HomeVestors Cautions Sellers About “We Buy Houses” Imitators

The Original “We Buy Ugly Houses” Company Warns Against Scammers
That Take Advantage of Good Consumer Faith

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#buyhouses—HomeVestors,
the original “We
Buy Ugly Houses®” company with 20 years of national recognition and
success, is cautioning sellers about imitators that have been recently
targeting house sellers with “We Buy Houses” scams.

As the largest professional house-buying franchise in the country,
HomeVestors has more than 1,000 corporate-trained franchises who have
bought nearly 100,000 houses since 1996 while abiding by the company’s
business standards and practices. HomeVestors franchises purchase “ugly”
houses in their local market that are generally rehabbed, then sold or
held as investment properties. Various self-proclaimed “We Buy Houses”
investors boast that they too buy houses, but have in fact been taking
advantage of the good faith consumers depend on when reaching out to
respected national companies like HomeVestors.

“HomeVestors and our franchisees are the only entities legally allowed
to call ourselves the ‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ people,” said David Hicks,
HomeVestors® chief executive officer. “Do not confuse a ‘We Buy Houses’
advertisement or offer with a ‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ one. Our franchises
are committed to their local communities – they live and buy on Main
Street, purchasing houses locally to help raise real estate values and
drive community revitalization. It is their conscientiousness in
business and their local community that has built our brand and our
credibility. Imitators cannot boast or prove our record of success.”

HomeVestors has a long history of condemning illegal behavior in the
professional real estate investor industry, and incorporates information
on ethical consumer relations as part of UG University’s week-long
initial training. All new franchises are required to attend this
training before operating in the field. The company is also vigilant in
investigating and rooting out anything that could risk the independently
owned and operated businesses of its franchises. Based on how
HomeVestors operates, Hicks had one specific warning for sellers that
may be targeted by “We Buy Houses” scammers.

“HomeVestors franchises will not ask for money at any point in the
transaction,” advised Hicks. “We make our profit by renovating your
house after we buy it and either re-selling it or offering it for rent.
We won’t ask you for money because you’re the one who gets paid
with HomeVestors. Our role is to provide homeowners with a service that
pays cash fast, but these scammers prey upon their ‘ugly’ situation and
actually ask the seller for money.”

As a national brand, HomeVestors takes very seriously the decisions made
by the sellers it works with since they are often dealing with parties
wanting to profit from their ugly situation. When purchasing houses,
franchises are required to be in compliance with all laws, while the
professionals at their title companies, as well as their closing
attorneys, all possess state licenses requiring their legal compliance.

Additionally, every marketing product HomeVestors produces – whether it
be direct mail, billboard, commercial, or digital advertisement – will
bear the HomeVestors® or We Buy Ugly Houses® trademarks along with a
phone number or website where individuals can contact the company.
HomeVestors encourages consumers with any questions regarding the
legitimacy of their contact with a real estate investor to contact them
via www.webuyuglyhouses.com
or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/webuyuglyhouses.

About HomeVestors of America, Inc.

Dallas-based
HomeVestors of America, Inc. is the largest professional house
buying franchise in the U.S. with more than 95,000 houses bought since
1996. HomeVestors
recruits, trains and supports its more than 1,000 independently owned
and operated HomeVestors®
franchisees that specialize in building businesses based on buying,
rehabbing, selling, and holding residential properties. Most commonly
known as the “We
Buy Ugly Houses^®” company, HomeVestors
strives to make a positive impact in each of its 168 markets. The
company ranked on the 2018 Inc. 5000, has appeared for 12 consecutive
years on the prestigious Franchise Business Review’s “Top Franchises,”
and for six years on the annual Dallas 100. HomeVestors
was also recognized in 2018 as the third fastest-growing franchise in
America on the Franchise Times Top 200, as the 20th fastest-growing
franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine, and in 2019 ranked 30th on
Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500. For more information, visit www.HomeVestors.com.

Contacts

Ariel Herr
aherr@calisepartners.com
469-235-2708