Door to Door Home Buyer? Crimes & Incidents, posted by PA Resident, a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Mar 16, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I came home to a note on my door step. Jason Buzi would like to buy my house. His note said, "I am not a realtor! I have money and can handle all of the paperwork." Then he left a phone number and e-mail.
Smells fishy at best.
I am wondering if others have received a note like this. I am thinking of notifying the police.
Posted by Silver Bullet, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2007 at 1:12 am
I got that too. Totally fishy. Sounds like the guy wants to buy and sell RE without a license. Whoever put it on your door was just a day-laborer, I'm sure and not the actual guy.
Posted by Citizen, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2007 at 10:30 am
The [portion removed] isn't the guy putting a flyer on your door asking to buy your house, its the Realtor who charges 6% to basically act like a cashier. Or the wonderful trade association for Realtors who spent millions advertising in every major newspaper a couple months ago that "now is a great time to buy or sell a house"
I got a flyer from "Jason" on my house and I have had similar letters mailed to me. If I was thinking of selling my house I might call one of these people. As long as a title company handles the closing, its not like someone is going to be able to get title to your house without having to wire you the agreed upon price.
Wake up people, in a town where the average house sells for $1.4 million, Realtors don't provide enough value to justify $84,000 in commission. A 6% fee makes more sense where houses sell for $140,000.
Posted by DJ, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2007 at 10:45 am
This guy is probably an individual investor. This is a typical technique - approach the homeowner directly. Both gain from the process - the homeowner gets a fair price (which is slightly lower than the market) and this guy, gets the property - which he can turn around and sell at market.
Posted by k, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2007 at 11:59 am
PA Resident, we got this note also (and we live in a completely different neighborhood). Well, it wasn't written in crayon, but it didn't appear to be written by a sophisticated person. In my opinion, this is not a reputable way to show interest in buying a home (perhaps they are hoping to reach an elderly homeowner who wants to avoid the details of working with a real estate agent?). I have a "no soliciting" sign on my house, so I don't appreciate getting this note, as I feel the note falls into that category of general solicitation.
Posted by ll, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2007 at 2:51 pm
I got approached by Jason - fast, smooth talking guy. His approach is focus on "saving" the commision; but his offers are way under market ($200,000 - $300,000), based on what other houses have sold in our neighborhood. If you don't keep up with the market around your neighborhood, the price Jason offers is below what you would get even if I ended up paying the 6% commision.
Posted by Jason Buzi, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2007 at 4:34 pm
This is Jason. This is not a scam. I am an investor, and also wish to buy a house for myself in Palo Alto. What many - not all - realtors do is far more dishonest. They promise you the moon - one of them told me "The biggest liar wins" - in order to get your listing. Then they make $50K to $100K or more for doing very little work. I am not saying that all realtors are dishonest. I am saying I will pay full market value for a home that fits my criteria.
There is nothing wrong or unethical with what I am doing, and I will continue to do it. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
Posted by economist, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2007 at 8:22 pm
The fair market value for a house is best determined by the market - that means marketing and advertising it to a wide set of potential buyers, and letting the competition between buyers determine what the market value is.
When one enters into a private party transaction, for example with someone like Jason, you will not know if you got "market value". Is it worth the 6% (or less in some cases) to hire a professional, like a realtor to guide you on what can be the biggest transaction of your life?
Now there is a cost to this marketing, advertising & selling; for example, Hewlett Packard as a representative of high tech products spends 12% of their revenue on sales, marketing & administrative cost. Oracle, a company that sells multi-million dollar software products, spends 22% on marketing & sales. A medical company, like Johnson & Johnson, spends 34% of their revenue on marketing & sales.
I used a realtor to sell my house in the South Bay, and a realtor to buy my home in Palo Alto, and both did alot of work, from getting the house I sold ready for sale, getting inspections, determining the right price, advertising, screening offers, etc.
Posted by PA Resident, a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Thank you for your thoughtful coments!
No, my house is not for sale.
Yes, I would use a realtor.
It is just like I'm not going to let my auto mechanic perform my heart surgery. He is a good guy, and he's very knowledgable about taking things apart and putting them back together, but he isn't a cardiac surgeon.
Posted by Citizen, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2007 at 9:37 am
Economist -
Interesting points, but I don't think its fair to compare PA houses to HP and ORCL products. Shacks in this town are commodities which people just buy for the land and the right to send kids to school. So what do companies like Phelps Dodge or Chevron spend on marketing copper or oil?
Clearly there is work involved with buying or selling a house, however its the same amount of work for a $250,000 house as a $2,500,000 house, so why is the commission fixed? Read Freaknomics and see what Levitt says about how wonderful an incentive a fixed commission is for getting the highest value for a home. The Realtor's only incentive is getting the listing and then selling the house as quickly as possible, the price the seller gets is irrelevant.
Posted by economist, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2007 at 10:13 am
Citizen,
The reason I bring up these other companies is to show that marketing & sales costs money, even for commodity products like band aids, personal computers, etc.
My original point is that getting as many buyers interest in your house will get you the best market value, and that involves marketing & sales cost. Doing a private party sale to focus on avoiding paying these costs in many cases will not net a seller the greatest sum of money.
Posted by Citizen, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Economist - I agree that "Jason" is probably not willing to pay top dollar for his PA dream house, but exactly how does the traditional 6% fixed commission incent a seller's realtor to get top dollar?
Posted by Citizen, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 19, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Economist - take a look at Freaknomics - Leavitt demonstrates that the incentive isn't really there. When realtors list their own houses, the houses are on the market longer and sell for more than client's houses. Realtors would rather sell a house in a weekend for 95% of the maximum price than spend a month trying to get 100%. The fixed commission doesn't give them enough of an incentive to push for the last 5%. A commission that had a stepped up % as the price rose would be a much better incentive.
I put more faith in Leavitt's economic analysis than in a Relator's alleged desire for "job satisfaction" If you could get paid 95% of your salary and only had to work 1/4 of the hours, you would manage to still find "job satisfaction"
Here is a totally unscientific example of the limited value of Realtors - on my street in Midtown, two different shacks were just sold (within 1-2 weeks of each other) to be teardowns (i.e. just for lot value). The house that was listed by a realtor sold for $1.2 million and had several bids. The other house was sold privately for $1.1 million. With a 6% commission, $72,000 went to the Realtors, so the seller only came out $28,000 ahead. When 72% of the benefit of increased price is eaten up in commission, its time to question the value of the service.
Posted by economist, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Mar 19, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Citizen,
I haven't read Freaknomics, but I do know that real estate is very micro market oriented - for example Palo Alto is very different than Mountain View or Menlo Park.
I don't know the specifics of what happened on your block, but another way to look at your example is that an for $72,0000 the seller achieved a return of $28000, or a profit of 38%, not to mention the savings of many hours of work that the Realtor performed.
