Did you know that homebuyers and sellers who have an issue with their agents can take their grievances to a state real estate commission?

If you didn't, you're not alone. According to the latest report from the Consumer Federation of America -- a national organization of more than 250 state and local nonprofit consumer groups -- 21 of 47 state commissions' websites ignore consumers altogether. Only 11 provide what the CFA calls "adequate" consumer information.

However, it may be a good thing buyers and sellers are unaware they can call their state agencies for help. These agencies' shared purpose may be to regulate agents, brokers and firms, and they may be mandated to receive, investigate and act on consumer complaints. But not one such institution has the authority to provide restitution to consumers who are found to have been treated unfairly or unlawfully.

While most states maintain so-called recovery funds to allow aggrieved consumers to apply for redress, the CFA recently reported that complainants only qualify if they have a favorable decision from a court or mediator.

CFA senior fellow Stephen Brobeck found only a handful of states that publicly report information about complaints. Where information was available, less than 10% of the gripes resulted in a citation, fine, license suspension or revocation for the offender. And even then, a majority of the actions were not the result of a consumer complaint, but rather an agent's criminal conviction or acting without a license.

Brobeck found disciplinary action against agents usually took the form of fines, and sometimes a requirement that the offender take a class, often in professional ethics. Rarely was a licensed revoked.

The CFA official also finds fault with the makeup of these commissions (called "boards" in some states). Just 15% of the seats on these boards are held by individuals from outside the real estate business, and none are held by consumer or housing advocates. Only in New York is the State Board of Real Estate required to have a majority of nonindustry members.

And that's not the extent of the industry's dominance. Of the identifiable nonindustry seats, the CFA report says that almost half are either vacant or held by people from allied business -- or agents or brokers themselves.

In other words, in most places, the fox is guarding the henhouse.

"A commission dominated by industry members is predisposed to view issues through an industry lens, make decisions that favor the industry over consumers, and sometimes forget that its mandate is to serve consumers as well as the industry," the report says.

Governors typically appoint realty commission members, usually at the behest of the board and its administrator. But even then, a couple of questions arise: If they are selected by the industry, do they have consumer interests at heart? And do they have the will to challenge those who selected them in the first place?

These commissions have value in that they train and license agents and brokers, and can penalize them for a wide array of offenses. But for consumers, they leave much to be desired. "Many commissioners from the industry ignore consumers or fail to understand and appreciate the important role in informing and protecting buyers and sellers," Brobeck says.

State realty agencies would be far more likely to recognize and act on their obligations to buyers and sellers if there were strong public and nonprofit leaders who also held commission seats.

Brobeck would like to see more representation from consumer organizations and housing advocates -- perhaps an attorney or even an economist with "no financial ties" to the business.

"Even a single consumer or housing advocate ... would likely have a positive impact," he says.

This latest CFA report comes at a time when the practice of residential real estate -- a $2 trillion-a-year business, resulting in $100 million in sales commissions -- is coming under increased scrutiny. Several antitrust suits have been filed against the National Association of Realtors, for example. And the Justice Department has withdrawn a settlement that the previous administration made with NAR in order to more fully investigate the group's rules and conduct.

In its latest court filing, DOJ says NAR's rules "restrict how real estate agents can market properties, dictate how real estate commissions are set and impede commission negotiations."

Brobeck believes his study fits right in with those examinations.

"State real estate commissions should not escape the scrutiny the industry has been under," he says. "The lack of independent and effective regulation has contributed to the anti-competitive practices that are subject to private and government antitrust litigation."

In a previous report, the CFA specifically faulted the absence of information that buyers and sellers need to make informed decisions on state realty commission websites. Only 11 such websites earned a "good" rating from the CFA, and not a single site was considered "excellent." Those in 39 states and the District of Columbia were rated either "fair" or "poor."

"The inadequate consumer information provided by most real estate commissions largely reflects the fact that they were created and are dominated by the industry," Brobeck said at the time. "They clearly don't recognize their responsibility to consumers at all. They need to take consumers more seriously."

