Land "Trust" Offering "Quick" Cash But Low Prices To Property Owners
Seeking willing vacant land owners in Florida and other states, Reliant Land Trust, of Portland Oregon is sending first class letters offering "some money in exchange for your property."
The company began business in Oregon in March 2009, as an assumed business name of Radius Corporation, owned by Stephen Seal, sending out thousands of letters a month to property owners around the country, hoping to pick up land from uninformed owners at very low prices.
Property owners not knowing the current value of their land may be persuaded by the company's offer of "a fast, trouble-fee sale, as well as a fair price and immediate cash." They say they will pay "all of the fees" for title search, recording, etc.
All their letters are signed by "Charity Lechuga" as account manager. Ms. Lechuga is actually the Vice-President of Purchasing.
Seal, a sole proprietor, owns numerous other Oregon companies including Radius Facilities LLC, 8925 Investors LLC, Auction Acres.Com, Land Central.com, Land Research Foundation, Auction Dirt, I Buy Houses, Synergy Management LLC, Land Easy Management LLC, Radius Holdings LLC, Radius Management LLC, Radius TLC I LLC, Riviera 53 LLC, and Seal, Kennett & Lechuga.
Despite using the word "Trust" in the name and account manager "Charity," the company is an Oregon for-profit outfit. His company seems not be registered with the Florida Secretary of State.
The company is not a land trust in the usual sense of the phrase, where land is purchased for long term ownership, by a non-profit organization, sometimes for ecological purposes. Reliant, reportedly makes a quick profit by buying at very low prices, usually a few hundred dollars, and selling as quickly as possible, although their web site says they hold land for long-term.
The company says they operate primarily in western states, but Florida has been receiving their letters as well. Although the letters give a toll free number to call, they will not give you a price over the phone. Although they offer a "quick" sale with immediate cash, an actual sale may take from one to three months, according to their website.
A typical "offer" to buy from Reliant may only be a few hundred dollars, customers are saying. Beware of any low offers for land that may be actually worth ten times more than their offer.
The Better Business Bureau in Oregon gives Seal's company an "F" rating, citing two consumer complaints filed since 2009 that received no company response.
11-1-11
ReplyDeleteI just recd. a letter regarding my property in Lassen County, Ca. It is also signed by "Charity Lechuga". Pretty much the samde stuff in the letter. Why have these "Scammers" not been shut down and these criminals put in prison?
I also just received an offer for my property in Lassen County! LOL I am curious to see what the offer is as I would really like to unload this land. Probably too good to be true.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this a scam?! If I wanted to buy your car or house and made you an offer you wouldn't have to accept it. The same applies to vacant land. Nobody is being forced to sell their property, are they? How can they be criminals?
ReplyDeleteIf you Google Earth their address in Portland its a vacant lot.
ReplyDelete8925 Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy Ste Portland , OR 97225
If you Google maps the address you come up with a small commercial site with Charlotte's Wedding and a Property management co in Suite "C". Reliant is supposedly in Suite "d" but not shown on Google maps. Google earth may be outdated. The building looks pretty new on the maps site.
ReplyDeletei'm from west portland. stephen seal is a classic scammer. he's like the nrll/nrpi (irvine, ca) people except on a smaller scale. he has a carefully crafted "boy scout" image. as long as suckers exist, people like him will make money.
ReplyDeletereal estate based scams are a bottomless well in american society. many owners of land are the elderly and people who may be in poor financial or physical condition. every idiot thinks they can make a living flipping houses. they just have to go to the right course sold on late night television. websites like this one at least publish the names of scammers so people can see what they are.
ReplyDeleteNRLL (1 Mauchly Lane, Irvine) tried to scam me. They offered me $22,000 for land worth at least $60,000. They say: "after analyzing recent property transactions in your area, we are prepared to pay you X," implying they've done an appraisal. All flippers and scammers brag about how cheap they're buying properties. Without verification, such claims are self-serving and mean nothing. They're trying to intimidate potential sellers. When you hear this, always demand addresses and parcel numbers, so you can see what properties are going for. When they refuse to give you that information, call them liars. Hire a licensed appraiser if you need to know. A $300 fee is worth it on a $10,000 piece of land, much less on $250,000 worth.
ReplyDeleteI heard from Seal's organization, Land Research Foundation, once I think. They didn't talk price.
Another scammer is Ray Joseph, a land buyer working out of California. He sends out postcards and then makes ridiculous lowball offers.
ReplyDeleteThanks to your site, I'm ignoring a letter from Reliant indicating an interest in my property in Alaska.
ReplyDeleteIt's just an offer, just like if I wanted to offer you 500 bucks for your car our 10,000 for your house. You don't like it just throw the offer out the door. What are they doing wrong?? I don't get it....
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing the leg work on this. My mom died and I was going thru all her papers and these fools, the Land Research Foundation was courting her like she was Elizabeth Taylor. 10 acres in Cochise county Arizona for $800. We even called at one point because as we were desperate to sell because like many we are slumping into a hole financially, but originally like his site says Fraudorama, how someone bought unseen, and it was desert instead of the lush paradise they were promise, well this happened with these 10 acres, mi culpa, or my parents culpa, it was called Valley Springs Estate, does that not sound like there some lushness involved. We can grow scorpions and maybe peyote to give to the Native Americans, but besides that it is just earth wind and lies.
ReplyDelete