Salt Lake City, UT / September 18, 2006 / Press Release / --  As the political season takes hold all across the country, voters are finding themselves discussing everything from the War in Iraq to views on Global Warming.

But for many in America the real question seems to be about Housing.  In many markets the cool down of market growth has afforded home pricing to return to a state of normalcy and in others like Utah pricing continues to soar far out of reach for Middle Market America. 

Experts agree that places like Utah are ripe for fraud in great part because the State is only one of a few in the nation that retains its status as Non-Disclosure when it comes to parties and terms involved in real estate transactions.  This limiting of information greatly distorts the snapshot that home buyers, licensed real estate professionals and lenders rely upon. 

"When people learn there's fraud involved with their home, they are very angry and upset. Most want out of the deal but it's just not that simple," says Sheri Fitzpatrick, Utah Real Estate Broker and CEO  of Perfect Home Living, a Non-Profit Organization committed to the education of consumers, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies on loopholes used by mortgage and real estate fraud criminals. 

"Once a lender is notified to fraud, protocol mandates that the consumer provide a written explanation fully describing the purchase and the parties involved.  For those unfortunate enough to find themselves in this situation the days, weeks and months that follow can be overwhelmingly frustrating," Fitzpatrick continued.

But not every one who is a victim of mortgage or real estate fraud is  willing to wait through a lender evaluation or a civil trial.  Some have regrettably taken matters into their own hands as in the case in Chicago in 2004.  Thomas Fazy 49, of Oak Forest Illinois was killed, after being shot multiple times in his Midlothian Office.  Fazy, a manager of a mortgage company at the time of his death had recently been convicted of mortgage fraud and had five cases still pending against him in Cook County Illinois.

"Of his regular methods of defrauding, Fazy would use the identities of deceased people to buy and sell homes and steal the profits," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Paul Bervid.

Although Utah ranks second in the nation for Mortgage Fraud, violence  or death have not been directly linked to this growing state-wide epidemic. 

"In the cases we are seeing, families as well as real estate investors are becoming increasingly agitated at learning they've been duped into a fraudulent real estate transaction.  The wait for a lender, law enforcement or government entity to investigate or respond to such allegations is slow and although the families we work with are told this, the solution still doesn't fit within the victims timetable," Fitzpatrick added. 

About Perfect Home Living 

Perfect Home Living assists in implementing programs and providing training to financial lenders as well as educating Utah's consumers and licensed professionals to red flags within Utah's real estate market.   For more information or to request assistance please visit us online at:  http://www.PerfectHomeLiving.com