Posted by geraldine, a resident of the Green Acres neighborhood, on Mar 20, 2007 at 2:50 am
No matter who sells the house, it's still LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.... The mark up in the house values around our city is astronomical and all the greed comes out when a house is being sold here...
Then there are people like Jason, who pounds the pavement in hopes of finding someone willing to sell for what he hopes will be next to nothing..a "real steal", so to speak. I think he should advertise in the paper instead of approching vunerable people unannounced. I personally would have report him, not knowing what motives he may have by eyeing my personal property....
Also,in conclusion, our older citizens are duped by people with that attitude and many have lost their homes through similar dealings.
Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Mar 20, 2007 at 10:01 am JustMe is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Has anyone brought this person to the attention of police? Does he has a permit for solicitation?
I am not going to say he is doing anything wrong yet, I just want to know if he has taken the proper steps before soliciting door-to-door.
Personally, if anyone wants to offer me a $200K to $300K or more OVER market I would be wiling to talk. But anyone who wants to check out houses for burglary under the guise of an interest in real-estate should be checked out. I also would like to know why anyone CLAIMING to be a realtor and leaving hand-written notes would fail to leave a business card.
Posted by Citizen, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 20, 2007 at 12:29 pm
JustMe - I don't think "Jason" is soliciting door to door - he is just sticking flyers in peoples mailboxes and in their doors.
Given that every pizza place and landscaper does this, what is the difference if Jason does it? Are permits required to do this?
Geraldine - do you know any older people who have actually been duped into selling their houses at giveaway prices to strangers? I don't have facts to support this, but I would assume that most financial abuse of the elderly comes from family members and long time friends who take advantage of the elderly.
Posted by Give it a wide birth, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on Mar 27, 2007 at 11:17 am
Seems as though Jason Buzi is interested “in buying a property in this neighborhood” would seem to include ALL neighborhoods in Palo Alto. I wonder how many other cities he is distributing the “pitch”.
Google “Jason Buzi” real estate
to learn the real story in his own words – hold on to your wallet
Posted by geraldine, a resident of the Green Acres neighborhood, on Mar 27, 2007 at 1:34 pm
As a matter of fact, yes, I do know of someone who was dupped out of their home by just such a person. And also know of an older Palo Alto man (96 years old) who also was dupped out of his home by a woman who was taking care of him...( see San Jose Mercury News front page "Patty Fisher" reporters column Feb 28th of this year).I imagine the Palo Alto police have handfuls of others of which are not made public..This doesn't happen too often, hopefully, and I'm sure the police wouldn't want to start panic by admitting just how many there has been in the last few years........
Also, too bad that the companies who leave the flyers on your doors, screens, on your car and around your mailboxes do not send someone out to pick up their flyers that fly away, littering the neighborhoods...we get enough "junk" mail as it is already....!
Posted by Jason Buzi, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 29, 2007 at 12:53 am
Again, where is the scam here? The fact I want to buy a home in Palo Alto? I have disclosed the fact I am also an investor. I was never a real estate agent in California, however I was a mortgage loan agent several years ago, which requires the same license. I haven't done that for years, therefore I let my DRE license expire. Believe me, the folks in Palo Alto are very savvy, and I couldn't dupe anyone even if I tried. And I'm not trying. Just want to buy a house directly from owner. I suspect some of the people who are posting negative comments here are realtors looking out for their commissions and nothing else.
Geez, it's a good thing I'm not thin skinned.
I am buying in Palo Alto, and I will keep doing so.
Posted by Community speaker, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Mar 30, 2007 at 3:21 am
Jason:
Hummm, sounds like we are all out to tar and feather you...!
Sorry, but others actually have JOBS selling Real Estate. So they get a commission..they deserve it. They have to eat, too. Can't knock you for trying to make a buck also, but there maybe many legal loop holes you (and or) the owner might run into..I don't think I would deal with you because of all the knowledge of laws in selling that have to be addressed..correctly. With no dealings under the table.
I'de trust someone local here in the Real Estate field to do their job (there are many)..otherwise, they would not be in business around here for very long........Be respectable..I would suggest you obtain a Real Estate Licence like the rest of the hard working people that have one if you are to continue buying and selling in our town!! Thank You.
Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Mar 30, 2007 at 8:53 am
Still, if he found someone willing to sell and they agreed on a price, or agreed to do an evaluation and set the price there or something, then they could hire a realtor for $1000 or so to tend all the paperwork. There is no need for the listing service, multiple realtors, open houses, etc., so there would be no need to pay 6% commissions.
Jason, we can do an evaluation, you pay 25% over market, and you can have my house. I'll just get a realtor, take your money, and buy a slightly bigger house down the street.
Posted by CAS, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on Apr 10, 2007 at 11:02 am
Jason Buzi is still at it. I received a hand written letter via USPS April 9, 2007. I live in Palm Desert and rent my house in Palo Alto. From what I have read, I am convinced Mr. Buzi does not have my well being in mind or heart. Bless the internet and all those who share information.
His name is all over the place. He doesnt even own these properties, but is trying to sell them, BEFORE, he buys them, for a quick profit. Again, not illegal, but shady and underhanded at best.
I go to professionals....period. Whether is a doctor, plumber, OR a Realtor.
Posted by Jason Buzi, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Apr 30, 2007 at 9:49 pm
I make no secret of the fact I am an investor, and am also looking for a house for myself in Palo Alto. The real scam here is paying 6% to sell your home in this market. No wonder the realtors don't like me... And I suspect are behind some of these attacks. And I own multiple properties in California.
Posted by homeowner, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on May 3, 2007 at 2:24 pm
I just got that scripty invitation looking card from him in the mail. Out of curiosity I called him. He says he's looking to live in Palo Alto but doesn't like what he sees on the market here.
What I didn't like is that he didn't volunteer anything about what he's looking for, or about himself. His email is hotmail, his return address is in san francisco, but his phone is in 408.
He also wanted to come by and 'check out my house'. While that's reasonable enough for a home sale. I'd feel alot better if someone checked him out first.
I guess that's where realtors come in, isn't it?
Seems like the issues isn't how to avoid paying the 6%, but how to find the right realtor and make sure you get your money's worth.
Posted by College Terrace Resident, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on May 4, 2007 at 9:30 am
I also received a card, but in the mail. Postmark says San Francisco, phone number is San Jose/Santa Clara. I didn't followup, but sounds like lots of people go this.
Posted by pa resident, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 19, 2007 at 4:38 pm
I have gotten at least 10 solicitations from this guy. Post cards, invitations, letters, flyers, you name it. I called to have them stopped, but to no avail.
Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jun 19, 2007 at 4:47 pm
I don't suppose that this style of solicitation requires a permit, does it? If he is going door-to-door I would think it would. Has anyone check to see if he has a permit on file with the city?
Posted by Mahalo, a resident of Mountain View, on Jun 26, 2007 at 6:09 am
I know Jason. He is a decent guy who is making money buying and selling property. Nothing he does is illegal OR unethical. The people whining about him not being a RE agent are simply afraid of someone else eating a piece of their pie...smacks of lots of business.
