Almost everyone has dealt with inflated or illegal fees when it comes to cell phone bills, installations, or a variety of different services. Many dishonest businessmen and women want to swindle Americans of a few extra dollars by charging them for unnecessary services or overcharging those who are ignorant of the correct prices. Recently, these false fees and charges have been creeping their way into the real estate community.

According to Lawyers and Settlements, Ventura County in California is making a proactive strike against illegal real estate fees by increasing the legitimate fees for California residents. This means that real estate buyers will need to pay higher fees. This is because the county authorities believe that having higher costs will actually save most men and women money. They will not be cheated by unnecessary costs that end up adding up to thousands of dollars lost.

While some counties believe that increasing fees may counter the amount of overcharges in the industry, other jurisdictions have not taken pains to prevent these illegal and fraudulent charges. For many Americans, the best way to determine if you are being overcharged is to have a reliable and wise real estate lawyer on your side. If you hire an attorney who can probe the documents and statements that you receive, he or she will be able to show you where there are discrepancies or where you are being overcharged or charged for services you never even received.

There are a variety of different types of fraud that you will want a real estate attorney to watch out for. For one, you will want an attorney to look out for mortgage fraud. This involves inflating the interest on a mortgage or collect monthly fees and up-front payments in order to do a loan modification. In most situations, the scammer will never even complete the loan modification that was promised, or will modify the loan the other way around.

Mortgage fraud is a trend that has even been detected by the Federal Trade Commission. Only a few months ago, the commission launched a lawsuit against American Mortgage Consulting and Home Guardian Management Solutions because they were charging as much as $4,000 for services that were not beneficial or were never completed. In a lot of situations, the company stopped rendering services once they received their money.

Another type of real estate fraud that is trending is real estate purchase fraud. When a person buys a home, there may be dozens of almost undetectable discrepancies within the transaction. Whether you are buying, selling, or refinancing, real estate agencies and companies may try to tack on extra expenses. Many homeowners are in such a rush to move along with the process that they may even fail to look over the contract. That’s why a real estate attorney who can carefully look through the documents and take time to read every single line in detail is essential whenever you are heading into a real estate transaction.

Admittedly, having a real estate lawyer on your side during the midst of a real estate transaction is like having a weapon ready for a burglary. You will be equipped with the tools you need to make sure that you aren’t stolen from. No matter where you are in the United States, you need a real estate lawyer who can help you. An attorney listed in this directory who is in your area may be able to help you litigate in the event of a real estate fraud scheme. You may also be able to prove that the scammer deserves criminal penalties in addition to given you compensation for the money that he or she stole.