Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Arrest Warrant Issued, Lawsuit Filed Against Operator Of South Carolina "Rent To Own" Real Estate Program

In Simpsonville, South Caroloina, WSPA News Channel 7 reports:
  • A warrant has been issued and a lawsuit has been filed against a man running a rent-to-own home company called Buy Now Properties in Simpsonville. [...] The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has issued a warrant for the arrest of Douglas E. Johnson, who ran Buy Now Properties. [One couple] says they paid $12,000 to Buy Now Properties for what they believed was a deposit on a home they thought they were purchasing. They say two months later they were being evicted and they fear the money is gone. [...] That same couple has also filed a lawsuit against Johnson and Buy Now Properties.

For more, see Consumer Investigation: Warrant issued in Buy Now Properties case.

For an earlier report on Buy Now Properties, see Buy Now Properties: From Lease to Loss.

For an earlier post on this story, see South Carolina Real Estate Deals Leaves "Rent To Own" Tenants & Straw Buyers Holding The Bag.

Go here for other posts on "rent to own" scams.

For other stories on tenants unknowingly renting homes in foreclosure, go here, or here, or here. rent to own lease purchase option scams zebra equity skimming unwittingly epsilon