{"id":4318,"date":"2024-07-01T07:55:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T11:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=4318"},"modified":"2024-07-01T07:55:44","modified_gmt":"2024-07-01T11:55:44","slug":"received-an-offer-to-have-your-deed-mailed-to-you-for-a-fee-toss-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/received-an-offer-to-have-your-deed-mailed-to-you-for-a-fee-toss-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Received an Offer to Have Your Deed Mailed to You for a Fee? Toss It!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This year, Recorder of Deeds Jeanne Sorg has an important message for home buyers in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Look out, Sorg tells homeowners, for deceptive letters mailed to residents from outfits like Property Site. (That\u2019s just one example of the companies who send out these letters, Sorg notes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letters at issue say the companies will send copies of property assessments along with deeds \u201cor other record of title\u201d for a fee \u2014 typically in the ~$100 price range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, wherever you live in the United States, you\u2019ll probably get something like this if you buy a home. And it\u2019s probably best rerouted into the recycle bin. There\u2019s simply no need to answer letters like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t Be Misled\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People who have just closed on their first homes as well as seniors are the most likely recipients to pay large amounts for documents. Sorg urges recipients not to be misled by \u201cofficial\u201d letters like this, no matter how real they seem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, there\u2019s always the fine print that says the letters don\u2019t come from any official agency \u2014 but some companies use such an official appearance, that the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds decided to announce this as a scam alert. The county recorder of deeds does not<\/em> work through businesses that send unsolicited letters to homeowners.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a closing, the closing agent or attorney files the new deed with the local deed recorder. Then, the new owner will wait for the deed to be mailed to their new home. That\u2019s all it takes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are three ways to <\/strong><\/em>get a copy of your deed<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The county tax assessor makes property records available online. Also, Montgomery County\u2019s deed recorder, like many across the United States, has a searchable, public access database. For a small administrative fee (currently $10.50 in Montgomery County), know that you can order copies of records. And residents can always call the county deed recorder\u2019s office for help as needed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, homeowners may sign up for FraudSleuth, too. It\u2019s free for residents to sign up. The automated system will alert deed holders who sign up when a claim is recorded on the deed. Homeowners can check their own county deed recorders\u2019 websites to find similar automated services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What About Those \u201cI Want to Buy Your Home!\u201d Mailings?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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With homes in high demand and short supply, real estate investors may simply be working to increase what\u2019s available to them. They\u2019re keen to root out homes at discount prices so they can flip them for a profit. Sending out unsolicited mailings \u2014 paper or electronic \u2014 is one way to pry homes from the hands of their current owners who wouldn\u2019t otherwise list them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given this dynamic, you\u2019re highly unlikely to get what your home is really worth by answering one of these mailings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these buyers are wholesalers. They offer to buy homes at discounts so that they can transfer deeds again to other buyers for a cut: usually 5% to 10% of the home price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effective New Year\u2019s Day 2025, wholesaling property deeds will <\/strong><\/em>be barred in Oregon<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wholesalers don\u2019t always take title to the homes they find. So a wholesaler might simply reassign the purchase contract to the \u201cretail\u201d buyer. This end buyer has already struck an agreement with the wholesaler to pay a certain price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do Unsolicited Mailings Convince Some Owners to Sell?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, a seller may consider the offer a relatively easy way out of a home that needs work. The \u201cI\u2019ll buy your house!\u201d people often take homes as-is. That lets the owner avoid having to do upgrades and then stage and show the home and deal with potential buyers and their contingencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What rules and standards apply when a home in need of repairs is being sold in that condition? Learn more about the \u201c<\/strong><\/em>as-is\u201d home sale<\/em><\/strong><\/a> on Deeds.com.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, selling to experienced investors makes a sale relatively quick and simple. For that reason, you may want to entertain the unsolicited offer. Then again, you could have the work done yourself and keep your profit. And you\u2019d be selling to the people who will be next to live at your address. That can be satisfying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, now and then, homeowners get offers out of the blue from regular buyers. People who seek a place to actually call home. Maybe they\u2019re trying, long-shot style, to get a home with sentimental or historical value to them. Or maybe these go-getter buyers just want to beat the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to see why people would try to nudge owners to sell these days with the housing market as brutal as it is. Many people are vying to buy listed homes, whereas finding a home off the market could turn out to be a successful deal, avoiding the bidding wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, regular home buyers have agents working with them when they make their pitches to owners. But they are not businesses trying to fetch a profit. Here, the proposal comes from a buyer who\u2019s in it to win just one home. That\u2019s someone who might offer you your real estate\u2019s full, fair-market value.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is There Some Way to Deter Unsolicited Mailings?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even if you expect to get them and have your recycle bin ready, you might find these mailings a nuisance. Or maybe a senior in your life is getting bombarded and isn\u2019t sure how to respond \u2014 or avoid responding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, mailers gonna mail. But there are a few things you can do to slow them down:<\/p>\n\n\n\n