Elder abuse takes many forms. But seniors are especially vulnerable when it comes to financial abuse and scams.

It's easy to see why: Americans age 70 and above have accumulated a total net worth of nearly $35 trillion, much of it in their homes and other real estate holdings. According to the FBI, seniors are targeted by con artists because they tend to be financially stable and often own their homes outright.

So-called "confidence/romance fraud" is the No. 1 type of fraud perpetrated upon seniors in terms of losses, with email scams coming in second. But losses from crimes involving real estate have been increasing recently, rising from $36 million in 2019 to $50 million last year.

The swindler can be just about anybody: a relative, a supposed new friend, a realty agent, a mortgage lender, an appraiser or investor. That's why the friends and relatives of any senior entering into a real estate deal should watch for red flags -- as should the agents, lenders, title companies and other professionals involved in the transaction.

One of the most popular scams the FBI sees revolves around home equity conversion mortgages, aka reverse mortgages. A legitimate HECM allows eligible owners to extract equity they've built in their houses over the years without having to make payments until they leave the property for good. Although there are some proprietary programs available, reverse mortgages are mostly insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

Con artists looks for seniors who are not familiar with the loans' requirements or the detailed approval process. In some cases, the Oregon FBI reported recently, the scammer will pressure seniors into taking out loans that they don't need or that are totally inappropriate for their situation.

Another popular real estate ruse uses elders as "straw buyers." Here, the criminal wants to buy a house, but for some unknown reason, can't qualify for a mortgage. So they persuade a senior to sign the necessary papers "as a favor." Or maybe they offer some cash to go along with the deal.

In the end, the bad guy ends up skimming all of the equity out of the property and leaving his victim not only holding a hefty 30-year mortgage, but also with potential criminal liability.

Some years back, Sacramento agent Elizabeth Weintraub learned of a case in which a law firm advised a senior that she could do a loan modification on a second mortgage that was already charged-off through bankruptcy -- and then took her money. Weintraub says she was "appalled, not only at the audacity of the lawyer, but that crooks are still running elder abuse scams like this and getting away with it."

In other real estate-related scams, seniors are offered free houses, investment/refinance opportunities, or ways to get out of a timeshare or avoid foreclosure. But the result is often the same: The senior loses all or part of their nest egg, and their credit history is left in tatters.

So how do you know when a senior in your life may be headed down the wrong road? Here are some telltale signs:

-- If you can never speak directly to the person the elder is dealing with, your antennae should wiggle. Most con artists hide behind the telephone, email and text messages. Or maybe they claim to live in some far-off country. Either way, they don't want to be seen so they cannot be identified.

-- On the flip side, be leery if your senior is not allowed to speak for himself or herself. If the "partner" does all the talking, the senior is probably being taken advantage of.

-- If your senior cannot explain what they are about to do and why, they should not move ahead. Push them to demonstrate that they fully understand the transaction and its implications.

-- If they say this newfound pal is a nice person and that they just want to help him out, bring in the authorities, or at least ask a certified housing counselor to look over the details. Criminals always try to gain their targets' trust, and seniors are often not only trusting, but polite.

-- Look for documents that support the transaction, if there are any, and run them by a real estate attorney to make sure they are on the up-and-up.

-- Con artists sometimes use fraudulent powers of attorney. And if the proceeds are disbursed to someone other than your senior, stop the transaction in its tracks.

-- If the senior is being pressured to act quickly, don't let them. Scammers often create a sense of urgency, so try to get in the way and slow things down.

-- Check contact information online -- names, phone numbers, addresses -- to see if anyone else may have been ripped off by the same scammer. People who have been stiffed often post their stories in hopes of preventing others from going through the same thing.

Meanwhile, realty and allied professionals involved in the deal should take note of any signs of cognitive impairment, confusion or lack of understanding by the senior. And if the senior is accompanied by an overbearing third party with no apparent role in the transaction, the professional should ask the senior to consult with a relative or friend -- or even make a call themselves.

