Several clients have come to my office with a solicitation from a company that calls itself “Local Records Office,” 2843 E. Grand River Avenue, #253, East Lansing, MI 48823. They receive a Local Records Office Form that appears to come from a government agency. It does not come from any government office, as the form will tell you, if you look at it carefully. This company gets the addresses of people who record deeds and sends them this offer to get them a copy of the deed the register of deeds will be sending them, anyway.
The form says, “Local Records Office provides a copy of the only document that identifies [the owner] as the property owner of [property address]” by a recently recorded transferred title on the property.” In other words, Local Records Office will send a copy of the deed, that the property owner will receive from the Register of Deeds for free.
Local Records Office will also provide a “property report” that no one would need unless the property were being listed for sale. In that case, a realtor would provide the report for free. For that matter, most realtors would happily give a home owner the information in question any time the owner asks.
Local Records Office will provide the copy of the deed and a realty listing report for the low, low price of only $89, and enough innocent property owners will be fooled into thinking they need to purchase the deed and the “property report” to make this PFALTAT a very profitable bamboozle. Don’t get taken in. Toss the mailing in your recycling bin and be glad you read this blog post before you wasted $89.00.
A company called “Record Transfer Services,” 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 preys on property owners all over the country. They provide the same services for only $83.00.
John B. Payne, Attorney
Garrison LawHouse, PC
Dearborn, Michigan 313.563.4900
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 800.220.7200
law-business.com ©2013 John B. Payne, Attorney
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