Are scam artists taking over Zillow? It sure feels that way this week. As a Bethesda premier agent on Zillow I appreciate that many buyers use it as a tool for research and to do their due diligence. However, this week alone I have been contacted by four buyers so far, (the week isn’t over) asking me about 7 so-called for sale by owner properties in Bethesda priced well below market value.It feels like a veritable epidemic of scammers trying to part unsuspecting buyers from their money. This has been going on for a long time. But there has been an exponential increase in this type of fraudulent activity since the beginning of the year. I’m sure these so-called FSBOs are going to try to convince buyers to make some kind of a deposit before “we can let you see the house, because there is so much interest.”

Don’t be fooled. If an $800,000 house is being advertised for $500,000, it’s too good to be true. Call me or my team and we will take you by the hand and find you the real properties that are on the market, and even some that are not on the market yet! We will help you make sure you are solidly prequalify, help you with your due diligence, advise you in making the offers so that you can get the house you want, at the best possible price the market will be allow, and still have all the protections allowed by law.