Says Weintraub: "We can't sit on the fence and be part of the problem."

For the next 60-odd days, some homebuyers have an unusual opportunity to find financing at a tad lower cost.

The ceiling on mortgages that can be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac changes annually at the first of the year. That's important because when the two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) put their stamps on loans, the cost to borrowers is generally a quarter-percent to a half-percent lower.

But some wholesale lenders, which fund mortgages written by brokers, are jumping the gun. Even though the new limit isn't normally announced until the week of Thanksgiving, two companies -- United Wholesale Mortgage and PennyMac Financial Services -- are already telling direct lenders they'll go higher on single-family houses.

The current limit is $548,250, but UWM and PennyMac will take loans as high as $625,000. And according to trade publication Inside Mortgage Finance, more wholesalers "are expected to follow suit."

That means homebuyers and refinancers who can't wait until 2022 can grab slightly lower rates right now. It's a tight financial window: If you need more than $548,000, but less than $625,000, a small gift is falling into your lap.

These lenders aren't breaking the rules; rather, they are funding these loans and holding them until Jan. 1 before selling them to the GSEs. They're rolling the dice that the Fannie-Freddie limit for 2022 will rise at least as high as $625,000. Given the way prices have jumped this year, that seems a pretty safe bet.

IMF "conservatively estimates" the new one-unit GSE loan limit will be at least $618,000, but could be as high as $656,000. Another trade pub, Mortgage News Daily, says the new ceiling will "almost certainly be higher than $625K," an amount it says "reflects an extremely safe, highly educated guess."

OK, let's catch our breaths and give this a fuller explanation.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are giant financial institutions created by Congress to keep money flowing to the mortgage market. They do that by purchasing loans from the Main Street lenders that you and I borrow from and pooling them into securities for sale on the secondary mortgage market to investors worldwide. The money they take in is used to buy more loans, and the cycle goes on and on.

Since the two GSEs were minted by Congress, and have been under the stewardship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since the Great Recession of 2008, it is widely believed -- but not necessarily true -- that Uncle Sam will come to investors' rescue should borrowers default in any huge numbers. In exchange for the perceived safety of Fannie and Freddie's bonds, investors are willing to take a little bit of a haircut on their expected returns. And that discount is returned to borrowers in the form of lower interest rates.

The loans that Fannie and Freddie can purchase are called conforming loans because they must adhere to the agencies rules, including the amount consumers can borrow. The amount is determined by a formula set down by Congress in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act to reflect changes in average home prices.

In 2020, the average increase as measured by the FHFA was 7.42%. Consequently, the "baseline" loan limit was raised by the same percentage: from $510,400 in 2020 to $548,250 this year for single-family homes, in most places. In some high-cost markets, though, the lid is $822,375.

But prices this year have been booming. According to the FHFA, the average price rose an astounding 19.2% between July 2020 and July 2021. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller gauge reported an even larger 19.7% year-over-year gain in July. And in August, CoreLogic said annual price gains reached another all-time high of 18.1%.

There are some signs that price increases may be slowing. But the key to 2022's conforming loan limit will be prices for the entirety of the third quarter because the formula is based on quarterly, rather than monthly, shifts. Even if prices go flat in August and September, housing blogger Bill McBride believes there will be "a large increase in the conforming loan limit for 2022."

How large? That's anybody's guess right now. But let's use July's price jump as a benchmark and see what happens: If the current ceiling of $548,250 is adjusted upward by 19%, the 2022 limit would be around $652,500 in most markets and $978,750 in expensive ones.

For the base loan amount, the difference in the monthly payment for a 3% loan versus a 2.75% loan is a modest $87. Not a lot, but over a year, that adds up to $1,044. And over the full 30 years of the loan, the total savings is $31,320.

Of course, prices could have dipped some in August and September, causing the new cap to be less than those numbers. Or they could have risen even higher. Right now, it's pure conjecture.