Secondly how many of you 'professional RE agents' give tens of thousands of dollars to help develop school in third world countries...and I'm not just talking about writing checks I mean going there and being involved? Jason does...so call him a greedy scam artist if you like but his life stands on its own without your approval. Some of you need to realize you don't "deserve" your jobs you haveto earn and fight for them every day. It's life....
Posted by MV Resident, a resident of Mountain View, on Jun 27, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I was suprised when I found this note on my door step. I have NO intention of selling my house. He sounds sort of fishy to me. Therefore, I will NOT SELL TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE!!!!!!!!!!! fROM A MV RESIDENT
Posted by Reed, a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Jun 28, 2007 at 7:46 am
My god some of you sound like rabid dogs? Police? So some guy is direct marketing...it is very common and yes annoying but do you really think someone deserves to be arrested or have their life trashed for it? Especially when it seems none of you have contacted him and asked him to stop. Secondly the buying and "flipping' of properties is extremely common and I guarantee you some of these holier than though real estate agents are doing it on the side using their insider information...fact.
Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jun 28, 2007 at 9:43 am
I have not seen an answer to my question, even from those supporting Jason.
Does he have a valid solicitors permit for the cities he is going door-to-door in? For his own protection as well as ours, he needs one. If any of you meet him on oyur doorstep, he should be able to produce it on request, he should have it with him.
Does he have them, for every city he is canvasing?
Posted by R.Willen, a resident of Menlo Park, on Jun 29, 2007 at 6:05 am
"Citizen"
Are you living in an alternate reality? You really think 'a job well done' motivates real estate agents and other service industry people more than money? Hahaha..that is rich. Money motivates most things whether you will admit it or not.
So a realtor that sells a 2 million dollar house deserves 4 times the money of one that sells a 500k house? They arent doing 4 times the work. You really think the amount of work they do selling one home rates them what many hard working people make in a year or more? The real estate industry is a sham full of people trying to get over.
Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Embarcadero Oaks/Leland neighborhood, on Jun 29, 2007 at 9:24 am
R. Willen, I would like to point out that the realtors make what people are willing to pay them. 6% is the standard fee, but most realtors in this area will negotiate the selling see if you ask them. If you don't want them to take a big fee, ask them not to. Just remember that, were I a realtor, if I had two houses for sale to show a buyer, and one was paying a higher fee, I know which house I would show first. Would I show both houses? Sure, I would rather take a smaller fee than no fee.
The whole world is full of people trying to earn a years income, or more, in 5 minutes. Isn't that what the lottery is all about? If you think realtors make that much for so little work, perhaps you should think about becoming a realtor.
Posted by R.Willen, a resident of Menlo Park, on Jun 30, 2007 at 4:55 am
Just Me,
Even 2-3% of a normal Bay Area home is a years worth of pay for the majority of folks. And that is ONE sale. I do the world is full of people trying to get rich quick and that means realtors as well...I take exception to those saying realtors are noble and working for 'you' rather than the dollar and that it can't be done without them siphoning off YOUR money. In addition your assertion that you can negotiate the rate is true however like you said you don't get their best service if you do and even if you negotiated it to half you are still losing tens or hundreds of thousands...so how is that helpful?
Flat rate is fair...percentage isn't. It encourages ignoring the little guy and pushing the big sales. Sales people in general thrive on dishonesty and manipulation in order to MAKE MONEY. They don't give a flying shit about you...they are nice to you because they need you to MAKE MONEY. It is a fact of our society...and one I avoid supporting whenever I am able. If you'd try a little bit you would see you can do lots of things self sufficiently. I find it hilarious that you are more bothered by a small paper being stuck in the door than someone gouging you for tens or hundreds of thousands...and a bit pathetic really.
Oh...I also have a bridge for sale if you are interested.
Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jun 30, 2007 at 10:29 am
Willen,
Let's take your 3% number and run that against a $1M house. That would be a fee of $30K. There were two realtors involved, buying and selling, sothat is $15K for each. But then that $15K is split 50/50 between the Realtor and the realty, so the Realtor makes $7500. Yeah, it is stillgoodmoney if you can close a house once or twice per month, but you are not going ot retire on it. Double that for a 6% fee and yeah, it's better, but realtors can go months wihtout closing a sale. Things are really slow right now. I chose to have a nice, steady income rather than go for the feast/famine of being a realtor.
As a seller a couple of years ago, we found a Realtor who would take 5%. Any less than that and the incentive to other realtors to even show your home. The house sold for $630K, yielding a little over $30K in fees. For all the assistance and listings and staging and open houses, and with the good price we got, I felt it was worth the money.
Posted by Ralph, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 19, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I just got my 3rd or 4th handwritten card from this guy. Usually I just chuck them, but I decided to call PAPD to ask them to check him out.
It's creepy that he has my personal information: Name, address, and probably what I paid for our home, but he doesn't even give me his last name or return address!
He's got a website at www.jasonbuzi.com but that doesn't have any contact info either.
I don't do deals with people I don't trust... Somehow this guy pegs my bullshit meter!
Posted by Citizen, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 20, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Its good to see that the "Jason Buzi" thread is alive and well. Jason has also been clogging my mailbox with offers to buy my shack. It turns out that Jason is flipping the shacks he is buying on craigslist - he is advertising an open house for 2440 Cowper this weekend. If you Zillow this property, it appears that it was sold on 6/17/07 for $66,000 - so either (i) Zillows records aren't right, (ii) Jason is abusing elders by stealing their houses (anyone with legal compentency would not sell a PA lot for $66,000), or (iii) he is somehow defrauding the Santa Clara Tax Assessor by reporting false sale prices. While I will defend his right to send anyone a postcard, if 2440 Cowper really did sell for $66,000 a month ago, an investigation of Jason might be warranted.
Anyone know the story behind 2440 Cowper?
Below is the text of the email he sent me about his "open house" this weekend --
Thank you for inquiring about the home for sale in Palo Alto.
It is a 3 bedroom, 1 bath home, on a lot that is slightly under 7000
sq. ft.
I am helping a friend to show it, as he is out of town this weekend,
and
wishes to sell it immediately.
It is not on the MLS, and he does not want to pay commission to agents.
So
if you are an agent, or are using one, please keep this in mind.
The advantage of buying a house directly, not on the MLS, is the
possibility
of getting a great deal, especially in a hot market like Palo Alto,
where
everything that goes on the MLS tends to get many offers above the
asking
price.
Information regarding the open house:
2440 Cowper St., Palo Alto, CA.
Saturday, July 21, from 11 AM to 1 PM
Offers will be accepted immediately afterwards (deadline is Tuesday at
5
PM).
I myself am not a real estate agent, but I work in real estate and do
come
across properties before they become publicly available. I know of at
least
3 that will become available in Palo Alto next month. To find out about
them, and others, please send an e-mail to:
premlsdeals@gmail.com
Thank you, and hope to see you at the open house on Saturday.
