Property Management and Rental scams have been popping up across America, and specifically the Northwest in the past couple months. I believe a couple months ago there was an article in the Medford Oregon Mail Tribune about the very same topic.

Below is a link that discusses the scams and how they have been popping up in the Seattle, Washington area. The bottom line is that an out of area Owner (Landlord, Property Management Company) are offering housing and apartments for rent for unbelievably low prices. Monthly rental amounts that are “too good to be true”. The Landlords are many times in Africa and specifically Nigeria, according to Jessica Bader, author of the following article in The Olympian:

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/08/06/1328095/craigslist-ad-scam-hitting-house.html

Check out the article and keep your eyes peeled for these disrespecting scamming merchants. You can confirm who owns the property by going to the Jackson County Website, then perform the following:

1. Go to the Jackson County Website: http://www.co.jackson.or.us/
2. Click on “Property Data and Maps” (Front Counter) in the Quick Links section in the top right hand corner of the screen
3. Click on “Property Data Online”
4. Click the blue “Search” tab
5. Click “Adress”
6. Under #3, Enter the street number and street name, then click “Submit”
Be careful here because I entered my home address and at first it did not pick it up. I found out that it was because I entered “drive” along with the name. Once I removed the “drive”, “street”, “way”, from all of the properties they worked just fine and brought up the property owners name.

The query is kind of slow, but delivers great information.

Hopefully this information will help us bust at least 1 of these scammers out there.

Good luck to you all in your Medford Oregon Investing and Landlording, if you ever need a seasoned Professional to help with Property Management Services, feel free to give Shelly or Patrick a call.

Patrick & Shelly Rogers
New Foundations Property Management, Medford Oregon