A deed is the public record of who owns a home. Deed fraud, also called title fraud, happens when a fake or fraudulent document changes that record.
In this episode of The Charlotte Business Podcast, host George sits down with Tammy Legette, a licensed NC and SC broker and realtor with 26+ years in real estate and 14 years in mortgage lending. After her family was hit by deed fraud following her grandfather’s death, Tammy founded Inherited Property Navigator, wrote the book From Death to Disposition, and took her fight to the North Carolina legislature.
Tammy shares what happened to her own family: a fake affidavit and a fraudulent deed recorded after her grandfather’s death moved the family home out of the family’s name, and she has since filed a quiet title complaint to get it back. She explains what “quiet title” is, why fixing a fraudulent deed is so hard and costly, and how her Stop Deed Fraud petition connects to NC House Bill 535 and Senate Bill 423.
From there the conversation turns practical: how inherited property really works, why scammers use obituaries to find homes to target, the 5-minute deed check to do every couple of months, and what realtors and investors must verify before buying or listing inherited property.
The conversation opens with Tammy’s journey into real estate and what happened when she inherited her mom’s 15 homes with no will. She then turns to her grandfather’s last request: protect my family.
Tammy walks through the affidavit that said her grandfather had no children, the moment his house appeared on the MLS, and the fraudulent deed itself. She also breaks down what it cost to fight it, including attorneys and litigators.
Tammy explains why she started the Stop Deed Fraud petition and how it connects to NC House Bill 535 and Senate Bill 423. The conversation also covers the attention the story received, more than 1 million views and 7,000 comments, and a second fraudulent deed.
Tammy introduces the free tools and checklists at Inherited Property Navigator and explains what realtors need to know. She covers the biggest mistakes families make with wills, trusts and talking to their kids, how scammers use obituaries, and how to use property alerts and how often to check your deed.
The later chapters cover tenants in common versus joint ownership, the title mistake that splits families, and the “Death comes to steal” conversation about keeping a family together. Tammy also walks through the Buy / Sell / Rent / Keep calculator.
George closes with Charlotte rapid-fire questions, and Tammy shares where to find her.
If you own a home, expect to inherit one, or help families buy and sell property, this conversation gives you a plain-language look at how deed fraud works and what to check. It is for education and general information only, and is not legal advice. Talk to a licensed attorney or title professional about your own situation.
Tammy’s company helps families understand and navigate the real estate side of inherited property, with education and free tools and checklists.
Tammy B. Legette is a licensed NC/SC Broker/Realtor®, founder of Inherited Property Navigator™, and author of From Death to Disposition™: The Deed That Shouldn’t Exist. With more than 26 years in real estate and 14 years in mortgage lending, she uses that experience, along with her personal journey through inherited-property and deed-fraud challenges, to educate families and real estate professionals on protecting property, ownership, and generational wealth.
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