Because you don't own the house

[mhkohne]

Thanks for the info. If I'm reading this straight (given the Nyquil I took last night, could be iffy), the actual owner of the house would have to sign in front of a witness who would hopefully notice evidence of duress? I'm wondering if this bozo's determined enough to milk out that money that he'd try forcing her to sign or switching in an accomplice in place of the real homeowner. At least the requirement for a witness would rule out "take paperwork home for her to sign, do it himself without even telling her, bring it back 'signed'" stunts.

We call that witness a 'notary' - they check IDs and such to make sure things are on the up and up.