I love the idea of booking direct, however, I’m concerned about being scammed. What tips do you have to help me protect myself?

This is such a great question and we are happy to provide some insight.  Regardless of whether you book direct with us or another owner, these same general rules apply.

• For starters, scams usually involve “too good to be true” scenarios.  Oceanfront, with a pool, all the bells and whistles for a prime week for $2,500.  Scam.  A lack of transparency is likely a scam.  For example, posting in a group with no link to the home, but a desire to PM with details. 

• Scammers usually have a new profile or Facebook presence and, if they have a Facebook page for the home, it seems disjointed with no cohesion in the pictures; like pictures of many rooms that have been cobbled together. 

• They usually do not have a proper custom .com website. 

• A newer scam we are seeing more of involves the scammer showing you or posting a legitimate link to a home listed on VRBO or with a property management company.  They claim to be the homeowner and advise you to contact them to book direct to avoid the middleman fees. Proceed with caution. In most cases, if the home is with a property management company, it would be a breach of the contract the owner has with the management company to book direct with the owner and thereby bypass the company. Those middleman fees are the company's bread and butter so they aren't just going to give that up. Some savvy owners may be able to negotiate a direct booking allowance into their contract with the management company, but most owners don't. You can contact the management company and see if the owner can book directly.  In this situation, be cautious and insist on proof of ownership in the ways defined below. Not saying it is never the case, but more often then not, someone showing you a link with a realty company, but wanting you to bypass the company and go through them, is fraud.

• Finally, scammers create urgency and are aggressive in trying to get you to book.

If you aren’t experiencing any of the above, that is a good sign.  Here are specific things you can do to further protect yourself.

• All real property ownership records in North Carolina are public.  Get the address of the property and search the ownership history in the real property records for Dare County (Duck to Manteo and south through Hatteras) or Currituck County (Corolla and 4x4/Carova):
  

  • Dare County: https://maps.darecountync.gov/
    

  • Currituck County: https://currituckncgov.com/ICARE/Search/Disclaimer.aspx? FromUrl=../search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=address

• Some owners, like us, have the home owned by an LLC.  You can search LLC ownership information with the North Carolina Secretary State here:

  • https://www.sosnc.gov/online_services/search/by_title/_Business_Registration

• Make sure the person you are communicating with either owns the home or the LLC and is listed as such on one of the government websites above.  Make sure any payment you send matches the contact address listed on one of the above websites.

• Ask to see a recent bill.  Real owners have tons of them linked to the house!

• Message the Admin of the page where you found the property.  Admins are usually familiar with the active owners in their groups and many of them (but not all) verify ownership prior to allowing posts of homes.

• Trust your gut.  If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.  Trust that instinct.

The biggest takeaway is real owners have no problem proving ownership and will not be offended or give you a hard time if you ask for proof.  They also will not pressure you to book.