Have you heard the commercials on the radio about home title locks and about the companies that will charge you a monthly fee to protect your title? Home title fraud or deed fraud is a crime when someone fraudulently replaces your name on the title to your property with theirs. Home title fraud is becoming more common as information becomes more available about people online. There are three types of property owners and properties that are at a higher risk then a home with a mortgage still on it. These types of properties or property owners that are more vulnerable are properties that are vacant and not monitored, properties that are paid for, and elderly property owners that don’t know how to monitor
their property title because monitoring is too difficult for them.
There is a company that will charge as much as $19.95 a month to monitor your title records that you can monitor for FREE. The commercials talk about people taking loans against your house and you losing your property rights. The commercials are down right scary and as a Realtor I have had a number of calls in the recent months from my senior citizen clients wanting to know if they should sign up for one of these service. Please don’t sign up for this service because if you live in Lorain County this service is FREE!
Mike Doran, the Lorain County Recorder provides this extra layer of protection for free. It is an alert system called Property Check and it will notify you against fraudulent filings against your property. If you are interested in creating a FREE account go to the Recorders search site and search for the link title FREE FRAUD ALERT. The site address is https://www.loraincountyrecorder.us/. This system will allow you to create a FREE account and you can be notified by email or text anytime a document is recorded in your name.
Maybe you aren’t the most tech savvy senior? Call a friend or family member to help you set up your free fraud alert account. I will also be happy to help you set up your account for free. If you are thinking about selling your home, it is a great opportunity for us to talk about what your home maybe worth in today’s real estate market as well.
Jennifer Herron-Underwood, is a Senior Real Estate Specialist with Howard Hanna. She has been a Realtor for the past 22 years and is a Lorain County Resident. She offers free Downsizing Consultations to help you start the downsizing process and help get a handle on the equity in your home as well as the process of moving. If you are interested in a FREE Downsizing Consultation or help setting up your FREE Fraud Alert Account with the county please call her at 440-371-2862.