Jason Buzi
P.S. There is no asking price as it is "best offer"
Posted by JustMe, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jul 20, 2007 at 1:49 pm
My "Fishy-Meter" just went up a couple notches. It was already registering, now it is dinging. I just verified the above post by checking craigslist,.... yep, it's there.
Posted by Resident, a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Jul 21, 2007 at 4:25 am
We also received a hand written notes from this person called as 'Jason Buzi'. Each time we see this note, we personally get so frustrated with the note and wish he stops doing it. Has anybody reported this nuisance.
Googled around and saw this blog to realise that he is doing this to many residents in Palo Alto.
Jason Buzi - If you really need to buy a property in Palo Alto, you should visit mlslistings.com and search for "Palo Alto" and contact the agents, rather than posting such notes. Please respect the privacy rather than posting notes.
Posted by Jamie, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2007 at 12:17 am
I was contacted by Jason Buzi via postcard and met with him. Before you bash somebody, do some actual research. I did and learned that Jason Buzi was noted in the Saratoga Newspaper as having raised a lot of money as well of time to build a library in Ghanna. Although I am not planning to immediately sell my house, I will definitely sell to him when I am ready, if he is still interested. Unlike the majority of realtors, Jason plainly states his goal. He wants to buy my house or your house. For those that believe that the realtor is on "your" side, wake up. Jason offered to pay me a "fair price". I looked into it and he was offering me approximately 2% below market. Plus, I didn't have to stage my house and have a parade of strangers walking through. That is definitely worth the 2 percent to me!
Plus, stop your whining! We all get tons of direct mail on a daily basis and those of us that have fulfilling lives, throw out trash and keep what interests us. Just do the same here! And like I said, before you judge somebody, do the appropriate research.... or here's a novel concept, meet them. I did and was pleasantly surprised.
Every day people take time to donate to worthy causes, even to issues that take place thousands of miles from home. However, few go as far as Saratoga resident Jason Buzi, who will soon board a plane for Ghana, Africa, to help establish libraries and teach disadvantaged people to read.
Buzi, a former teacher, currently works as a mortgage banker, but he says teaching is one of his favorite pastimes, something that has always given him a good feeling.
Buzi is constantly looking for ways to help those less fortunate than himself. His travels have taken him all over Asia and Europe. He has taught English in Taiwan and has volunteered working with children in Poland. Buzi says Africa is a place he has been longing to go to for quite some time—but before he made plans, he wanted to find a way to volunteer some of his time while there.
"I wanted my travel to be more meaningful, so I knew I wanted to get involved with the local people somehow," Buzi explains.
Through research and talks with people who had been to Ghana, Buzi heard it to be a poor country that needed help, but also a peaceful and stable place whose people are friendly, and many of those people speak English as a second language. He decided to look into volunteer opportunities there.
"Many of the volunteer programs I came across were expensive. Some organizations charge thousands of dollars for the privilege of volunteering," Buzi says. "That didn't seem right to me." Many of the programs also involve skills he doesn't have, such as medical knowledge.
One day Buzi visited the Lonely Planet website and posted a question about volunteer opportunities in Ghana in one of its online forums. He received a reply from someone recommending the Osu Children's Library Fund. The person put Buzi in touch with the organization's founder. Through Osu, Buzi discovered a serious issue facing the people of Ghana.
"In Africa and elsewhere, illiteracy rates are very high," says Buzi. "Part of the reason this problem persists is that while school is often compulsory for children, many parents cannot afford to pay the school fees, sometimes as little as $2 a month." He explains that in poor areas such as Ghana, libraries act as "free schools" for children who cannot afford school and serve as after-school learning and socializing centers for children who otherwise have few opportunities for personal growth and intellectual stimulation. Many of them also offer literacy classes for adults.
Buzi spoke with Osu's founder, Kathy Knowles, a Canadian citizen who lived in Africa for a while. She explained that Osu found its start under a tree in Accra, Ghana, where she would often sit and read to a small group of neighborhood children. Soon that group of six children began growing in numbers, as more and more children began showing up—children "who wanted to explore the magical world of books." In order to meet the demand of all who wanted to learn to read, Knowles transformed a 40-foot container into the city's first permanent library in 1992. Not long after, she established the Osu Children's Library Fund, which has since built three large community libraries in Accra and has launched more than 120 smaller libraries throughout Ghana. Recently, support has been given to libraries in Zimbabwe and Uganda.
The more Buzi learned about Osu, the more it appealed to him. Its volunteer program charged no additional fees and would allow him to raise donations locally, as well as travel to Ghana to teach children to read.
"The program appealed to me because it matched my interests, allowing me to teach, and matched my skills," says Buzi.
Buzi is now readying himself for his upcoming trip, which he says will most likely begin in August and last for six to eight weeks. He explained there is much preparation necessary for a trip of this magnitude. In addition to arranging for the time off work and making sure his finances are in order, there are medical procedures he must complete before traveling to a Third World country. Buzi must get shots for tetanus, typhoid, polio, yellow fever and measles, and take malaria pills before he can make his trip. Although a little nervous about the immunizations, Buzi says he is excited about his upcoming trip and the chance to help the people of Ghana.
"Being wealthier, as many of us are in this area, I think we kind of lose sight of things sometimes," says Buzi. "For the price of a used car to us—like about $4,000 or $5,000—that is often enough to build a library that can serve an entire neighborhood for them."
In addition to his trip, Buzi is also in the process of trying to set up local fundraisers that will entice people to get involved and to donate.
"I know that with other people's help, I could do so much more," says Buzi.
Posted by midtown resident, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 1, 2007 at 10:53 pm
The Jason Buzi my friend dealt with could not be the Jason Buzi going to Africa. How many Jason Buzi's can there be? [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] Jason Buzi buys, well maybe, real estate by putting on the contract as buyer "Jason Buzi AND/OR ASSIGNEE". There you go everyone, the key word. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] So, he gets your property into contract and then, suddenly, another investor is taking over the contract - meaning the "assignee". [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] Being a resident of Palo Alto for over 35 years, we have purchased and sold homes and, yes, through a reputable real estate agent and GLADLY pay 5%. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] Beware and be smart. RESIDENT OF MIDTOWN
Posted by Jamie, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Sep 7, 2007 at 2:17 am
Actually, yes, he is. The article includes a photo and I, unlike you, have met him personally. As your comment is barely comprehensible due to partial content removal, I will respond to the portion which I understand. So let me get this straight, because you choose to use a traditional method to sell your house, others should "beware" of another method? You have never met this person nor have you ever heard of anyone being "abused" by him. If I were him, I would report you for slander. As for myself, I probably will "choose" to sell through him or I may not. Regardless, that is what it remains, a CHOICE! Choose to accept his offer or don't. I've met him and he certainly didn't try to force me into anything. So you may choose to gladly pay your 5% which in Palo Alto can easily equal $50,000+ and I will probably "choose" to pay the 2% in the form of a reduced price. If I get a flyer from a pizza place that I don't like, I don't freak out- I just throw it out! Really, I'm shocked at the alarmist state of people even though I have lived in Palo Alto for over twenty years!
