Perception is not reality.

Randy Lutz learned that important lesson firsthand when he attempted to relocate his family, which includes a handicapped son, from a “crime-ridden” Rhode Island neighborhood to a seemingly more friendly Winter Park, Fla., community. Lutz, responding to a home-for-rent ad listing on CraigsList.com, had no idea that the lease he signed on a new place — and seemingly a new life — was a complete fraud.

That’s because two opportunist scammers, a local boyfriend-girlfriend tag-team, were lying in wait in the “Sunshine State.” The duplicitous pair had broken into the home, which was a vacant foreclosure, changed the locks and marketed it as if it was their own, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Greed was apparently their undoing when another couple who had also “rented” a a property from the imposters came to the Lutz-rented house looking for their landlords. From that point forward, with the help of a neighbor who knew the house was in foreclosure, the scheme unraveled.

In fact, the couple — who Lutz described as “fairly nice people” — were soon tracked down and arrested.

“There was no reason to think that they were anything but what they said they were,” Lutz was quoted as saying.

The good news is that the bank that truly did own the home that was illegally rented out to the Lutz family agreed to let them remain in the house. Clearly, a new — and legal — rental agreement was drawn up, providing a rare happy ending in an otherwise twisted foreclosure tale.

Just kidding!

First-time real estate investor Terry Jordan in Tate County, Mississippi, thought she scored a steal in Senatobia. Her husband recently lost his job, so the couple turned to the opportunity-rich distressed real estate market “to help them while they go through a tough time,” according to WREG.com.

They settled on a nearby fixer-upper that they hoped would generate quick cashflow. And by all accounts, did everything that most buyers are supposed to do, hiring a local agent, touring the property three times and then making an offer that was ultimately accepted.

There was just one problem: After sinking “thousands” of dollars into their newly-purchased investment property — new roof, electrical upgrades, etc. — the Jordan’s learned that they were sold “the wrong house.” Indeed, a post-sale property survey revealed that a nearby ‘pitiful’ home that is half the size and filled with mold, was actually the one that was legally purchased.

The agency that showed and sold her the “wrong” home has since explained that the mortgage company “gave them misinformation.” Nonetheless, at this moment in time, the Jordan’s are still without a resolution to the fiasco, owning a home they don’t want and having sunk thousands into another that isn’t legally theirs because of a very odd (and large) mistake.

And, in the process, giving new definitions to old familiar foreclosure expressions such as “buyer beware” and “as-is.”

Check out a video from the local news broadcast that details the sticky situation:

The most bizarre foreclosure case in recent memory must belong to Nadya Suleman, who is also known as “Octomom” for delivering eight children at once (via in vitro fertilization) while on government-sponsored welfare to help support her other six children back in 2009.

Her unique story captured major headlines throughout the United States at the time, sparking debate about whether or not a cash-strapped, public-assisted single mother of six should be allowed to pursue excessive fertility treatments and have taxpayers pick up her tab. More than three years later, Suleman still knows how stir controversy, as well as avoid foreclosure.

According to The Orange County Register, the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home in southern California the Suleman “purchased” right around the same time as the birth of her octuplets, will remain her’s for at least another two weeks. Suleman stopped making the $3,000 monthly payments way back in 2010 on her “wrap-around mortgage,” which essentially means she holds the deed and makes payments to the original property owner, Amer Haddadin, who in turn pays the bank.

This is the second time the foreclosure sale has been postponed. She (and Haddadin) owe approximately $477,288 on the La Habra, Calif., home.

Suleman has recently filed for bankruptcy, claiming her debt-to-asset ratio is in the neighborhood of $1 million to $50,000. It’s possible that the bankruptcy claim could have delayed the latest foreclosure sale.

Meanwhile, to make ends meet, Suleman has reportedly embarked on an adult film career. We told you this was bizarre.

Hate stuff, break stuff.

That’s apparently the losing formula that some distressed homeowners are calculating when it becomes apparent that their homes will be lost to foreclosure. Indeed, the video above depicts a sad state of affairs in Jacksonville, Fla., with alienated homeowners gutting their properties prior to final departure.

Cabinets, appliances, flooring and mouldings are seemingly all unfair game — little is safe, giving new meaning to the phrase, “Everything but the kitchen sink.” Well, actually, even that seems to have been stolen.

And that’s really what this is all about. Sure, some folks are fired up and want to “stick it” to the big banks that “kicked them to the curb.” But, at the end of the day, big banks typically don’t tell individuals who pay their mortgages on time to vacate the premises.

There are many variables that go into a foreclosure case. None of them are the same. Emotions run high — foreclosures are tragic and dramatic life-altering moments. But, there are extreme situations like this that are just hard to understand.

