If it’s too good to be true, chances are, it’s too good to be true.

That’s a pretty solid life lesson, which should certainly be applied to many things, especially when it comes to making a big decision like where you intend to lay your head at night.

Therefore, be weary of “homeowners” who offer to rent properties — that aren’t even theirs to market — for rockbottom prices. In fact, with the glut of foreclosed homes affecting just about every corner and neighborhood throughout the United States, the opportunities for scammers looking to dupe hard-working, honest folks increase exponentially.

Such is the case foreclosed homes being used to scam would-be renters. The scammers list foreclosed and/or vacant homes for rent, collect a down payment, typically online, and then disappear.

Rinse, wash, repeat and cheat.

A Keller Williams Realty agent from San Jose, Calif., explains how it’s done via the Seattle Times:
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To search foreclosed homes for rent in your area or anywhere else throughout the United States click here. It’s free for seven days.

Our good friends at DoorFly.com think so, saying that buying is almost always the better choice.

Why?

Let’s let them list the ways … all 10:

1. Build equity
2. Ownership
3. Make upgrades
4. Lock-in payments
5. Increase line of credit
6. Make a profit
7. Payments eventually end
8. Home value increases
9. No landlords
10. Emotional satisfaction

To read brief explanations for the points mentioned above check out the article in its entirety right here.

Remember, too, that Foreclosure.com offers a nationwide list of foreclosed homes for rent, which is often referred to as an option that provides “the best of both worlds” because you build equity while you rent.

To search foreclosed home for rent in your area today click here.

Foreclosure.com today announced that it recently added thousands of foreclosed homes for rent-to-own properties to its industry-leading, nationwide database of more than 2 million distressed real estate listings.

To search for potential foreclosed homes for rent to own in your area visit http://www.foreclosure.com/rent_to_own today.

Foreclosure.com already offers the most comprehensive, accurate and current collection of preforeclosure, short sale, foreclosure, Sheriff sale, foreclosure auction, bank repossessed (bankruptcy), HUD homes and tax lien listings in one convenient location.

Adding foreclosed homes for rent-to-own properties, according to company Vice President James Houston, was a natural progression that reflects a shift in the ever-changing housing market.

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The San Diego Union-Tribune passes along good advice:

“… you’re going to need to dig a little. First off, be wary if the lease you are signing is too good to be true…. A home or apartment offered for below the market rate or a deal that requires several months of rent upfront are clues that things might not be on the up-and-up. You might also want to check if there is a notice of default on the property…. If you see a notice of default, run, don’t walk, away. Once you are in a property, it’s a good idea to run the same type of check every couple of months to avoid any unwelcome surprises.”

To find out if a notice of default has been filed on the property in which you are renting you can inquire at the local courthouse or search Foreclosure.com.

Remember, too, that we now offer “Foreclosure Street Alerts,” which will notify you via email as soon as a house on your street goes into foreclosure. To receive these free alerts click here.

The sourced article also sheds light on what to do about payment, as well as what your legal rights are as a tenant (will you be evicted?), if you find yourself living in a foreclosed property.