Posted by Doug, a resident of another community, on Sep 10, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Actually, this "assignee" language should be a red flag, this is the crooked technique pushed by informercial hucksters like Tom Vu. It works like this: you find a motivated potential seller, usually a senior citizen, and you get him to sell you the house effectively on consignment for a below-market price.
Posted by Altan, a resident of the Professorville neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2007 at 5:33 pm
"I would like to point out that the realtors make what people are willing to pay them."
Not really - the realtor cartel pushes the 6% "standard commission". If they REALLY make what people are willing to pay them, why don't they just go a la carte' with flat fees for various services performed?
And I cannot BELIEVE someone compared Realtors to heart-surgeons! :-) That is just ridiculous - and an insult to surgeons.
I am sorry, but I don't see a problem with Jason Buzi's prospecting, even though it may be annoying.
Posted by Altan, a resident of the Professorville neighborhood, on Sep 11, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I am looking forward to the day when Realtors get disintermediated - in most parts of the Bay Area, their value add to the transactions cannot justify the additional cost they add to the process - this is THE classic indicator of an intermediary whose time is up.
My only concern with the Jason Buzi modus operandi is that if he screws people over, it may scare people from looking at serious alternatives to the Realtor cartel.
Posted by AA, a resident of another community, on Mar 31, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I know this guy, [portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff] you can decide what you want based on this:
1) He uses, at the moment, two British girls [portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff], to hand write these notes and deliver them door to door or via mail. They take the train or get rides from San Francisco to your communities when they flier your houses.
2) He lives in the Marina in San Francisco. He is also the guy behind Cash Tomato, which recently caused a riot in Manhattan, viewable on YouTube and other sources.
Posted by Resident, a resident of the Fairmeadow neighborhood, on Aug 15, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Let me add some very recent personal experience to this thread.
We received a yellow sheet on our doorstep several months ago with the following:
"I have recently moved here from England, and I would really like to buy a house in your neighborhood.
I am not an agent and would prefer not to use a real estate agent.
I would pay fair market value and cover closing costs and all paperwork.
If you are at all interested, please contact me:
Suzanne Webb"
In the following account, what we feel were probably misrepresentations (interpret that as you will) are identified with "(#n)".
We were preparing to list our house, but decided to call to see if she was still interested. We left a message and were surprised to get a call back the next day from Jay indicating that his girlfriend Suzanne was in England (#1), but he would like to see the house the next day. He and Suzanne were interested in moving to Palo Alto (#2) and he would be the buyer (#3).
Our initial communications were to Suzanne's voicemail and email, with responses from Jay. Later, all communication was with Jay, who we later learned was Jason Buzi.
Jason toured our house and we agreed on very standard purchase terms with a price that we still feel was fair for an as-is private transaction. He provided a loan pre-approval letter from Pierre Malak, an agent and loan broker. We learned later that Jason and Pierre are well known by agents for their dealings in the Midtown area. This raises some questions about the quality of the pre-approval.
The one term that was flagged by an agent friend was the requirement that the buyer be "J. Buzi and/or assignees". Jason's initial story was that his parents might get better loan terms, so he wanted the flexibility to make them the buyers (#4). When we suggested explicitly identifying them as alternate buyers, he changed his story to needing to potentially bring in another partner (#5). We somewhat protected ourselves by requiring that any assignee be named in 7 days and satisfy loan approvals.
Jason was leaving on Sunday for a trip to Israel, so he wanted to "get things started" before he left. We accepted his offer on the Friday before his trip and he indicated he could be contacted by email (#6). He also stated that Pierre would be assisting him with the transaction (#7). Pierre's assistant later explicitly stated that they were not involved.
Jason told us that one of his prospective partners would like to see the house (#8). When they arrived on Saturday, we asked if they were "buying the house from Jason" and they answered yes. They later indicated that they could not pursue a purchase and we never heard from Jason or anyone else about other "partners".
By Monday, he had not opened an escrow account and the initial deposit hadn't appeared, as required by the contract. We contacted Pierre, and his office opened the escrow account on Monday, but no deposit was made. Pierre repeatedly claimed that he had been unable to contact Jason. The title company tried to contact Jason about the deposit, but never got a response.
On Wednesday, we sent everywhere possible a Notice to Perform regarding the initial deposit, with absolutely no response. On Friday, we cancelled the agreement.
Both of the notices we sent Certified mail were forwarded from the San Francisco address he used on the agreement to some unknown address in Redwood City. That was 3 weeks ago and we've never heard back from him.
Now we're faced with paying some legal fees and have resumed our quest to list the house for sale. We wasted much more time, energy, and money than Jason probably did trying to put together one of his "deals". We hope this posting will encourage others to stay clear of Jason's attempts to make a quick buck at the expense of Palo Alto residents.
Posted by Neighbor, a member of the Duveneck School community, on Aug 16, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Never trust someone who has APPROACHED YOU for something.
Another scam is the phone call where they ask for the digits on the back of your card "to confirm" because they are the "credit card fraud division". Simply call the phone number off your card rather than giving out info. Your card company will not ask for numbers off your card.
Or there's the real estate agent who reads the obituary column and knocks on the door of the widow and pretends he doesn't know about the death (that happened to someone in the Midtown area several years ago and she had him sell her house).
The "college student on summer break, trying to earn money" who is selling educational books for children is another one. I don't think this one is an actual scam because they do sell the book to you, but it is an overpriced book which is a general book and bookstores sell similar ones.
The other day I was in SJ and someone was leaving a store and asked for $3 because she was "pregnant and diabetic."
As for hoax emails, there are websites which decifer those. Just type in the words "hoax emails" on your search engine. The "Neiman-Marcus chocolate chip cookie recipe" is a hoax and Neiman-Marcus even posts the REAL recipe on their website to refute the hoax.
Posted by Jodi, a resident of another community, on Sep 24, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Does anyone know about a Real Estate lead generating service that he has started called Pacific Financial Network? He guarantees agemts 60 leads in 3 months with 3-5 closings or your money back. Of course he wants $450. Anything would be appreciated!
Posted by Cagliostro, a resident of another community, on Feb 11, 2010 at 6:54 am
Jason Buzi is an incredibly troubled individual.
Most recently, he has taken to throwing money from the back of local transports in rural SouthEast Asia, with delusions that somehow his actions are making the rural poor happy. In reality, the effect it has is to make desperately poor folks loose face and dignity scrambling in the dirt fighting over his throwaways, it is sick and very, very wrong.
