The Realtor® Association of the Palm Beaches has been notified that there is a man who is calling himself Mr Antonio (Tony) Zalbumbide contacting female Realtors to show him luxury properties and apparentley misleading them. He has broken NO Laws. He is not being accused of anything other than his pedegree is false.
There are some risks not worth taking. If you feel unsafe, always, go with your gut feeling no matter how much you need a deal or how much you don't want to offend someone. It is better than turning up missing, dead or robbed. Your life is too important to take risks for any amount of commission.
Below is the alert that the Realtor Association of the Palm Beaches has posted on their member email:
- REALTOR® ALERT! - Members are advised of a gentleman who is approaching female Realtors expressing interest in high end and luxury properties but who is apparently misrepresenting himself. He chooses to contact only female Realtors. He promises gifts. In some cases he offers gifts consisting of articles of clothing. He wants to be shown these upper end properties. He claims to have substantial resources. He has broken no laws. Yet. However, research into his assertions by several members has proven his pedigree to be false. Please be careful and use appropriate prudence in any dealings with Mr. Antonio (“Tony”) Zalbumbide.
Please pass this information along to anyone that you know in real estate:
- Make sure you follow safety rules. Recommend to your broker to establish safety proceedures and protocol:
- Get a copy of the buyer's drivers licenses and leave the copy at the office.
- Never go with anyone who you feel uncomfortable with.
- Give your cell phone number to your family and office.
- Have your spouse or someone at the office call with security checks.
- Have a code phrase that you use when answering your cell phone if you feel in danger.
- Always leave someone in your office a list of homes you are showing with addresses and times.
- Do not drive strangers in your car.
- Meet all your buyers at your office before you show them homes.
- Never meet someone you don't know at a vacant or secluded property alone.
- Remember that women have set up agents to be killed too. It is not just men that attack and kill.
- Male agents are also robbed and killed while showing homes so men take precautions also.
- Keep your keys in your hands at all times, do not lay them on a counter while showing a house.
- You can use your keys as a weapon if you are being attacked.
- Use the buddy system when showing houses. When I worked as a buyers agent I brought my teenage sons with me to showings.
- Get a license to carry a concealed weapon. But remember to be trained in the use of the weapon.
Never go with anyone against your will even at gunpoint. Remember that if they are holding a gun to you, your best chance to get away is right then. If you go with them, your chances are almost Zero that you will get away. If you run and they shoot at you, they may miss you, if they do not miss you, the likelihood of the bullet being fatal is not that high compared to the likelihood of you being alive after they take you to another location.
Be Safe out there. Please reblog this and pass this along to all the agents in your offices. You may just save a life.
Hi Katerina, This is unfortunate news. I was once conned by an apparently high end buyer . I later saw through his guise, fortunately I was not harmed...
SAFETY FIRST.
We can never be reminded too often about realtor safety! Thank you.
BethAnn in Spokane
This is excellent advice, and the BEST is probably at the end... Never go with anyone against your will. This is a time of year when desperate people come out of the woodwork and get creative. You could encounter them at work, as you said, or the grocery store parking lot. Pay attention!
Good advice and tips and hopefully everyone who reads....takes heed.
It's always good to post these reminders. We can't let our guard down just because we think we need a client.
I agree with BethAnn,
We can never be reminded too much about Realtor safety!
Yes Celeste I agree that everyone should take the advice seriously!
Thanks
Tom Davis
Katerina,.. I think Ines talked about this last year. I think no matter what time of season it is, or the time of day, that realtor should always be on their toes... yes, it's sad, but be proactive on ths situation... overall, some excellent tips....thanks
Hello Katerina, thanks so much for posting the alert....always better safe than sorry!
I really hope this gets featured. Thank you for sharing this with everyone.
You can never be too careful... WE lost a member of the Wisconsin REaltors Association this year when she was murdered on a showing by a wacko buyer! During the showing, the agent was discussing financing, and when it was obvious the buyer didn't qualify for financing, she wondered why he was even looking at houses, and he went off on her, attacked her, and left her for dead, he then started the house on fire, and she died from smoke inhalation....WHAT A WACKO! he's going to prison...
Pat- How terrible! Oh my gosh! That is just sick! One of the agents I coach,Fred up in Vancouver BC, a beautiful young lady went to show a million dollar home, set up by a woman, stabbed to death by a man. It was all over all the news and the alerts went far and wide to be very careful. She had that uneasy feeling when she left the office.
Marian- I am glad you were not harmed. We must always be careful. Something in you told you that he was not who he presented himself to be. Always go with your gut.
Sally- Thanks, I hope so too!
Margaret- I owned and taught at TaeKwonDo schools for 15 years and I taught women rape and assault prevention, child kidnapping prevention and sexual assualt and harrassment prevention and defense. The stats for surviving when you or your kids go with someone against your will are almost zero. But if you don't go even at the point of a gun, your chances of survival are much greater. Not only that, I would rather die before they do horrid things to me or my kids.
BethAnn- You are right, this is a lesson I would teach women over and over again. We get complacent and safe. We tend to start letting our guard down. You can not do that any more. You must be aware. Awareness of your surroundings is the most preventive measure you can take.
I had a client the other say that came in with a girlfiend that ended up being a fraud. He returned home to My thoughts were that I was glad that he was with someone when he came here. his home state and took off with his girlsfriends car and credit cards. I always meet people in the office and take a copy of their drivers license, this is a good practice. Someone was assaulted in our office a few years ago and I have personally done so ever since.
