Is this housing opportunity too good to be true? (Hilo: apartment, to rent)

[johnt2five]

Hi All!

I posted an ad asking for assistance on finding a job and a place to stay on Big Island to fulfill my dream of living in paradise. I also mentioned that I am available for work exchange such as working on a farm in exchange for housing and food. I've been receiving a lot of unrealistic and emails from scammers but those were quite obvious and I caught on after a day or so.

One evening I received a missed call and a voice message from a couple who lives in Seattle, WA half-time and on Big Island half-time. I live in Seattle full-time. They were looking for someone that can help maintain their farm and basically be their housekeeper for a year as they travel a lot because of their online business. Ideally, they were looking for someone serious who can stay long-term to avoid dealing with multiple personalities.

I returned the call the next morning and had a 3-way conversation with the both of them. They asked me what my story was and why I wanted to move to Hawaii. They liked what they heard and told me their story. We learned that we had a lot in common. We share similar philosophies and the chemistry was definitely there. Our conversations had a lot of dept and substances. With that said, they've decided that I was a good fit and that they can tell I was good person. I was then asked if I wanted to proceed and meet in person when they make their way back to Seattle in a couple of weeks. After the meeting, I will have to make a decision if I want to accept this opportunity or not, as they have a list of people who were also very interested.

What is your take on this? Be their housekeeper for at least a year and maintain their farm and in exchange I have a place to stay? Too good to be true?

Thank you in advance! =)

[thedwightguy]

They contacted your ad, BUT "have a list of people". Proceed cautiously, and the easy part is that since both of you are based out of Seattle it should be easy on your part to check out their property, talk to a few neighbors, run their last name, where they graduated from, and their business contacts. Unless they just won the lottery, of course. But that is public info. too!!

Questions appropriate might be a house budget, who administers it, who is contactable in an emergency. A "farm"? Define, please. Other people will be on "the farm"? Have they been "vetted" as carefully as you are being vetted? Are you farming pineapples or pot?

Sounds like a possible adventure. I've looked at "farms" in places where there's no backup, and eventually the people looked all over the road map, and didn't have a clear plan or vision. But since you're remaining in the USA it's not as if they're going to confiscate your Passport.

[terracore]

We can't maintain a small farm with two people working on it, I'm not sure what kind of farm has owners that are gone half the time. It sounds more like a house sitting / yard care type of gig. A caretaker. Keep the place looking lived in and maintained.

Where is the property at? There are a lot of places where its very unwise to leave a property unattended without a caretaker, and maybe that is what they are looking for.

[johnt2five]

Originally Posted by thedwightguy

They contacted your ad, BUT "have a list of people". Proceed cautiously, and the easy part is that since both of you are based out of Seattle it should be easy on your part to check out their property, talk to a few neighbors, run their last name, where they graduated from, and their business contacts. Unless they just won the lottery, of course. But that is public info. too!!

Questions appropriate might be a house budget, who administers it, who is contactable in an emergency. A "farm"? Define, please. Other people will be on "the farm"? Have they been "vetted" as carefully as you are being vetted? Are you farming pineapples or pot?

Sounds like a possible adventure. I've looked at "farms" in places where there's no backup, and eventually the people looked all over the road map, and didn't have a clear plan or vision. But since you're remaining in the USA it's not as if they're going to confiscate your Passport.

Wow, thank you so much for your reply. None of the questions came to mind! I will ask them these questions and do some research on them once I get their full names and meet them in person! =)

Originally Posted by terracore

We can't maintain a small farm with two people working on it, I'm not sure what kind of farm has owners that are gone half the time. It sounds more like a house sitting / yard care type of gig. A caretaker. Keep the place looking lived in and maintained.

Where is the property at? There are a lot of places where its very unwise to leave a property unattended without a caretaker, and maybe that is what they are looking for.

