I bought a house.

Hi honestmoneynow,

I would suggest you to contact the seller as well as the county recorder's office in order to know when you would receive the property deed for the house. It's better to move into the house only when you have the deed in your hand.

Should I not move in eventhough I have a letter stating he was going to sell the house to me, an endorced check with address of house and downpayment on it, 2nd endorced ck by seller with my name and address of house and complete payment on it, I have the proof he sold it to me and received the money, he endorced the checks himself.

how did the two of you handle the closing on this house? did either of you have legal representation? do you have any idea whether title is clear on the home or not? do you have keys to the house? is it a stick-built home or a mobile home?

it sounds like you did this all through the mail - that's pretty risky. i wonder if you've really made a home purchase or not.

Hi Bonnie!

Welcome to forums!

As you have the required documents that the property was sold off to you, then I guess you would be able to move into the property. However, it is always better to get hold of the deed and then move into the property.

Feel free to ask if you've further queries.

Sussane

sussane, i don't think moving in is the issue here.

Mr.P had a house in Ohio to sell and I live in Pa. He put up pictures on ebay and it looked great. I contacted him and we agreed to sell me his house. I have each email back and forth about it. He even gave me his name and address and that he was selling the house to me, my name and address. I did a title search to make sure he indeed owned the property and there were no mortgages or leins against it. It came out he owned the property and his address was in the title search. The title search and his information matched, so I felt everything was on the up and up. I sent him one bank certified check and wrote downpayment , my name, and house address on it. He cashed it. Then I sent him the 2nd bank certified check with the house address in notes and wrote complet payment on it. He cashed it. He responded by email and said I paid in full, so he was sending me the keyes and having the deed transferred from his name to mine,I should get the deed in about 1 mo. I received the keyes,but not the deed,it has been 2 months now.I called the county clerk and she said the house was still in his name. What should I do, should I feel free to move in because I paid for the house, or should I wait for the deed? How long would a deed take? He doesen't answer my phone calls or emails anymore.What can I do?

so you paid for someone to do a title search, and that someone didn't think it appropriate to recommend that you engage an attorney to represent and protect you? you didn't think you needed a lawyer? you trusted this stranger, to whom you sent a fair amount of money? you still don't have a lawyer?

okay, now i am critical about your dealing with strangers, but since you're already comfortable with that, here's some advice from another stranger - get a lawyer to represent you, lay out the entire scenario for that lawyer, and haul this scam artist into court so you can get your money back.

you have been had. the keys you have in your possession could be the keys to a yugo for all you know. have you actually ever seen this home in person? that ought not to be hard - pa isn't all that far from ohio.

i think it's pretty obvious why he's not returning your calls or responding to your emails. he doesn't want to, and doesn't feel it necessary since you've trusted him throughout this mess.

you need to get on this quickly. every day that goes by is a day without your money and a day lost without recovering that money. if i were in his shoes, i'd be out of the country by now - or else i'd be pulling the same scam somewhere else.

please get a lawyer tomorrow morning and get going on this. you can't afford to wait any longer.

Hi Bonnie,

I completely agree with what George has said. I would suggest you to contact an attorney in this regard and take his opinion in this matter. He will be the right person to guide you in this regard.

Exactly what kind of lawyer should I get? Thanks for all you answers, I appreciate it.

Hi Bonnie,

You may speak to a real estate attorney in this matter. He'll be able guide you in a proper way and let you know the right steps that you need to take in this regard.

Thanks

yes, a real estate lawyer - i.e. someone who concentrates his or her practice on real estate. i don't know if you have any knowledge of the law firms that might be available in that area, but here's an idea: check with someone you know (or a friend/family member knows) in your own area, who might be able to refer you to someone trustworthy in ohio.

make certain you feel comfortable with this person and his or her expertise in the field - take someone along with you if you need to do that, to get a different perspective on things.

you want someone who will be a bulldog for you in negotiating a swift and positive resolution to this nastiness.

I just want to thank everyone for their input and help in my situation. I will follow your suggestions and help, you guys are great.

I just want to thank everyone for their input and help in my situation. I will follow your suggestions and help, you guys are great.

I just want to thank everyone for their input and help in my situation. I will follow your suggestions and help, you guys are great.

so many thank yous...please let us know how you make out with this problem bonnie. we want to see victory!