The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "contract for deed" ...
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Affordable No More
The Southeastern Economic Development Corp. had been tasked with "redeveloping one of San Diego's poorest neighborhoods," with the goal of building affordable housing. But people with close ties to this public agency abused the system, selling homes for much higher prices than had been approved in the agency's contract, and also "failed to file the proper deeds on the subsidized homes in the project," allowing the houses to be flipped for a profit.
Tags: Southeastern Economic Development Corp.; redevelopment; affordable housing; property flipping; fraud; title registration
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The Specialist
This investigative piece exposes how Scott Wizig takes advantage of low-income, bad-credited house buyers and is punished for it in Buffalo, NY, but his unethical practices are looked over in Houston, TX.
Tags: house; lease; home owner; housing; credit; Buffalo; slum; slumlord; blight; Houston; contract; deed; NTI
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Special Report: Good Works, Fast Cash. Special Report: How Much Would You Pay?
Dixon spent three months following a chain of titles on hundreds of property deals and deeds. She found that several real-estate companies which contract with charities to evaluate and sell real estate donations on behalf of the charities are scramming the charities. Dixon found that " The company [Donate Real Estate] was selling property to associates of the founders, who then flipped, or resold the property, to buyers who paid many times the first purchase price. Those buyers then got mortgages based on inflated appraisals, didn't make their payments, and the homes went into foreclosure." The investigation unearthed a brazen and widespread real estate and mortgage fraud scheme that took advantage of novice investors.
Tags: real estate; fraud; scam; mortgage; Habitat For Humanity; charity; Donate Real Estate; MLS records; Maupin; bankruptcy
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Oh, Give Me Your Home
Pitch Weekly investigates the hidden scams landlords place on tenants when they offer contract for deeds on rental properties. The philosophy of the landlord- "buy low, rent as high as possible, don't spend a dime on repairs, then bail out before the place falls down." In 1995, the government signed into law a rental-licensing program. "It requires landlords to register properties, pay a modest fee and most important- submit rentals to annual inspections. . . But the landlords figured out a way around it. They started 'selling' their properties on contract for deed-sort of a homemade mortgage program in which the owner, not a commercial lender, accepts payment for the property over a drawn-out period." Pitch Weekly reports how often buyers get the raw-end of the deal.
Tags: housing; rentals; landlords; contract for deed; leasing; Unified Government; home-buyers; Kansas Consumer Protection Act; city inspections; real-estate
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City hall probes fire department purchasing practices; Tightening the reins on city money;More than city fire equipment missing; City to probe purchases with Walsh; Joliet auditor still searching for fire equipment; 'Good deed' at center of Joliet controversy
This series of stories investigates "how a public official's son was able to obtain -- without a signed contract -- more than $300,000 worth of business from the city. Tridgell and Whiteside searched through financial records seized by police.
Tags: spending procedures; Joliet; Ill.; Tridgell; Whiteside; city government