Think I am joking? read for yourselves here on these Lonely Planet ThornTree travel forum threads:
Savvy travelers and expats have methodically attempted to show him the error of his ways, but Jason stubbornly maintains that his actions have nothing but positive outcomes for himself and the denigrated locals.
This is bizarre, clinically-significant behavior, but Jason's chest obviously heaves with pride. Why can he not see that the way to make a reasonable and socially-acceptable impact on the lives of the rural poor in the region would be anonymous donations to one of many local NGO programs, or to volunteer his time teaching English to school children or breaking a sweat helping to dig a village well. No, he needs the apparent adulation of the humble locals to make himself feel important, he needs them to see that it is he who is enriching their lives and is apparently funding his demented travels with this Peninsula scam. As a community that cares about folks here at home and overseas, Jason's actions cannot be tolerated. Please help to put an end to them if and when he returns to beef up his coffers.
Posted by Willows Resident, a resident of Menlo Park, on Jan 26, 2011 at 9:50 pm
Reading this thread has been most entertaining. I've only come across it because it looks like Mr. Buzi is back, dropping flyers in the Willows neighborhood of Menlo Park. There's nothing like 24 point font on pink paper to make you feel like selling your house.
Posted by Homeowner, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Mar 4, 2011 at 9:45 am
Jason Buzi is now operating as Jay Buzi, perhaps to thwart Google searches looking into his background. We received a letter from him, with no return address...just phone number (650-471-5807) and e-mail address (jayre01@gmail.com).
It's the same pitch...wanting to make an all-cash offer for our house, not fees, title reports, etc.
Posted by Alameda citizen, a resident of another community, on Apr 7, 2011 at 2:19 pm
I found this forum by google searching "Jay Buzi" after receiving a letter in the mail from this guy wanting to buy my house for cash. The envelope has no return address or readable postmark. He lists his contact info as Jay Buzi, 650-471-5807, jayre01@gmail.com
I don't want to sell my house but, regardless, I would never do business with a person who is not straightforward and takes pains in hiding their identity. I came here to thank the prior posters, because of them, my suspicions are confirmed. Thanks!
Posted by deb, a resident of another community, on Apr 9, 2011 at 3:50 pm
We also received the letter from Jay Buzi. We live in Alameda - the weird thing is that it did not come to our home mailbox or even doorstep - it came to our PO Box. I wonder how he put 2 and 2 together.
Posted by Mark, a resident of another community, on Apr 10, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Got a letter from Jay Buzi as well. I am in Alameda. Letter was addressed to my last name only and came from SF. No address, only his phone number. Just a low-baller.
Posted by staying , a resident of Menlo Park, on Apr 19, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I'm on Jay's list too! An offer too good to be true. The subject line says "your property in Menlo Park" so he personalized it somewhat, but I got the same envelope with surname and SF postmark. From the appearance of the handwriting, he's hired some barely literate people to write the addresses!
Posted by Menlo Neighbor, a resident of Menlo Park, on Apr 19, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Received the same letter as the person above, I live in an unincorporated area of Menlo. I do wonder if he targets only certain types of homes (perhaps those which have not been renovated recently?
This letter was typed and delivered by USPS. Wonder what his response rate is, and if he will find it high enough given his new, higher cost solicitations? I know he only needs one deal to go through to justify spending the time and money on this, but how many unsophisticated people does he get his claws into, and how many deals can he actually conclude with a buyer and profit? Hmmm....
Mr. Buzi brags about his profits as an investor here:
And there are certainly profits to him, as one can see from his travel blog.
Besides the low-ball offers, it appears that his deals to buy only go thru if he has a buyer already lined up. Since he doesn't intend to follow thru with his part of the deal UNLESS he has a buyer, would that be some kind of fraud? Though obviously only someone harmed by entering into a contract with him could pursue this.
Posted by Donnasue, a resident of Menlo Park, on Apr 19, 2011 at 7:52 pm
I just got a letter in the mail and I do agree about realtors being greedy and dishonest. I've had 3 try to sell my house, made me jump through hoops costing $70K, and not once was a buyer ever brought through. Fired all the liars, put it for sale by owner, and my God, the bottom feeders came out to see if they could get their 6% blood out of me. A few just won't take NO for an answer. One CB realtor told me that she never shows a house she doesn't list, that I was a stupid idiot for trying to sell on my own. Another realtor from LAHills said I was bound to fail in my venture. These so called professionals have been horrible to me. Oh and I love the guy who says he has a buyer, but I'd have to list with him first. Yes, from my experience realtors are greedy manipulative liars.
Posted by Midtowner, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Apr 29, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Here's my experience... from the other side of the fence.
My neighbor rented his house for years. The place has always looked worn down and the owner claims he never had the money to clean it up. He definitely did not have the initiative because it was a rental. Decided it was time to sell. Tried an agent, he was promised a high dollar value a fast sell. It didn't happen and the agent tried to make feel guilty over how much money they spent in advertising and their time lost. The tenants moved out due to the high traffic of the people and looky lous. He received a note from someone willing to buy the house (I did not received a note - I think his house was targeted due to the looks?) and decided to try him out on the condition it was sold fast and with little inconvenience to him. It was sold right away to a third party, a contractor. The contractor spent a lot of money moving walls, adding on and cleaning up, then sold the house 18 months later to a wonderful family who keeps up on place. I'm very happy and am glad someone saw the value in the home and increased the value of our neighborhood.
Could the neighbor have received more money? He didn't think so and to him it wasn't worth the aggravation. I asked him if he would do it again and he said he would. This option seemed worked best for him and me, the neighbor on the other side of the fence. Just another view on the subject.
Posted by beacrumpett, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on May 17, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Over the past 2 years, since I've been discussing the possibility of selling my house with very few people (nevertheless, everyone KNOWS a money hungry real estate agent), I've been receiving these letters from jason buzi, jay buzi, always NO return address on the envelope, always hand addressed. True, it's probably some real estate agent or group of them, who are in this together. REal estate agents are the bottom feeders of the earth, to be polite, they are a money only game and expect outrageous fees for doing nothing but handling some simple paper processing and chatting people up. The real deal sealing is done by the title companies NOT real estate agents.
I have to agree with the rest of you, this is probably a group of real estate agents trying to pull a fast one on uninformed homeowners.
Posted by nat and marcia, a resident of the Green Acres neighborhood, on May 17, 2011 at 3:10 pm
We've been receiving letters like this recently, after discussing the possibility of selling with a few real estate agents we began getting these letters from jay buzi also. I think it's a group of real estate agents or brokers. SERIOUSLY. Would i call them back?
Heck NO. If I were to sell my house, I'd put it in the newspaper myself and see what happened before dealing with a greedy real estate agent. Why do you need a listing agent anyway? You don't, you just need a BUYER, you get stuck paying their agent anyway. Just know what your property is worth, that's all.
