A location listed "for waste by owner" connected Zillow for $10,200 saw a batch of liking from would-be buyers — isolated from their location worthy $1.2 million, and nan existent owners knew thing astir it until friends showed them nan listing.
Jamey and Lauren Bertram ain a 5,300-square-foot, five-bedroom ranch location successful Kansas City that a 3rd statement precocious listed connected Zillow, complete pinch pictures, without their knowledge, according to The Kansas City Star.
Jamey Bertram told The Star connected Friday that nan location had "been hacked connected Zillow" and that he had spent 3 days trying to hole nan rumor pinch "zero thief from Zillow."
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After getting past Zillow's fraud detectors by mounting nan value of nan location to its $1.2 cardinal marketplace value, nan third-party scammers decreased nan value to $10,200 and stated that nan value was truthful debased because they were trying "to bless a family" and get a taxation break.
"Once a twelvemonth we waste 1 aliases a fewer of our homes to first-time buyers for nether $25,000," nan listing read. "This is done to bless a family aliases individual that needs it, but besides arsenic a taxation write-off for us."
When willing buyers called nan number successful nan listing, they were told to nonstop a refundable $200 deposit for a tour.
Bertram called nan incident "a basking mess" and said he recovered retired astir nan listing erstwhile friends emailed him astir it. People were besides conscionable "showing up" astatine his beforehand doorway and asking to spot nan house.
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Bertram and his woman bought nan location successful 2019 for adjacent to $1 million.
Zillow said it had taken nan listing down connected Friday.
A Zillow study published past period showed that location prices successful Kansas City were rising quickly, pinch nan mean location worth astatine $236,292 — astir 7% higher than past year.