Incredulous, Part II

So, I've been in email communication with the owner of this would-be amazing apartment in NYC! She lives in Germany, and had apparently moved back there after her American husband died in a car accident. Some of the details as to how she would like to proceed seem a little sketchy, so I have consulted with a friend who works in NYC real estate.

My friend read through the emails and said that it could be for real, but it could also be a scam. He recommend that I proceed with caution and get everything documented before proceeding to a definite closing/signing. The thing that had me scratch my head initially is that she is asking for the first three months upfront (which isn't a problem), but wants the funds to be held in escrow now before she even books a flight to the USA to pass off the keys and sign a lease. I am curious as to why she won't deal through a real estate agency, since that would be cheaper than booking a flight over to the USA every time someone shows interest in her apartment. Talk about things that make you go "hmmm..." Dealing in escrow, as she puts it, could be the European thing to do, or it could just be some fancy wording to make it all seem real and scam an unsuspecting renter out of $2,100!

My last email to her said that I wasn't comfortable place that large sum of money with a third party I didn't know. I asked her if I could either get all of the escrow services information first (so I could call and verify on my own), or I could do some research and recommend a few real estate agencies in NYC that she could pick from to deal with.

I'm still somewhat hopeful, because I'm not sure how else to be right now. Being hopeful is so much better for the psyche than being cynical, but damn that time-zone difference and the waiting!