   |
 |
People Offer to "House Swap" at Chance to Move to West Texas
People Offer to "House Swap" at Chance to Move to West Texas 9/6/12
CBS 7 Reporter
smurray@cbs7.com
September 6, 2012
Midland, TX - People from around the world are desperate to get to West Texas and cash in on the booming economy.
But as popular as the Basin is right now, finding a place to stay while you're here is near impossible.
Now some people are getting creative, taking to Internet sites like Craigslist and even offering to trade houses for the chance to move here.
Jerry Werth owns a drilling and well services company in Costa Rica, but these days, his business is taking off in West Texas.
Without much luck finding a place to live in the Basin, he got creative and took to Craigslist, offering to trade his luxury estate in Costa Rica for a home in West Texas.
"Given the housing situation that we have here locally I think we will see more and more things like this," claims Tyler Patton with the Better Business Bureau of the Permian Basin.
Patton says before you jump at the opportunity do some research
"Get as much contact information as they can about that person, their relationship with the home owner, relationship with a real estate company if that's involved,” he advises. “Basically step away and do their research to see if they can confirm what that person told them."
Also keep an eye out for any red flags and think twice before sending large sums of money.
"If it doesn't feel right to you, probably a good idea to step back,” Patton explains. “If it seems too good to be true it probably is."
As for Werth, he tells us, so far, no takers on his Costa Rica getaway.
Another piece of advice from the BBB is to talk with an international real estate agent to get their expertise on the property you’re considering.