The property is located in Hilo on Big Island. It definitely does sound like a house sitting/yard care type of gig. Thanks so much for the info you have provided me. I now have a lot of questions I can ask when I meet them in person! =)

[WaikikiBoy]

So not to throw water on a party, but I suspect you're being set up for a scam. Just a little more mature scam than the really obvious ones. When I look into my crystal ball I see something like this: You'll actually never meet them. You'll set up a day & time to meet but unfortunately at the last minute their schedule will need to change because their "on line business" requires them to be some where else. But they like you best. So if you can get them a security deposit, they'll send you directions.

Ask for the address of their farm in Hawaii. Then go online to the county tax assessor website and look at the name of the legal owner of the property and the address where the tax bill is sent. Ask for the address of their home in Seattle. Check the legal owners name on the county assessors website again. Are they both owned by the same person ? Is it the same person you're talking to ?

I bet they won't give you the address of both places.

Anyway, I suspect at some point they will ask you to give them money for some reason, and then you won't hear from them again.

Hopefully I'm wrong. I hope you come back to this forum in a couple weeks and tell me I was wrong. And that you are sitting in a chair on the porch of their house while living for free on their farm in Hawaii.

[johnt2five]

Originally Posted by WaikikiBoy

So not to throw water on a party, but I suspect you're being set up for a scam. Just a little more mature scam than the really obvious ones. When I look into my crystal ball I see something like this: You'll actually never meet them. You'll set up a day & time to meet but unfortunately at the last minute their schedule will need to change because their "on line business" requires them to be some where else. But they like you best. So if you can get them a security deposit, they'll send you directions.

Ask for the address of their farm in Hawaii. Then go online to the county tax assessor website and look at the name of the legal owner of the property and the address where the tax bill is sent. Ask for the address of their home in Seattle. Check the legal owners name on the county assessors website again. Are they both owned by the same person ? Is it the same person you're talking to ?

I bet they won't give you the address of both places.

Anyway, I suspect at some point they will ask you to give them money for some reason, and then you won't hear from them again.

Hopefully I'm wrong. I hope you come back to this forum in a couple weeks and tell me I was wrong. And that you are sitting in a chair on the porch of their house while living for free on their farm in Hawaii.

Thanks so much for your reply and advice. They haven't asked me to send them any money or advised on rushing into anything yet. But you are right. I am 100% with you. After contemplating for about 2 weeks now I am starting to have doubts. I've been asking myself if this is too good to be true? What if I am going to get scammed? I feel fearful about this whole thing. I will definitely do some serious research and do some of my own investigations before meeting them to get a feel for what I am getting into. Thanks again!

[Tulemutt]

And I think the biggest danger you face in your quest is: thinking Hawaii is “Paradise.” That is the biggest setup for poor decision making, disillusionment, and loss - before you even get here.

[Arktikos]

OK, maybe you don't have a ton of money after all.

I see no harm in pursuing this. Sounds like an ideal opportunity for you to see what living in Hawaii is like for cheap.
As previously mentioned, they probably just want you to mow the yard and maintain a presence to discourage theft.
Too good to be true? No, it's a likely, and common, scenario.

[johnt2five]

Originally Posted by Blind Cleric

OK, maybe you don't have a ton of money after all.

I see no harm in pursuing this. Sounds like an ideal opportunity for you to see what living in Hawaii is like for cheap.
As previously mentioned, they probably just want you to mow the yard and maintain a presence to discourage theft.
Too good to be true? No, it's a likely, and common, scenario.

I definitely want to get started in Hawaii for cheap and see what it's like to live out there before I dig into my savings and look for an apartment to rent. I appreciate all the answers I get on here. They have been very helpful. Thanks a ton! =)

[steiconi]

There ARE a lot of people who live here part time and need someone to look after their property when they aren't here.

If they call it a farm, it probably isn't in Hilo. But they may not want to give an actual address until they feel comfortable with you; they've already told you they're gone half the year, you could go rip them off.

Meet with them, and if you feel they're for real, go for it. Maybe have a plan B in case it's a scam and you get here with no place to live...