A message from the Berkshire Middle District Registry of Deeds, Patsy Harris Register:  “We carefully examine submitted documents before putting them on record to be certain each and every one satisfies our recording requirements. In doing so, my staff and I discovered a scam targeting financially struggling homeowners.  MV Realty PCB, LLC also known as MV of Massachusetts, LLC deceived homeowners nationwide by giving them “free” cash upfront in exchange for a brokerage agreement which was enforced by a mortgage with a 40-year maturity date. These mortgages were submitted to the Registry unbeknownst to the homeowners.

Fortunately for the homeowners in our district, Register Harris reported the matter to the Attorney General, who determined that the company deceived homeowners into entering “abusive contracts” and, therefore, filed a lawsuit against the Florida based company. Meanwhile, at this Registry, these mortgages were rejected over and over again until the company was finally ordered to cease and desist doing business in Massachusetts.  “MV Realty’s business model and contract terms are unconscionable, targeting elderly and financially vulnerable homeowners who are short on cash, only to leave them with agreements they don’t understand, and can’t get out of”, said Maura Healey, then Attorney General and now Governor.”

In this light, did you know that there is a new, free notification tool which alerts homeowners by email when a new document is recorded in their name? If you own real estate in Berkshire County, you can use the Consumer Notification Link to create an account, and then register up to 3 properties.   https://cns.masslandrecords.com/