Scam or Sale? Washington Homeowner Shares Creepy Unsolicited Call Experience

I got a call yesterday from what I assumed was a scammer. My phone showed a phone number, but it was one I didn't know, and I wanted to ignore it.

BUT, because of the position I'm in helping my family with their medical and some financial needs, I pretty much have to answer my phone, just in case.

I should have stuck with my gut because, yep, it was a scammer.

Now, technically, I'm not sure if it was a scam, but for me, anyone who calls out of the blue wanting to buy my house and not even pronouncing the name of the city correctly is a little suspicious.

It seems like I'm getting these phone calls more and more often, and the lady on the other end, after pronouncing Yakima as "Yakeeeeeeeeeeema" (not exaggerating) seemed like she wasn't taking no for an answer.

Asking me if I was interested in selling my house and then asking the same questions in different ways.

My Unsolicited Phone Conversation With A Home Buyer

"What about in 6 months, will you be interested in selling your house them?" – Yakeeeeeeeeeeema Lady

"No." – Me

"Are you sure?" - Yakeeeeeeeeeeema Lady

"I'm not interested in selling my house, please remove my number." – Me

"Have you ever thought about selling your house?" – Yakeeeeeeeeeeema Lady

"No, the ghosts that haunt the place won't allow it, remove my number! Goodbye." – Me

"Well, if yo.." – Yakeeeeeeeeeeema Lady

Then I hung up on her mid-sentence. In some ways, I admire her tenacity for not giving up, but for the love of those ghosts haunting my property, NO!

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Have you been getting more and more calls like this? According to HomeLight.com, more and more unsolicited calls are coming to people from real estate investors and wholesalers, and sadly, scammers are making more and more rounds.

On the legit side of the calls, the people wanting to buy are doing so in order to purchase cheap, flip, and make a good profit, and with the housing shortage on the high side, they're targeting anyone who owns or is buying their home.

Hoping that the current owner is looking for a way out or a quick payday (I assume).

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If you are interested in selling your home, great, I'd look to your local professionals; that way, you're taking part in the research and lessen the risk of getting lowballed on the price and scammed.

Related Reading: The Washington City With The Highest Crime Rate Might Surprise You.

4 Tips To Lesson Unsolicited Phone Calls

Sadly, there's no magical way to stop ALL of these calls, but there are some steps you can take to minimize them. But HomeLight offered these tips:

Tell the unsolicited caller to remove your number and information.

Get your number on the Do Not Call Registry.

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Use your phone's software to block unwanted calls and texts. (It might be tougher to do if you're like me and dealing with a lot of unfamiliar numbers).

Get your information on the Date & Marketing Associations' marketing Opt-Out service list.

With all scams popping up all around Washington, be cautious. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And if you didn't reach out to them first, then it is probably no good.

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