There are "haunted houses" -- you know, the ones that pop up this time of year where you pay to have the bejesus frightened out of you. And then there are "real" haunted houses -- the ones where ghastly spooks supposedly live on, long after they should have transferred into the afterlife.

If you enjoy the former, then you might have a hankering to live in the latter. According to the latest spirited survey from Clever Real Estate, a service that matches consumers with realty agents, most people don't set out to buy a haunted house -- but they also don't give a twitch if they happen to buy one.

Indeed, Clever's annual Halloween poll found that in the current seller's market -- where some houses are snapped up in a matter of hours, for far more than the asking price -- almost 75% said they'd be open to buying a place they'd have to share with ghosts, goblins and what-have-you. Somewhat more frightening, 13% of the 1,000 respondents would prefer to live in a haunted house, and 27% of those brave hearts would pay above market value to do so.

If that's you, consider the house in Burrillville, Rhode Island, that inspired the 2013 horror film "The Conjuring." The three-bedroom farmhouse on eight acres, which hit the market last month for $1.2 million, is one of the most famous haunted homes in the country.

The current owners, Jennifer and Cory Heinzen, who snapped up the home a couple of years ago for a mere $439,000, are said to have encountered numerous spirits while living there. After moving in, the self-described paranormal investigators spent their first four months in a single downstairs room so the spirits could get used to their presence. However, they say they still received a ghostly welcome from a dark figure that peeked at them from the room's doorway.

Purported to be haunted by the presence of Bathsheba Sherman, who resided there in the 1800s, the place is the subject of numerous books, movies and stories. But none is more chilling than that of the Perron family, who lived in the farmhouse in the 1970s. The family of seven noticed ghostly goings-on such as beds shaking and a broom moving by itself. The family brought in paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in 1973, who reportedly witnessed the terrifying events that inspired the film.

Although "The Conjuring" was not actually filmed at the house, living there could be a great conversation starter. Ghosts or not, beware of real-life visitors: The previous owners reportedly complained that fans of the movie would show up at all hours.

But that's not the only paranormal property on the market. London-based company lovePROPERTY lists several, including Earlshall Castle in Scotland.

Sir William Bruce, a descendant of 14th-century Scottish king Robert the Bruce, began to build Earlshall in 1546. Set on 34 acres, the castle is reportedly haunted by Sir Andrew, a brutal soldier nicknamed "the Bloody Bruce." A phantom figure is frequently seen in the bedroom that Andrew used, and heavy footsteps are heard on the staircase.

The asking price is not widely available, but the place last sold in 2016 for $6.7 million.

Closer to home -- and, at $899,000, not nearly as expensive -- the Priestley House in Canton, Mississippi, also has a spooky past. The four-bedroom manse was built by Dr. James Priestley in 1852. But the doctor and his wife, Susan, both died in the house in the early 1900s, and ever since, it's been allegedly been haunted.

The most recent owners insist they saw the ghost of Susan in the bedroom where she died, and neighbors are said to have seen her figure standing at the window. A piano has been heard playing on its own, too.

According to the study by Clever, most people aren't turned off by places like these -- and there seems to be no shortage of them. Nearly half of respondents said they'd already lived in a haunted house, and a large majority of those said they were aware of the otherworldly occupants prior to moving in. What made them believe their houses were haunted? Most heard strange noises, felt they were being touched or sensed they were being watched. Others saw strange shadows, objects that levitated or moved on their own, or other aberrations.

Here's the big question, though: Did these houses' sellers disclose the presence of wraiths? Only about half said "yes," even though the law in many locales requires sellers and their agents to do so.

If the respondents were the ones selling, on the other hand, nearly two-thirds said they would avoid disclosing a haunting -- including 10% who wouldn't do so even if required by law.

Thankfully, a third would warn would-be buyers, regardless of what the law demands.

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."