NEW HOMEOWNERS BEWARE!

You have bought a home for the first time, signed the papers, and got the keys. You go to check the mail for the very first letters to arrive at your new mailbox.

Stop!

I jump in your way with a warning. 

Hark! I can see into the future. When you open that mailbox, you will find letters saying scary things in big, bold letters like how your home warranty is expired. Or maybe it's telling you to order certain documents such as your home's deed for a price. And attached to those letters are application forms for you to fill out along with payment instructions.

Whatever you do, DO NOT PICK UP THAT PEN! DO NOT TAKE OUT THAT CHECKBOOK! AND DEFINITELY DO NOT CALL THE NUMBER ON THOSE LETTERS.

Before doing anything else, you should do research to see if those letters are for real. All it takes is taking a picture of the letter with whatever AI assistant you got on your phone, and what you may find is that those scary, official-looking letters may actually be what would be considered highly deceptive forms of advertisements. The companies and the services they offer may be legitimate, but there is a risk of being overcharged for services you can get for much, much, much cheaper or even FREE elsewhere. Don't take my word for it. Your AI companion will say it all. 

And if AI is not your thing, just look up how the companies sending out those letters are rated online. One place you should definitely check with is the Better Business Bureau, which grades companies and businesses based on how trustworthy they are. The grades those companies got should tell you all you need to know what kind of company they really are. You can decide what to do after that.

Well, even if you do take the AI route, it's always good to do a good, old-fashioned search too. AI ain't perfect, after all, so it's always good to double-check with other sources.

Now, you might be wondering, how do these companies know that you're a homeowner? They got your name and address, and everything. The answer to that is very easy: property ownership is public information. Your ownership of a home is in public records which companies can use to target you for advertisements, or so-called advertisements.

So, what can you do about it? Well, for starters, if you're not in the mood to pay for something you may already have, or you don't need what they're selling, you can just shred the letter and throw it away.

And this definitely doesn't just apply to homeowners. Deceptive advertisement is everywhere these days. Not just in your mailboxes.  They're all over the internet.

Before signing for anything or paying for anything, always do your due diligence. Research, research, research. Before you start doing business with any companies at all, check to see how they're rated. Check to see if there are any complaints of deception, fraud, or other bad things. Compare prices for the services they offer with other places to see if there is any overpricing (this can also save you a whole bunch of money for most other things).

That's all I got to say right now. Just a quick word advice to all you new homeowners and future homeowners. I hope you find this article useful and will share it with others so they don't go into homeownership blind.

Stay safe, and stay sharp. Happy reading, everyone.