A word of warning about the latest scam for sellers of houses to watch out for. I would venture to guess that buyers of houses might be targeted too.
A while back we bought a house in Independence. Last week we sold that same house.
Today we got a letter in the mail from “Property Site”, at least that’s the name on the return address label. Their letter looks really official and it is wanting me to pay them $98 to buy a copy of the recorded deed that transferred ownership.
At the top in small print with all caps “THIS SERVICE TO OBTAIN A COPY OF YOUR PROPERTY ASSESSMENT PROFILE IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY. YOU CAN OBTAIN YOUR GRAND DEED OR OTHER RECORD OF TITLE FROM THE COUNTY RECORDER IN THE COUNTY WHERE YOUR PROPERTY IS LOCATED FOR A NOMINAL FEE”
We have bought and sold houses for over 20 years and I am really not sure what a property assessment profile is.
And you should be able to get a copy of the recorded warranty deed or other types of deed transferring ownership for free in many counties if you go online and look. And the title company that was paid the big bucks to actually close and record that warranty deed will mail it to the appropriate party once it is recorded and will provide you with a copy for free.
So if you buy or sell a house or other real estate and shortly after you get an official-looking letter in the mail wanting you to buy a copy of the recorded deed, it’s a scam, throw it away. Or at least run it by your title company or attorney where you closed the transaction.