Home occupancy leads to trouble

To the editor:My husband and I were recently scammed by a woman who has a lengthy record of rental evictions. Our home was listed with a local real estate agent who had persuaded us to let a preapproved buyer move in a few weeks early, which we reluctantly did. We soon learned that she didn't have a preapproved loan, and the agent's idea of a background check was "if she has a clean car, she is a good person." He never checked her out like he had assured us.

This woman had more rights to our home then we did. We waited 90 days for the agreement we made with her to expire and then began the legal process of eviction. Thirty days later she was still refusing to move. We hired an attorney and took her to court to get a judgment in our favor. You would have thought that would have gotten her to move, but legally she still had 10 more days. Once again she had cost us even more money for the additional costs for the sheriff to accompany us to remove her from our property.

This is a warning. Beware of those you allow onto your property. As the homeowner, you will be the one hurt. Get your background checks and references. No judgment will prevent this woman or the real estate agent from doing this again. We were her fifth victims. Will you be her next?

MICHELLE WALLACE, Benton, Mo.