It’s perfectly acceptable for distressed homeowners to take with them whatever possessions belong to them when it’s time to leave. However, stripping homes bare of fixtures and other essentials to prove points or make statements borders on criminal/illegal.

No charges were filed in this particular case, but it’s common for banks with the resources and wherewithal to protect their interests through legal channels in situations such as this. Not only do banks benefit, but so, too, do the news homeowners and the surrounding communities.

It wouldn’t be shocking if they are dead in the water. Life kind of — and often does — get in the way of making good on dreams and goals, especially when they’re not something that comes natural like cracking into real estate investing.

However, we’re here to pass along a friendly reminder that resolutions will only stick if you keep at them. And money investing in real estate investing can only be made, well, if you make the initial investment.

The good news is there (still) has never been a better time than right now to get in the game.

Short sales and foreclosures offer opportunities every which way you turn: For buyers, it can mean mega-profits, while for homeowners, it may be a way out of dire financial situations that have been holding them back.

The April 2012 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which is loaded with all kinds of resources to get you, your credit and your distressed real estate investment career back on track.

Articles include:

• Site Feature Spotlight: How To Fix Your Credit Yourself To Buy A House
• Website Search Tips: Rent-To-Own Homes A Step In The Right Direction
• Hot Off The Press: Bank Of America Mortgage To Lease Program Makes Waves
• Our Success Stories: South Florida Real Estate Investor Gives Back
• Real Estate Tips: Preforeclosures — New HARP 2.0 Guidelines Help More Underwater Homeowners
• Deals of the Month: April Foreclosure Deals!
• Linda’s Learning Lane: ‘Different’ Types Of Real Estate Investments

Right now, there is a virtually unlimited spring of opportunity just waiting to be seized by those proactive individuals who don’t let their resolutions rest.

Seize the moment now and don’t look back!

To read this month’s free educational newsletter from Foreclosure.com CLICK HERE.

Whoopee!

Legendary radio personality and television game show host, Bob Eubanks, recently unloaded his Westlake Village house in Thousand Oaks, Calif., for $1.982 million in what the Los Angeles Times describes as a short sale transaction. The five-time Emmy Award winner, which includes a lifetime achievement award, purchased the 4,972 sq. ft. four-bedroom, 4.5 bathroom “Normandy-style home” for $2.66 million in 2006.

A widow in 2001, Eubanks shared the home, which he attempted unsuccessfully to sell two years ago with a sticker price $2.595 million, with his second wife and their young son.

Other luxurious amenities include wood and stone floors, custom built-in cabinetry, French doors and an office, among others. The 3.5-acre grounds feature a swimming pool with spa, a two-story play fort, an outdoor covered loggia, stone walkways and fountains.

Eubanks, 77, was the host of the super popular “The Newlywed Game,” which aired on-and-off with him as the Master of Ceremonies for a record-setting six consecutive decades. He’s apparently a card-carrying member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys association, suggesting that perhaps he’ll mosey along to a new ranch to ride out his well-deserved retirement.

It’s official (if it wasn’t already): Homebuyers and real estate investors today are in the driver’s seat. And it’s probably not a stretch to say that they will be riding shotgun, too, for the foreseeable future.

S&P/Case-Shiller released its latest home price index of 20 major cities located throughout the United States, indicating that collective home prices have not been this low since Nov. 2002. Recent statistics from the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) bolster the report, suggesting that the national median existing-home price for all housing types is currently hovering at a very affordable $154,700.

“Affordable” when you consider that in 2007, at the height of the real estate boom, the national median existing-home price for all housing types was sitting at $219,000. In other words, homebuyers today are shaving an average of about $64,000 right off the top of their real estate investments when compared to just five years ago.

That’s not chump change. And we’re not even drilling down to the distressed market, which is where most of the larger savings — anywhere from 25 to 75 percent off retail — exist. In fact, foreclosure and short sale properties for sale are a major reason for the recent record-setting low prices.

Business Week has the details:

Rising foreclosures are weighing on the U.S. housing market, reducing prices and keeping new-home sales weak. Foreclosed homes are usually sold at steep discounts, thereby lowering average prices. And by expanding the supply of low-priced previously occupied homes, foreclosures tend to limit demand for new homes. Some economists expect foreclosures to keep prices under pressure this year, even though they think sales of previously occupied homes will rise.

These latest figures seem to suggest that it would behoove buyers who can qualify for mortgages, as well as lock-in desirable low interest rates, to act swiftly. The pool of foreclosures and short sales, for now, is relatively deep. However, the best deals will (and are) go rapidly, which will drain money-saving opportunities from the foreclosure pool. And the prices will only get higher as the pool gets more shallow.

