Heck yeah, it’s fake.
No matter what the real estate site Zillow says, Jamey and Lauren Bertram — who bought their 5,000-square-foot Kansas City ranch in 2019 for nearly $1 million — aren’t suddenly selling it for a paltry $10,200.
In fact, they’re not selling their five-bedroom house at all. They don’t move either.
“It’s basically a scam,” Jamey Bertram said Friday in response to a question from The Star about the for-sale-by-owner listing.
“Our house was hacked on Zillow,” Bertram continued, “and I’ve spent the last three days trying to calm down the person who took over my house online. I have not had any help from Zillow. They are unresponsive. … It’s a hot mess.”
Bertram, a senior vice president at architecture and engineering firm Burns & McDonnell, said Wednesday that he was aware of the scam.
“My wife and I both got emails from our friends saying, ‘Hey, are you selling your house?’ Of course not,’ said Bertram. “I didn’t know what they were talking about.”
Bertram checked the Zillow website and saw that his house was listed as “for sale by owner” at market value. According to Jackson County tax rolls, its value is approximately $1.2 million. On Thursday evening, the price suddenly dropped to $10,200. The explanation made it sound like a charity deal.
“I am selling my house because my family and I own many houses in the US,” the ad said. “Once a year we sell one or a few of our homes to first-time buyers for less than $25,000. This is done to bless a family or individual in need, but also as a tax write-off for us.”
The list stated that it was not accessible to brokers, lenders, investors, wholesalers or lawyers. “FIRST TIME BUYERS ONLY!”
It asked anyone interested to call “Mandi” at a number with a Las Vegas area code. The Star called the number and received a response stating that interested buyers should send $200 to the owner’s mother via an online banking app. … Then we can move on.” A home visit would then take place on Sunday. It claimed the $200 would be refunded to those who were not interested.
“People come knocking on our door. They want to come in and see our house,” Bertram said.
Bertram said he also contacted Zillow through their previous broker. Their home is not listed on Realtors’ MLS, a multiple listing service. When Bertram initially contacted Zillow, he received a response asking him to send them proof of homeownership. He sent them a copy of his most recent Jackson County property tax receipt.
“I haven’t heard anything since,” Bertram said. “I’m a bit stuck here. People want to see the house. It’s just a complete scam.”
After The Star tried to contact Zillow by phone and email on Friday, Zillow responded that afternoon. “Thank you for reaching out,” Zillow communications representative Gina Cole wrote. “We will investigate this immediately.”
The entry was subsequently removed.
So don’t knock.
