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In the following To view links in this forum your post count must be 10 or greater. Your post count is 0 momentarily. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced that the real estate license of Michelle Bailey Austin, an Indianapolis-based real estate broker, has been suspended for 90 days following an emergency hearing before the Indiana Real Estate Commissionthis week. Following an investigation, the Attorney General’s Homeowner Protection Unit petitioned and won the emergency suspension, alleging Bailey Austin has been involved in suspicious real estate transactions since 2006.
“The seriousness and pattern of questionable practices uncovered in the investigation warranted the emergency action,” Attorney General Greg Zoeller said.
The charges outlined in a petition filed on April 17 detailed four incidents of suspicious real estate activities committed by Bailey Austin. During the summary suspension hearing, the Attorney General sought the temporary suspension of Bailey Austin’s license because it was believed that she posed an immediate threat to the public if allowed to continue to practice.
In one instance noted in the attorney general’s case, Bailey Austin collected $20,000 from an Indianapolis woman to purchase two bank-owned homes. Bailey Austin held a fake closing for one of the properties, allowing the victim to believe she paid $11,900 for the home and that it was in her possession. Bailey Austin changed the locks on the property and provided the victim with a set of keys as a “closing gift.” It is alleged that following the fake closing, Bailey Austin also failed to pay the listing agent for the sale of the home.
A representative of the listing agent later inspected the property and discovered the family occupying the residence. The victim informed the representative that she had given Bailey Austin the money to pay for the home and believed it to be her property.
The listing agent was eventually able to obtain the funds from Bailey Austin for the sale of the property and completed a legitimate closing on the property with the victim. Bailey Austin did not negotiate the purchase of the second bank-owned home that she was hired to buy and returned about $9,000 to the victim.
Zoeller applauds the efforts of Deputy Attorney General Jennie Beller and Analyst Sally Miller in their investigation and charging of the case before the Commission.
About the Homeowners Protection Unit
The Homeowner Protection Unit (HPU) investigates and pursues violations of Indiana’s laws governing the activities and actions of real estate appraisers, real estate licensees and mortgage fraud. License violations are brought before the appropriate licensing board for discipline (revocation, probation, etc. as determined by the board) while allegations of deceptive acts are filed in civil court.


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