All Forum Posts by: Mark Yuschak

This would be a good question to ask of the members at your local REI association.

"Nobody will ever manage your property as well as you do."

What are some catchy ads you guys use for Craigslist? I've posted a couple in my area and got no responses.

Major developments! (I should have been a real estate forensic scientist!!)...

I just searched the county register of deeds site based on his last name. I found a lot of transactions with his name, but of particular interest was a single family home. I google mapped it and sure enough, it matched the description for the CL ads:

http://flint.craigslist.org/reo/967370121.html
http://flint.craigslist.org/reo/965587413.html

Lake front home, yada, yada, yada. I took that address and plugged it into the MLS and found the house is listed as a FORECLOSURE.

This schmuck is trying to FSBO his property which he was foreclosed on and collect a $25K assignment fee.

Here's the link to the house on the MLS:

http://www.flinthomes.net/cgi-bin/homesearch/hsh3?;address:like:aw:pw:cs=13145;_order=price:des;_template=detailedview;_multidb=FAAR;_multicount=FAAR%3D1;_db=FAAR;_totalcount=1;&_template=fullview&_startat=0&_limit=1

Here's the link to the township assessing info:

https://is.bsasoftware.com/bsa.is/AssessingServices/ServiceAssessingDetails.aspx?dp=06-15-200-022&i=1&sna=torrey&snf=13145&appid=0&actSn=13145&actSna=TORREY+RD&unit=307

So, I went on to search more about this guy and found he's nothing but trouble...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGLD_en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=1&q=neil+helmkay&spell=1

Of particular interest was this article where he sexually assulted a women, slashed two by-standers, and beat another guy over the head with a mailbox he pulled out of the ground:

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=archive&id=3721247

BTW, the name, Neil Helmkay, is the name on the Finder's Fee Agreement he so diligently required us signing before disclosing anything.

I guess in the end he is offering at a discount at 240,000 opposed to the bank's asking price of 349,900. Not a bad little discount, but I'm still staying far away from this moron!

As of right now he has nothing in writing from us. He never received our copy of the agreement, so all we're left with is the hard copy original.

My wife and I reverse traced his telephone and fax numbers and they lead to his office, which owns and operates a small coney island chain in the area. I'm familiar with the restaurant chain, so it is somewhat plausable that this could be his own property and he's selling it FSBO, plus expecting an assignment fee back to himself. However, I searched assessing info with the township and his name wasn't on anything.

This is an interesting one to follow....

Absolutely. I know that the appraisal from three years ago doesn't mean jack (I have my appraiser's license too)...

It gets even more interesting though. My wife and I have both in contact with him throughout the day. He indicated the house was winterized in September. We attempted to send the Finder's Fee Agreement back to him, but oddly enough his fax machine isn't answering. We tried it a dozen times. Then he called me and warned that we shouldn't email it to him because his email is down too.

So, I suggested we meet at a place near the home (since he won't tell us the address yet) and I hand him the agreement and follow him to the property so we can view it. He said he'd call us back to confirm an appointment. He called back an hour later and said that he can't find the lockbox combination..... Very odd. So, maybe tomorrow we'll be able to view it if he finds the combination.

I just talked to him and he claims he has the property under contract. I don't know him or the situation well enough to believe him or not. But that's irrelevant. I'm going to sign his Finder's Fee agreement and return it to him. That will give me access to view the property and learn the details.

I'm not sure of the repairs necessary. Even if they were rather extensive, this seems like a lucrative deal. Hopefully I'll be able to view it tonight.

He claims it appraised at $810K three years ago...but you know how that goes. It's hard for me to place a value on it without knowing the address or being able to even do a drive by.

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the reply. For the time being, I played along. I just received his contract via fax. He's expecting a 12% "finder's fee" if it closes by anyone who is an associate of mine or in relation to me.

The bottom of the form contained his contact information. With that I was able to verify with the online state lookup system that he is NOT an agent.

I'm assuming he wants to be paid $25K outside of closing. When I call him back I will tell him that in order for me to pay him that it will have to come out of loan proceeds so it will have to be documented on the HUD. His response to that ought to be interesting.

My wife and I located a "FSBO" home and called on it. The seller is not the owner, he's acting as the agent, but not licensed by the state (he admitted that). He says he brings buyers and sellers together for a fee. His fee, for this home is $25,000. The asking price is $240,000.

Since he's not the seller, and is collecting a fee, I'm assuming he believes he is a wholesaler.

He won't tell us the address of the property until we sign his form indicating we'll pay him $25,000 if the property closes. That seems like a VERY steep fee. What would be a more reasonable wholesaler fee?

Furthermore, I'm a little concerned that he's acting as an agent even though he's not licensed....