Sure, it’s a process that will take time. But, how long? There’s no sense in waiting when you are guaranteed to save right now on the potential investment of a lifetime. At the very least, you should check out your desired area/neighborhood to see what is available and what is (and isn’t) in your price range.

While the overall real estate market might be slower to correct, local areas will start to see the uptick first and foremost. Right now you have the keys to perhaps drive your very own luxury/dream car for a fraction of its cost — don’t wait only to become a grumpy backseat driver.

To check out foreclosures, short sales and other great distressed real estate deals available for sale in your area right now click here.

Former Florida State University (FSU) shutdown cornerback, Antonio Cromartie, is the latest high-profile sports celebrity to fall into foreclosure. Cromartie, who was drafted in the first round of the National Football League (NFL) draft back in 2006, owes $105,381 on an 864 sq. ft. home in Tallahassee, Fla., that he purchased shortly after turning professional.

TMZ.com reports that Cromartie stopped making payments in 2010 and that Bank of NY, which issued the mortgage loan, wants the recent Pro Bowl selection to either make good on his payments or “hand over the keys to the property AND make good on his mortgage payments … plus interest.”

Cromartie recently signed a huge four-year, $32 million contract extension with the New York Jets. He’s an integral part of the team’s defensive backfield, which features perhaps the best cover corner in the league, Darrelle Revis.

So a $100,000 bill sounds like a drop in the bucket, right? Not really.

Cromartie has the dubious distinction of fathering 10 children with eight different women. Nine of his brood are under the age of four years old and he actually has two more on the way with his current wife.

According to a recent Yahoo!Sports article, Cromartie pays “more than $3,500 per month to all but two of his children’s mothers.” And his child-related expenses are the primary reason he requested a $500,000 advance from the Jets in 2010 to get current on outstanding child support payments.

More and more lenders are apparently looking to avoid the foreclosure process, opting instead to sell the distressed assets for less than their original loan amounts.

That’s the latest, at least, from Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS), which revealed short sales accounted for nearly one-quarter (23.9 percent) of home purchases in Jan. 2012, which is more than the monthly foreclosure tally (19.7 percent). All told, based on these statistics, short sales and foreclosure sales accounted for more than 40 percent of all real estate purchases to start the New Year.

There are many reasons for the uptick, most notably the massive costs that lenders incur because of foreclosures, particularly at such a high volume. In fact, some lenders (Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase & Co.) are so eager to avoid the foreclosure process that they are offering distressed homeowners as much as $35,000 to accelerate their departures. In addition, streamlined short sale procedures have been introduced that compel loan servicers to respond to all short sale offers in 30 days or less.

So if a bank is willing to reduce the price on a desirable home, incentivize the homeowner who can no longer afford his or mortgage to relocate and get a “non-performing” asset of its books as soon as possible, it appears that everyone — all things considered — comes out a winner. Even neighborhoods, which have been scarred with the black marks of foreclosure and its deleterious effects, and in turn their collective property values, appear to benefit from short sales.

But you be the judge: Check out available short sale homes for sale in your neighborhood today at Foreclosure.com. Yes, we have short sales — along with many other distressed property listings — available on our site, many of which are 30 to 50 percent less than market value.

But, of course, there is a catch.

The Mortgage to Lease Program will offer select underwater borrowers — those who can no longer afford to pay the mortgages on homes that have lost significant market value — in Arizona, Nevada and New York the option to transfer their property title back to the bank and have their debt/mortgage obligations wiped clean. In exchange, the borrowers will agree to remain in their homes as renters, paying BofA a monthly fee that is less than the mortgage payment.

It’s a forward-thinking initiative that BofA executives, according to a Reuters report, hope “evolves from a pilot into a more broadly based program, we also see potential benefits from helping to stabilize housing prices in the surrounding community.”

So who is, and who isn’t, eligible for the BofA Mortgage to Lease Program? MSN Money breaks it down to borrowers who:

• Have a mortgage owned by BofA (no securitized loans).
• Are at least two months in arrears and at significant risk of foreclosure.
• Live in the home (investment properties aren’t eligible).
• Have a first mortgage only (second mortgages or lines of credit aren’t allowed).
• Live in New York, Nevada or Arizona.
• Can afford the proposed rents.
• Have tried — or have not responded to efforts to get them to try — alternatives like loan modifications, short sales or deeds in lieu of foreclosure.

It’s important to point out that BofA apparently does not intend to become long-term landlords. After all, it’s in the money-lending — not house-renting — business. Therefore, the homes in the program are expected to be marketed and sold to investors in the near future, who will no doubt jump at the opportunity to pick up an investment property that comes with a steady monthly revenue stream.

At this time, distressed BofA homeowners cannot apply for the Mortgage to Lease program — it will be offered to them in the areas, and based on the criteria, mentioned above.