An effective way to protect yourself against the coming onslaught of con men and con companies is to see proof of their promises before you decide to sign anything. Don't just settle for proof they provide but independent proof. For example, customer testimonials, Better Business Bureau confirmation, Government affiliations or licensing.

Most legitimate companies won't mind waiting until you check these. This will often make con artist and the shady business nervous or at best irritated.

I still shake my head in disbelief how many homeowners pay thousands of dollars on a verbal promise and a handshake ... nothing else. Make sure you get all promises in writing. It would shock you how many calls and emails I get from people asking for help or advice - who fail to do this.

If you don't get anything else from reading this message, get this. The housing market has quickly changed before your eyes and ears. The days of taking someones word with your home, mortgage, home repairs and improvements is gone for now, maybe forever.

Remember the first sentence. Desperate times breed desperate people. Many of the people and companies are growing more desperate for profits, income and business. This breeds a climate of over promising and under-delivering, verified by the growing number of complaints flooding consumer protection groups.

According to HUD (Federal Housing and Urban Development), mortgage fraud complaints alone is up of 125% from two years ago. Home improvement and repair complaints are up 57%. According to housing experts, these numbers could rise as the housing and economic outlook slows.