S03, Ep. 06: Genesis 50:20

The housing scammer is being called out in this episode. Learn from Mandi's story so you know how to protect yourself.

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Transcript

Mandi: Mandi Frantz here welcoming you to my podcast - Find Your Beautiful: Life Through the Eyes of a Christian Disabled Woman.  

[Upbeat Background Music]

Mandi: Before I can even start with an intro of this week's episode, I want to open up with a prayer. Even if you are not a believer in Jesus, and no matter what side of politics you stand on, I hope you will join me because our nation, our people need healing.

Jesus, nothing surprises you and you are always prepared. I pray you have mercy on your people. We are crying out in so many different ways, each believing that our way is truth. I ask you to reveal yourself in greater ways during this time. May your children be filled with your Holy Spirit. Forgive me, Lord, for anything I have thought, felt, or done that is not like you. Heal our nation, God. Use the things meant for evil for good, to deliver your children into your loving and gracious arms. In your mighty name we pray, Amen.

Thank you for praying with me. It's interesting how God keeps encouraging me to come here and share with you. I set a word of intention for 2021. My word is freedom and it's just so timely. And then as I was preparing for this episode, and now I realize in my prayer, the verse Genesis 50:20 kept coming to my heart, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." This verse took on a bigger meaning this past week, but I kept spiritually hearing it even before Wednesday. This concept of God using things that were meant to harm for good leads me into the continuation of my house hunting saga.

    

[Mandi voices Ad (ads change and will vary)]

[Doorbell Sound Effect]

Mandi: Last week I left off telling you about the Houdini agent. The guy who gave me false hope by telling me I was approved for a great apartment, but then said he had some issue with the gas and electric company, then disappeared. Well, when I left you last week, I thought I found another place, but guess what? You probably guessed it, the saga continues!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. So backtracking a bit, I decided to look a deeper into the agent and his company. Boy, was I shocked at what I found. I started out checking his real estate license, which I had done before, but wanted to look at again for good measure. Everything checked out. The first several search results on Google pulled up good things, his LinkedIn profile, a business profile, generally good things. But then I scrolled more. You know those results you usually ignore or don't even bother getting to? Yeah, I looked way down the page at those. And there it was, a Change.org petition. I clicked it and started reading about how this guy committed insurance fraud and essentially left many people without homes. Now before I explain more, let me say that I realize that anyone can start a petition on this site, so before I even considered accepting these accusations as possibly true, I went and did more research. When I saw the court documents and the NBC news report, I figured there must be some validity, but I want to put in a disclaimer here that I'm only sharing what I found and interpreted from my findings.

Ok, now I'll do my best to explain what I learned. Before this guy, whom I've decided intentionally not to name, before he became the President of this development company and a real estate broker, he was a construction contractor. He ran his own construction company. Now, he was apparently also certified to be an insurance adjuster. From what I gather, an insurance adjuster, also known as a claims adjuster, investigates claims to see how much an insurance company will pay, if anything. The accusations against the disappearing agent are that he would act as an insurance adjuster to people who lost their homes as a result of fire damage. He would then convince people to hire his construction company to do the repairs, already getting paid tons for doing this double duty. It gets worse! He would send invoices to the insurance company claiming work was being completed and collect the money. He would upcharge so much that there was barely any money left for the client from the insurance money. But, yes you guessed it, it gets even worse. His construction company either never did the work or would do a shoddy job, nowhere near what they were being paid to do. And the next bad thing is that to get blueprints and paperwork as proof for the insurance company to pay up, he would illegally have unlicensed architects draw up the work, pay off a licensed architect to put their stamp on it, and submit these fraudulent documents. From what I read, this scam earned him at least $100,000 over 2-4 years, and that's just from one company I dug into.  So, I thankfully managed to be protected from whatever crazy things might have happened.

Now, to get back to Genesis 50:20 and how God used something intended for bad for good. As I started applying to other apartments, I have been able to save some money because I've been able to use the credit and background check from the application I submitted for that apartment for the new ones. And this was going to be more powerful last week when I thought I was a sure bet for yet another apartment, but I think my time is running out so that may have to wait for another episode...  

[Bling]

Mandi: I definitely have more of this housing saga to share, but I'm going to switch topics a bit next week. Let me know if you want to hear the continuation of this true story! You can download the free Anchor app to leave me a voice message.

Also, don't forget the FYB Shop is now open! If you've been wanting to support this podcast and spread the Find Your Beautiful message, the Shop is a great resource. You can get some branded apparel and be on the lookout for new products coming soon. Head on over to my website linked in the description to order. Plus, feel even greater about your purchase because a portion of all proceeds is being donated to KEEN New York, a non-profit organization empowering youth with disabilities by providing free programs of exercise, fitness, and fun led by volunteer coaches. You can learn more about KEEN by visiting keennewyork.org (New York spelled out, not abbreviated).

And I have a big favor to ask. I'm working hard to build something beautiful, a podcast you can both relate to and learn from, but more importantly, I'm hoping to spread the Find Your Beautiful message of the need for diversity and inclusion in the real world. Please help me do this by leaving a review of this podcast wherever you listen and sharing with a friend. You can also connect with me on Instagram and Facebook at MandiBox Beauty.

[Mandi voiceover to 'Compton' music]: On my next episode, we are going to delve into my thoughts from a disability perspective about the latest season of Cobra Kai! If you haven't finished it, you're gonna want to before next week's episode.  ‘Til next time Beauties!