attached to.

So I put on my detective hat and did some due diligence. I looked up the agent on the Florida Board of Realtors website and found that the Realtor who signed the contract had a Florida real estate agent license. The individual whose name was on the email did not.

In the age of internet scams, use of an alias made me suspicious. Unclear whom I was dealing with, I consulted with my client. Together, in an abundance of caution, we decided to not accept the offer.

In any market, caution is advised. In a hot market, where dollars are high and would-be scammers may lurk in the shadows and behind fake names, the devil is in the details.

When you make an offer, make it clear who it’s from. Of course, include your contact information and that of any partners who may be included in the deal.

If the devil is in the details, make sure the devil’s on your side.

Gary Lanham is team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office. To learn more, visit instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or call 954-695-6518.