Bottom line: If you are in the market, you can raise your price horizon and still secure a somewhat lower mortgage rate. And you can do it right now, without waiting until Jan. 1 for the new cap to kick in. The same goes for owners whose current loans exceed the current ceiling: You can refinance now to take advantage of the lower conforming loan rate.

Again, it's a tight window -- but not nearly as tight as it usually is.

The number of houses for sale is beginning to increase, bidding wars are not as prevalent, and the housing sector is moving into what are normally the slower fall and winter months. So sellers need to be doing more to attract the attention of would-be buyers.

The place to start is at your front door -- or more precisely, the entire front of your house. Remember, while it may seem trite, it is still true: You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

In other words, you don't want your prospects evaluating your house by its outside before they ever see the inside. Many buyers will drive right past houses that don't ignite their interest, moving on until they find one that does.

Sure, curb appeal is important at any time of year. But when the weather turns cold, the sun sets earlier and the wind starts to blow, it becomes somewhat more difficult to make your home stand out.

Sellers can take lots of steps to improve their home's looks. Some are expensive, like replacing your roof. But others are economical, like adding a few planters at the entrance.

Here are some ideas collected over the years, starting with the most costly:

-- Roofs play a major role when it comes to curb appeal, if only because they can represent up to 30% of what someone sees as they approach the house. But a roof is expensive to replace.

However, if your buyer has to replace your worn-out roof, it could be even more expensive in the long run. That's because most buyers tend to think these kinds of projects cost more than they actually do. And since they adjust their offers to reflect that, you could make out better by paying for the job yourself. Better yet, the cost may be deductible as a selling expense.

If you go this route, the folks at DaVinci Roofscapes suggest blending the color with that of other exterior elements to create a cohesive look.

-- Garage doors are another prominent feature, also taking up as much as a third of the facade. Sellers tend to ignore them, but buyers see them right away.

If yours is made of press-board that has absorbed more than its share of moisture, you might want to replace it with something more fashionable. According to trade magazine Remodeling, trading in a garage door results in almost a 94% return on cost -- the highest in the publication's latest cost-vs.-value study.

Absent that, a new coat of paint goes a long way. And while you're at it, throw some paint on your front door, decorative trim, millwork and window frames. That will help call attention to those small architectural details and make them stand out.

-- Replacing a front door can be costly, too. So how about just adding a decorative handle as a finishing touch to the new paint? Consider it icing on the cake, says Delaney Hardware.

-- Tidy up your yard, and keep it that way. The grass may not be green, but keep it trimmed. Ditto for flower beds: Yank out those weeds, edge the walk and driveway, pick up twigs and rake the leaves.

-- Since days are shorter and the sun goes down earlier, wash your windows -- inside and out -- so the lights from inside can shine. And make sure you are using maximum wattage bulbs.

Outside, turn on every light just before showings, day and night, to brighten the exterior. Add spotlights if you don't already have them. If your old fixtures don't sparkle, consider replacing them. And add a photo of everything lit up to your listing presentation.

-- Back at the front door, add some colorful cold-weather plants. Perhaps planters on the porch or stoop filled with dogwoods, heath, witch hazel or winterberry that crank up the visual impact. Or consider a tall, hardy winter grass.

Outdoor sculptures, orbs and birdbaths can do the same for your dormant flower and shrub beds.

-- Don't forget your backyard patio or deck. Visitors won't see them as they enter the house, but they will see them eventually as they tour the place. So treat them as the extension of the inside that they are.

Don't cover your outdoor furniture for winter; instead, setup your table and chairs as if it is still summer. For added effect, treat them as a vignette with waterproof pillows that accent your interior colors.

-- Safety is paramount. If you are in a snowy region, clear the walks and drive regularly so there is no ice or snow buildup. Buyers need a clear, safe path to your door. Wet leaves also can be a hazard, so clean them up, too.

When you are finished, put away your tools. Put away your garbage cans, too, and any toys. Except maybe a sled; lean that against the side of the house, and it becomes an alluring attraction for families with youngsters.