Great points ma'm. In this soft market there are always those that will prey on others and this is not the time to be lax in our personal security.
Thanks for sharing these important points. Everyone needs to be aware and not bury themselves so much that they put them selves in a dangerous position.
And when you are showing property to the good guys,
So many of our colleagues are killed and injured in automobile-related accidents every year - my former office mate died a couple of months ago in one.
It is amazing the number of people that contact us pretending to be something they are not! We have spent so many hours with such people! Thanks for the warning!
Thanks for posting this important info!! I'm going to re-blog right now!
Katerina, That's a great list -- we all have to be careful these days I'm sorry to say. Things I never used to think about I am much more careful of. Great advice and you just may have saved a life.
Katerina, thanks for the tips regarding safety. I think especially now when times are tough it may be easier to ignore our instinct because we need the sale so badly.
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More service members and veterans are using their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan guaranty benefit, as VA’s loan program remains a strong option in today’s housing market.
VA is experiencing a significant increase in home loan volume, with more than 162,000 home loan guaranties provided this year, an increase of more than 31 percent over the same period last year.
“VA attributes this increase to the favorable terms traditionally offered with VA loans and the elimination of many no-downpayment products in the conventional mortgage market,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake.
No-downpayment loans are increasingly difficult to obtain with conventional financing. Under recently enacted legislation, VA now uses a locality-based approach in determining ceilings on its no-downpayment home loans. VA no-downpayment loans are available for as much as $729,000. Larger VA loans may be obtained with relatively small down payments.
Not only is the VA program one of the few remaining no-downpayment programs in the market today, but lenders and veterans using the program are finding that it provides a timely and user-friendly product.
Focus in recent years on improvements in information technology has helped streamline the loan process and has made the program more accessible. Veterans no longer need to obtain a VA Certificate of Eligibility prior to contacting a lender.
Lenders can access the program’s web portal to use VA’s online Automated Certificate of Eligibility (ACE) system and obtain the certificate for the veteran. Many times, lenders can receive the certificate within seconds.
VA lenders have the authority to process and approve veterans’ loan applications. Lenders can order appraisals online, review and determine the appraised value of the property themselves, electronically submit the information VA needs to process a loan guaranty, and then receive the guaranty electronically within 24 hours.
VA’s is also revolutionizing its loan servicing activity through implementation of a new web-enabled and rules-based ‘smart’ system called VALERI (VA Loan Electronic Reporting Interface). Standardized servicing criteria on par or ahead of industry norms and instant access to acquisition and claim payment status make it easier for servicers to work and communicate with VA. It also allows servicers to help veterans who are experiencing financial difficulty avoid foreclosure.
VA-guaranteed home loans are made to eligible veterans, service members, and surviving spouses through private mortgage lenders throughout the United States. Since 1944, when home loan guaranties were first offered with the original GI Bill, VA has guaranteed more than 18 million home loans worth over $965 billion.
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Veterans with existing mortgage may also use this benefit to assist in these difficult times. Many veterans are using the va refinance to lower their existing interest rates. VA refinance can be used for a va cash-out refinance or a va streamline refinance. The VA streamline refinance provides the least expensive way to complete this transaction. Many of the fees associated with traditional refinances don’t apply with the VA streamline. Such as no need to provide income documentation or credit report. VA refinance provides the best value for struggle veterans who need to take advantage of any means of month cost savings.
For more information on a VA streamline, VA cash-out or any VA refinance, please visit www.vastreamlineonline.com.
Oh My, look - I've been spammed!
Tony- Thanks for the reblog! I sure appreciate it very much.
Thanks for this post! I strongly believe in safety first and you are right go with your gut instinct every time!
As real estate professionals, we often show vacant homes or work with new customers that we do not personally know. As a result, there are inherent risks associated with our jobs. Every year, there are news stories regarding assaults and other crimes against real estate agents. To read a few of these stories, visit: http://realguard.com/news.htm. Have you reviewed your personal safety procedures to ensure that you don't become a crime victim? Thanks for the reminder.
Dorie-You are welcome. I hope that we all are mindful of our surroundings and careful who we meet and have an escape plan.
Ryan- Thanks for your comment and the link. You don't hear too much in the news about it but we are at a risk and must be careful, men and women. I do not show vacant property without someone coming with me like Nestor or one of my grown kids. I am not ever putting myself in a situation like that. I have been horribly treated in bad situations as a young preteen and will never feel that way again, helpless!
Great information Katerina. I agree with everything you said regarding safety and precautions. It makes sense. We certainly do have to be aware and alert.
Thanks so much Katrina for the information and the VERY IMPORTANT reminders for our safety! While this guy might just have a false pedigree now - who knows! Very scary and you just never know!
Thank you for sharing this, you can never be too careful. Why would someone put spam in a comment section?
Thank you for sharing this, you can never be too careful. Why would someone put spam in a comment section?
Thanks for safety reminders, Katerina. I am going to use this info at my next office meeting. Also, good to give office personnel advice regarding situations with dangerous customers, vendors when alone in the office. I had a situation where one of my sellers, with THREE listings with us, inappropriately touched and intimidated a lone staff member, who was terrified. He later came back and BANGED on the door when I was alone in the office after I terminated him. We had to report him to the police. In those situations, excuse yourself and go OUT the back door. Also, code words with phone calls might be useful.
Katerina, thank you so much for keeping us updated with this needed info. Sometimes we are so anxious to show a listing that we don't bother to screen the buyer well enough. I like to meet them at the office FIRST, then go with another agent!
Regina P. Brown