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By Trevor Fraser<\/div><\/div>\n

The tight listing inventory has led to an uptick in phone calls asking homeowners if they\u2019re interested in selling \u2013 but occasionally U.S. and state do-not-call laws are ignored. The Fla. Dept. of Agriculture says complaints are up 41% this year, and it wants all violations reported.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Ann Sloan has no intention of selling the Belle Isle home she\u2019s lived in for more than 40 years. \u201cI love it,\u201d the 83-year-old said. She says she fell in love with it the first time she walked through it. But Sloan\u2019s refusal hasn\u2019t stopped her from receiving phone calls once or twice a week asking if she\u2019s ready to part with her house. \u201cI usually cut them off pretty quick,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A quick cutoff is more polite than Shirley Kay Torres is with texts to buy her house in Union Park. \u201cI just reply with, \u2018You\u2019re a scumbag,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With home prices rocketing upward and housing supply squeezed, many homeowners and others have been inundated with calls, texts, and flyers about buying or selling houses. And Orlando Regional Realtor\u00ae Association President Natalie Arrowsmith says people should expect to see more of it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have close to 19,000 Realtors\u00ae in the area and only 2,500 homes to sell,\u201d Arrowsmith said. \u201cSo Realtors are trying hard to drum up business and get people to sell their homes.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the first half of 2021, Florida\u2019s Department of Agriculture, which handles the state\u2019s Do Not Call list, received 365 complaints related to unsolicited real estate communications, a 41% increase over the same time last year, and up 46% from 2019.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Alan Parkinson, bureau chief for mediation and enforcement, says not all unsolicited calls are violations of the Do Not Call list, but that doesn\u2019t mean they shouldn\u2019t be reported.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would always be cautious about getting unsolicited communications,\u201d he said. \u201cAlways.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While Parkinson doesn\u2019t know of any specific scams related to real estate advertising, he says there is still value in people making complaints about what they\u2019re receiving. \u201cEvery report is unique and we can cross-reference to look for trends,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if that person is not concerned for themselves, we encourage them to report.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sloan said some of the calls get personal, asking her age and how long she\u2019s lived in the house. \u201cIf they want to buy my house, they don\u2019t need to know that,\u201d she said. \u201cMakes me wonder if they\u2019re planning to rob me or something.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Parkinson said such questions should be a red flag. \u201cIs there any unique inquiry that isn\u2019t relevant to the nature of the initial communication? All things that seem a little off,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another way these calls are often \u201coff\u201d is when they offer to buy a house from someone who isn\u2019t the homeowner. Real estate agent Kimberly Zeidner said that\u2019s usually a result of a buyer with bad information.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[Real estate agents] use a variety of tools, all of which pull data from the property appraisers,\u201d Zeidner said. But she says the process is reliant upon agents to set their communications to be with homeowners.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Zeidner, who works mostly in the Dr. Phillips area, said she mostly used internet and social media advertising during the pandemic. \u201cWe know that during the shutdown, more people were inside and just scrolling,\u201d she said. Zeidner has also used texts, mailers and other internet advertising. And she asks the public try to see advertisements and contacts from the agents\u2019 point of view. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithout doing these things, we wouldn\u2019t get nearly as much business,\u201d she said. For example, she likes to remind homeowners regularly of how many homes are selling in their area and what people are getting. \u201cIf you\u2019re doing it on a regular basis, people are more susceptible to it,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Parkinson understands this, but still encourages people to make reports so that his department can have a record of business names, phone numbers and other data that can reveal patterns of behavior. \u201cThe more information we have, the clearer the picture,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Consumers who wish to report unsolicited communications or sign up for the Do Not Call registry<\/a> can visit FloridaConsumerHelp.com<\/a> or call 1-800-435-7352 for English or 1-800-352-9832 for Spanish.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Also see: What Realtors Need to Know About \u2018Do Not Call\u2019 Rules<\/a>. More information about the U.S. do-not-call list can be found at the Federal Trade Commission\u2019s National Do Not Call Registry website<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2021 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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\nAuthor: kerrys<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"