The real estate predators are always there–in good times and in bad.

There are whispered stories in real estate circles of certain escrow and loan officers who, in the heady days of real estate, slipped deeds into the stacks of papers homeowners were signing as they refinanced their homes. The deed, of course, moved the property into the predator’s claws.

As the Discovery Channel shows, predators will always pick off the unsteady, the not-so-swift and the elderly because the catch is easy and the herd moves on. No different with these criminals.

But you know what’s scary?

The employers of these predators, when or if they discovered the crimes, fired the perps summarily–and kept their collective mouths shut. They didn’t want bad press, they didn’t want exposure, they didn’t want to field the possible litigation that sometimes come from predator attorneys.

It was a criminal catch and release program that spared corporations their reputations and the hassle of potential lawsuits.

As as result, it should surprise none of us that these same real estate criminals (and others who have caught onto their scams) are again preying on unsteady homeowners. This time they disguise themselves as the good guys of real estate, who are out to save stressed homeowners from foreclosure. Their lines and lead-ins go something like this:

I can save your home from foreclosure. I can save your credit. Just sign here.

Other wannabe-predators offer embarrassed and delinquent homeowners the chance to stay in their homes as renters, and then offer to buy them back when circumstances improve. Families can remain in their homes, the kids can stay in school, and neighbors will never know the difference.

The only problem is that the prices at which the homes will be eventually offered back to the former owners may be far above market value.

The true real estate predator will offer to make the foreclosure go away with a simple loan. All the distressed homeowner needs to do is sign on the marked lines (at the bottom of the promissory note and deed of trust)–which means that he and/or she have just signed over the deed to the house. These predators are really good at slipping these critical documents into big stacks of paper that need to be signed in any real estate transaction. If we recall, this is the same tactic these creeps used a few years ago and their targets remain the same: The distressed, the unsteady and the elderly–who also own homes with enough equity or opportunity to make it worth the hunt.

My advice to distressed homeowners? Immediately consult with a reputable real estate professional or attorney before signing anything offered by a real estate problem solver–and remember that the predators wouldn’t be after you if there wasn’t any meat on the target.

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