The fact that travel nurses are constantly in demand for new houses whenever traveling to different assignments puts them at high risk of encountering fraudsters pretending to be landlords or property managers. That’s why it’s important to know the common housing scams that target travel nurses to avoid losing hard-earned money as well as falling victim to identity theft.
Is Furnished Finder Legit?
Furnished Finder is a website that connects landlords and short-term tenants such as traveling healthcare professionals. It works just like Uber since the landlords are identified as independent contractors, based on their freedom of entry and exit on the platform.
The Pros Of Furnished Finder App
1. Provides An Alternative To Housing Options Offered By The Travel Nurse Agency
Travel nurse agencies offer housing to help nurses settle into their new environments with much-needed ease, especially those in need of family homes. However, the options tend to be limited to just a couple of properties.
Furnished Finder, on the other hand, provides a better alternative to the table by providing traveling professionals with tens of property listings in any city.
2. Ideal Option For Travel Nurses That Want To Split Accommodation Costs
Real estate prices in premium cities such as Los Angeles and New York tend to be expensive in comparison to other markets across the country. Newly graduated nurses who are still earning entry-level salaries who get posted to such cities might not be able to afford to rent studio apartments individually and instead opt for roommates.
Furnished Finder has housing options for such arrangements, unlike travel nurse agencies that only cater to individuals.
What Are The Cons?
1. Stiff Competition For Affordable Houses
Furnished Finder has established its reputation as a genuine source for really affordable real estate deals. Unfortunately, this also creates stiff competition for housing that persists throughout the year. Especially in cities where rental properties are generally expensive.
Red Flags That Are Common With Housing Scams
1. Enticing Deals That Stand Out Compared To Normal Market Prices
Scammers create housing advertisements containing prices that are significantly affordable compared to the average market rate in a particular city. That’s because they understand that most people worry about incurring high expenses when relocating to a new city. You’ll notice that the suspicious rental properties cost 60-70% of the average market price without any reasonable justification.
2. Landlords or Property Managers With Mysterious Identities
Scammers use a bunch of lies to disguise their identity when getting into talks with unsuspecting victims. The most common lie is where the landlord claims to be abroad on a long visit and in this situation, communication is strictly limited to emails and phone calls. This type of scammer also uses multiple phone numbers to communicate with victims.
3. Shady Payment Procedures
Landlords and property managers usually collect rent in cash or through legit commercial platforms such as local banks or PayPal. Also, the names on the account match the property owner’s identity. However, the case is usually different when dealing with swindlers.
The victims usually have to make payments online and that’s where problems begin. An unsuspecting travel nurse might get directed to payment platforms that are unheard of because the scammer wants to make the transaction untraceable.
4. Use Of High-Pressure Tactics To Close The Deal
One sure sign that a property deal isn’t worth your time is when the landlord or property manager is constantly talking about other potential tenants who are eager to rent their property. Conmen use this tactic as a way of rushing victims into making payments by creating a false sense of urgency that makes most targets act irrationally.
Fraudsters targeting female victims can resort to using sad stories as a way of eliciting sympathy. The most common is whereby the landlord is suffering from a chronic illness that’s too expensive to treat. Victims end up sending money because the heightened sense of urgency inhibits rational thinking.
Always Apply Logic When Looking For Housing Online
It’s always advisable to verify the identity of a landlord or property manager before sending any money. Also, avoiding the temptation of rushing for the cheapest offer can prevent you from acting irrationally and falling victim to housing scams.