Why couple’s $1.6 million ranch is listed for sale for just $10,200

A couple are fending off househunters flocking to their door after seeing their house, worth $1.6 million, on sale for just $10.200.

But Jamey and Lauren Bertram never put their five-bedroom 5,300sqft home in Kansas City they bought for about $1 million in 2019, on the market.

Instead, it was a brazen scam on property site Zillow that took them most of a week to fix, all while people were knocking on their door to have a look.

The scammer explained the crazy low place by making it sound like the owner was so rich they could afford o practically give it away for charity.

‘Selling my home because my family and I own many houses across the US,’ the scammer wrote. 

‘Once a year we sell one or a few of our homes to first time buyers for under $25,000. This is done to bless a family or individual that needs it, but also as a tax write off for us.’

The house was only available to first time buyers, it said, and strictly no realtors, lenders, investors, wholesalers, or lawyers need inquire.

Excluding this list of savvy property buyers was likely because it was essential to make the scam work.

Buyers were told to call ‘Mandi’ and then told to send $200 to the owner’s mother through an online banking app – which, of course, would be refunded.

Jamey Bertram, senior vice president at architecture and engineering firm Burns & McDonnell, said the couple had no idea until Wednesday when friends asked if they were moving.

‘We’ve been spending the last three days trying to unwind this person that has taken over my house online,’ he told the Kansas City Star.

‘I’ve had zero help from Zillow. They’ve become unresponsive… It’s a hot mess.

‘I’m kind of stuck here. People want to see the house. It’s just a complete scam.’

The house, which is estimated to be worth about $1.6 million, was finally taken of Zillow over the weekend. 

Zillow has detailed guides about how to spot and avoid being scammed on its platform, and generally when navigating the property market.

The fake listing for the Bertram’s home used several of the classic strategies that are red flags to buyers or renters who take precautions.

‘Most scams involve a request to wire funds. Do not wire funds to anyone you haven’t met personally. Scammers create convincing reasons why they need to deal remotely,’ Zillow waned.

Househunters were also warned not to send deposits, and beware of sellers or landlord who asked for unorthodox procedures because they were overseas.

Other common red flags were typos in the listings and the use of sob stories to explain strange details or requests.

‘Emails filled with spelling and grammatical errors are usually a sign of fraud. British spelling such as “favour” instead of “favor” is also a sign of a rental scam,’ it said.

‘Messages involving stories of family or financial issues, or of agents who charge too high a premium, are usually fraud.’

But the biggest sign in this case, was that the low price was simply too goo to be true.

‘Does the rent seem too low for the neighborhood or property shown in the listing? To rush renters, scammers advertise deals that seem like amazing opportunities,’ Zillow warned.

‘They’ll stress urgency and that the deal will be gone fast. (This last bit is its own little red flag; amazing deals speak for themselves and don’t need the hyped-up language.)’

Zillow advised always visiting a property in person, checking the listing is legitimate, verifying the selling or renting agent’s identity, and to only exchange money using well-known, trusted methods.