Posted by according2Midtown, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on May 17, 2011 at 3:19 pm
According to Midtown, "VIew from the Other Side of the Fence." This obviously is a group of agents who are getting listings (aka SALES) this way, or a contractor who is looking for work and flipping houses. Would they pay you what your house is worth...? Doubtful,
They wouldn't be sending you "annonymous" letters if they were on the up-and-up would they? They're fishing, trolling, for suckers.
of course a neighbor would love to see an unkept house in their neighborhood bulldozed. Everyone is greedy.
One way to find out is to check with the register of deeds to see if this person Jay Buzi is on any title transfer reports. My guess is it's a ficticious name for a ficticious business operation.
Posted by FA, a resident of another community, on Jun 9, 2011 at 6:17 pm
I live in Los Gatos. I received the same letter so I Googled the name of the sender and found your Palo Alto Online comments.
The letter is a mass mailing piece that looks as if it was printed on a machine made by Gutenberg. An email from Nigeria telling me I have $60,000,000 waiting to be deposited into my bank account has more credibility,
Posted by Speaking of percentages, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Jun 10, 2011 at 5:13 am
Those of you talking about the RE brokers "taking" 6% of the house price ...wait till the Health Care bill goes into effect and you have to pay another 3.8% in taxes above whatever "Threshold" of profit the government decides is "fair"? 3.8%, just for the privilege of selling a home. Let's say you gain a million above a $200,000 threshold ( the latest "rich" number thrown around..apparently if you have more than that in one year, you are "rich" and need to be taxed more) from the sale of your home, ..that is around $35,000..Not bad for a pickpocket, is it?
I don't mind "greedy" individuals where I can pick and choose who to reward. I deeply and thoroughly mind a greedy government doing everything possible to simply take more from my investments that I have sweat over my whole life.
Especially since the housing market isn't exactly warming up and probably not going to for quite some time...
Posted by D&D, a resident of Atherton, on Jun 21, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Looks like Mr. Buzi is expanding his horizons. We received his letter today, typewritten on white paper with a signature that looks photocopied. All his terms and talking points would be very appealing if only we could tolerate the odor, as in 'I smell a rat'.
Posted by S&J, a resident of Atherton, on Jun 21, 2011 at 7:09 pm
We received our letter on white paper today too! Jay must be looking to buy a lot of homes in Atherton! I guess if he is able to hook even one homeowner, he will make enough $$$ in a resale to finance his life.
Good luck, Jay. We are actually considering a sale, but will take a more traditional route.
Posted by S&J, a resident of Atherton, on Jun 21, 2011 at 7:09 pm
We received our letter on white paper today too! Jay must be looking to buy a lot of homes in Atherton! I guess if he is able to hook even one homeowner, he will make enough $$$ in a resale to finance his life.
Good luck, Jay. We are actually considering a sale, but will take a more traditional route.
Posted by Salty Dawg, a resident of Atherton, on Jun 21, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Scam, scam, scam, spam, spam, spam . . .
Like clockwork, the times get tough and out of the woodwork they march. "Jason Buzi" in Palo Alto, "Jay Buzi" in Atherton, maybe "Jayne Buzi" somewhere else on the Peninsula. There's one born every minute.
Posted by Bill & Anne, a resident of Atherton, on Jun 25, 2011 at 1:50 am
Thanks for all the comments folks. We received similar letter no return address, just tel. # & email. He must be blanketing Atherton;I hope that he doesn't take advantage of anyone. His style is a little fishy.
Posted by Filipina from Philippines, a resident of another community, on Jul 21, 2011 at 8:25 pm
If you all are not interested, then just drop that letter from him. He just want to make money. Did he steal anything from you by just sending that letter? You can eventually contact him in case to that phone number written and then spy if he is doing the scamming/illegal things. So what's the issue there through receiving a letter?
Posted by B, a resident of Los Altos, on Aug 5, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Got the same letter. The first thing that hit me was this. "I am not an agent". "I am not a real estate agent. His name is Jay. His email address is jayre01@gmail.com. Jay needs to change his email address, as the "re" appended to his name stands for Real Estate.
Here is his post on the following facebook group: Web Link
Jason Buzi 4 plex in Alameda for $425K. Needs work. Great location. jayre01@gmail.com
Posted by Eldercaregiver, a resident of another community, on Aug 13, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Taking care of an elderly couple in Alameda and he leaves these letters constantly for them. It seems he knows how to prey on selected people. What a shame. Karma will take care of him but for now posting about him will protect a few.
Posted by dontbuyit, a resident of Los Altos, on Aug 18, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Yep... Jay is workin South Los Altos now..saw the guy he must have hired to leave a blue "flyer" in our yard. The mexican man in our yard quickly dropped the notice when he saw me and ran off. He acted very suspicious and so I immediately went out into the yard to see what he had left.
Posted by willowsresident, a resident of Menlo Park, on Aug 20, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Jay busi is mailing in the Willows. We got not less than 3 letters from him the same day: 2 mailed, one left in our mailbox, with the same letter inside.
I'm so grateful for all the postings on this website.
This feels very creepy to us, no way we will ever trust Jay Busi or whatever the name is.
Posted by Anon, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 12, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Looks like this week it's midtown....
Found this thread via google of "jayre01@gmail.com" which was on the yellow 8x11 at my door. "I am not a real estate agent. I am interested in property in this neighborhood."
Posted by Mountain View Son, a resident of Mountain View, on Nov 15, 2011 at 9:53 pm
My mother (80+) received a letter from Jay Buzi (same 650 phone number and gmail address as mentioned above) today. San Francisco postmark with no return address. Form letter outlines his desire to buy her property with no closing costs, commissions, escrow fees, title reports, etc. She asked me why she got this offer and at first I thought it may have been to due to the recent death of my father, but the letter was address to both my parents. Searching online, I can find both of their names tied to their address via phone directory websites so it's possible that she was randomly(?) targeted.
Posted by daughter of a resident, a resident of Mountain View, on Nov 17, 2011 at 8:51 am
my parents got this same letter too, no return address, only email and phone number. Maybe we should send the same letter back to his house and offer to buy his home. Doesn't the patriot act law automatically investigate all cash transactions over the defined threshold to verify where people are getting the money to make a huge cash transactions?
If he's flipping houses, in today's banking and mortgage industry, he most likely won't get the loan to pay out the market value.
Posted by Five Coats, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Nov 18, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Received his letter today, Nov. 18, 2011. 'As is' condition, pays all cash. Local investor. signed name Jay Buzi. No return address. e-mail, and phone number given. Post marked San Jose.
Posted by akaJay, a resident of another community, on Nov 21, 2011 at 4:15 pm
We have received the fourth letter in the mail without a return address from a Jay Buzi. The fact he uses Jay vs. Jason making it harder to actually research him is the second flag after not putting a return address. He obviously targets based on low property taxes which is indicative of elderly or someone who inherited property from their parents. One can say this is capitalism at work but it does not take a rocket scientist to see he is targeting the elderly primarily or those who are out of the area in hopes they do not understand the true value of the property - thus, taking advantage.
