HOUSTON – Some parents are apparently so intent on getting their kids into the right public school, they are pretending to move into the school district to obtain the sales paperwork, and then are backing out of the deal.
“They kept asking for the executed contract so they could enroll their kids in school on Friday, and that’s exactly what they did. Then on Saturday, they said they weren’t going to close on this contract because they had no money,” said one Katy homeowner.
Catherine Van Zutphen, who lives in Cinco Ranch and is a realtor, who listed her own home, said it happened to her last week.
“Obviously, we were targets,” Zutphen said.
She said the entire deal came together so quickly, that the earnest money, funds which are supposed to keep parties honest during the homebuying process, was not even deposited yet before the whole thing fell apart.
“We’ve seen a number of these happen here in Houston, especially in the areas that are thought of as a better school district,” Michael Bossart, vice president of consulting for Keller Williams Memorial, said.
KPRC 2 is not identifying the “homebuyers,” but we did reach out to Katy ISD and received the following response from Laura Davis, Katy ISD communications, via email:
“The name of the individual provided by your outlet is not associated with any Katy ISD enrolled student. In terms of enrollment criteria, the district requires that parents/guardians provide proof of residence with a utility bill (light, water, or gas), purchasing paperwork, or lease agreement. If a lease agreement or purchasing paperwork is provided at the time of registration, a utility bill must also be provided within 30 days of occupancy.”