HomeVestors® is the #1 buyer of houses in the U.S., and the largest and most successful franchise company in the business of buying houses in need of repair.
The Dallas-based company has about 300 independently owned and operated franchisees in almost 40 states. Among the company’s most notable achievements, HomeVestors® has been named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list for six consecutive years.

Each HomeVestors® franchise is independently owned and operated. HomeVestors® franchisees benefit from:
• A comprehensive training program supplemented by training throughout the year
• Ongoing support, including a Development Agent for coaching in daily operations
• A comprehensive operating system and proprietary property evaluation system
• Access to sources for financing
• National vendor relationships providing economy-of-scale savings
• Use of the most widely recognized real estate investing brand in the country, We Buy Ugly Houses®, its registered Trademark.

HomeVestors® of America, Inc. was incorporated and began franchising in 1996. Since its formation, HomeVestors® has bought over 50,000 houses.

“Ugly” can refer to the cosmetic condition of a house on its exterior, or also to a property:
• That’s in poor shape on the interior because of the repairs required to make it ready as a rental or a home for a first time homebuyer.
• That holds memories the owner wants to move away from, such as those of a deceased spouse or parent, or following a divorce. We call these “ugly situations”
• That’s owned by someone who no longer wants the responsibility of taking care of the house
• That’s owned by someone who no longer can afford to take care of the house, perhaps due to the loss of a job or other debts
• It may actually be an older home in very good shape, but it simply needs a lot of updating. It may have appliances, carpeting and decorating that were very much “in style” when the home was purchased, but those “avocado” counter tops and kitchen sinks just will not sell in today’s market.

HomeVestors® franchisees are most interested in single-family homes, but occasionally they buy other types of properties, such as condominiums, townhouses and duplexes. They all have in common their need to be repaired.

Some HomeVestors® franchisees buy properties that are facing foreclosure, but generally these properties are less appealing because they typically are heavily encumbered with debt. The owner usually has little equity in the property.

Most of the homes that HomeVestors® franchisees buy are valued below the median home sales price in their respective markets. On a national basis, this segment has been least affected by the foreclosure crisis. There is always a demand for this price range houses for first time home buyers and investment properties. To the extent that the foreclosure crisis and the recession overall have contributed to a tightening of credit for home buying and investment, some franchisees have experienced an impact.
The recession and credit crunch are a reminder that success in residential real estate investing is less about speculation, and more about solid business fundamentals: Buy at a discount, rehab smartly, and sell at a fair price to either a first time home buyer or investor looking for a cash flowing rental property.