It does not take much effort to find that he is Jason W. Buzi and lives on Kipling in Palo Alto with Admon and Miriam (his parents?) He phone number for a data storage company Wombat Data in Redwood City where he lists himself as sales manager(650) 471-5807
sales@wombatdata.com
His associates or those who are involved in his transactions are:
Pierre and Tracy Malak, Abdul and Nafisa Ghori, along with his ?parents Admon and Miriam.
Those wanting more specifics about his associates only have to go to the public records of the county: Web Link and go to the office of the clerk recorder Web Link
Click on deed and you can find those involved and the parcel number. Once you have the parcel number you can go to the county tax collector to find the address.
If you do not have a computer, go to the office - this is public info.
You can go county to county to see where they are working this angle. My concern is for the elderly! This seems to be a major opportunity for a reporter at the Palo Alto Weekly News to explore this for a story to inform the elderly who do not have access to technology. Also, Avenidas might want to have a presentation or item in their newsletters to inform the elderly of this activity.
Posted by Bob, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 23, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Letter received from Jay Buzi today same as many others. Addressed to only my last name. Wonder who this guy is. It's no doubt just to find out if you might be interested in selling your house and ypu'll probsbly wind up getting contacted by some regular, or discount, realtor.
Posted by Honest-Hardworking Realtor, a resident of Los Altos, on Feb 5, 2012 at 1:21 pm
A dear friend of mine, an 83 year old widow, received a letter this week and asked me to look into it for her. Your postings confirmed my suspicions. I would hate to see anyone, especially the elderly, taken advantage of. Thank you!
Posted by 2bikes, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Feb 20, 2012 at 7:18 pm
We've received fliers a few times as well. For what it's worth, our landlords (owners of the home we rent) are neither elderly nor do they pay low property taxes, having bought the home in 2007.
I think it's more likely he targets small and/or decrepit homes in nice neighborhoods. Ours is small but surrounded by larger, nicer homes, making it a good teardown target.
Posted by vittorio, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Feb 23, 2012 at 7:55 am
So Jason, you've been dropping off letters in the area since 2007 and have not "found" your ideal property? It is clear you are running a scam. If you are as honest as you pretend to be, why have you not been able to "find" the property you are looking for in 5 years? Obviously you are a crook.
Posted by Dave, a resident of Los Altos, on Mar 13, 2012 at 9:04 am
Here is a blog post about door to door solicitors who want to buy homes in your neighborhood - Web Link
Here is a video showing Jason talking about "wholesaling" which is why he is leaving flyers all over the bay area. According to Jason, it "only risk free way of buying real estate" Web Link
Posted by Fairmeadow Family, a resident of the Fairmeadow neighborhood, on Mar 21, 2012 at 12:14 pm
we got it last night and here's a link to his real estate prowess... which stinks of that guy who used to do infomercials from his yacht in the early 90s.
Posted by Frank, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Apr 4, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Also got a letter from "Jason and Maria" today. They "identified your property in PA as one we are particularly interested in acquiring." The letter was sent to me at my SF property, my primary residence.
Posted by wow, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Apr 5, 2012 at 12:10 am
I don't know about the rest of you but I know the letter I received today from Jason and Maria is legitimate because it has a smiley face after Maria's name. No self-respecting scam artists would take the time to draw a smiley face which could so easily be traced back to them...
Posted by JLG, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Apr 5, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Great thread, informative and ''amusing". We, too, got a letter today, googled the email address and landed here. With such bad publicity, I wonder why does Jason/Jay keep trying his by now obvious scheme.
Posted by akajay, a resident of another community, on Apr 6, 2012 at 3:15 pm
He is back! Just received another letter and this time with Buzi dropped and he is now going by his given name of Jason plus he has picked up a partner along the way.
I guess they really like a lot of properties. They are pulling this in other communities as well.
Posted by chris, a resident of the Fairmeadow neighborhood, on Apr 6, 2012 at 4:58 pm
we just got a postcard as well. this is a great thread and i've learned a lot about what NOT to do. i must admit i was a bit curious, but thanks to the links here i've learned to use a pro and make sure to open the sale of a home to competition!
Posted by Neighbor, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Apr 6, 2012 at 7:02 pm
We got a white envelope containing the Jason and Maria (smiley face) letter in our mailbox the other day. Handwriting on the envelope (addressed to our last names) did not match the signature handwriting. Glad to find this site.
Posted by FemmeNonFatale, a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Apr 17, 2012 at 10:04 pm FemmeNonFatale is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
I received the letter from "Jason and Maria", including the happy face signature, sent to the address that the County Assessor has for me. I also searched for jayre01@gmail.com and wound up here.
So, my questions are: Is this illegal? Is he just hoping to make money on people who don't know the value of their homes?
I wouldn't invite someone out of the blue to my house, but other than being sleazy, isn't this just crass greed?
Thank you to everyone who has commented, for making it clear that this is not legitimate.
Posted by San Mateo Broker, a resident of another community, on May 18, 2012 at 5:54 pm
I got a call today from a client who said she was contacted (Jason and Maria) I "googled" the phone number and came up with Mr. Buzi. If it's the same guy, he seems to have been a licensed Realtor. #01249285.
I recommend that anyone getting a communication from this guy, go to the California DRE website and search his name for a license.
I think you'll find that he had one, but it expired in 1997.
My opinion is that this guy is doing work that requires a license and he's breaking the law. I suspect that he's doing that to avoid the responsibilities that come with a license and that he knows it.
I think Mr. Buzi's actions should be called to the attention of the DRE and that he should be investigated.
My opinion is that he is not doing anyone any favors and I suspect that if he it making money (likely), it is at someone else's expense.
My opinion is that he is acting as a real estate sales agent with out a license and that he is likely damaging unsuspecting sellers in the process. (Why would he do that?)
The laws may not be perfect and all Realtors may not do their job well, but the regulations are intended to protect the public.
Please report in writing any contact you have from this guy to the DRE. I'm going to do that myself. This stinks.
Posted by San Mateo Broker, a resident of Woodside, on May 18, 2012 at 6:08 pm
If anyone reading this blog has signed a contract with this guy or done a deal with him, I want to encourage them to put the information in public. I wouldn't be surprised if he was not an investor at all and didn't own any property anywhere and never closed a deal on a single one of the properties he offered to purchase.
If this guy is legit, he has nothing to worry about.
If not it seems like time to get the word out.
I can see how if someone sent out enough letters, they would be likely to get some little old lady to sell cheap. If so, she got screwed.
Posted by Trump, a resident of the Charleston Gardens neighborhood, on Jul 10, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Hey, if you have a home for sale, just put it on Craig's list. Put in retainers for the necessary transfers, inspections and lien clearances, and voila!
Also, anyone selling in PA should *definitely* negotiate the realtor's fee. No way should someone make $60K for selling a $1M home. More like $10K is fair.
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