NEW investigation!
I spent a year digging into the "We Buy Ugly Houses" company.
HomeVestors of America claims to help distressed homeowners. But behind the scenes, it teaches its 1,150 franchises to zero in on homeowners' desperation.
Follow
Click to Follow ByardDuncan
Byard Duncan
@ByardDuncan
Oakland, CAJoined January 2012
Byard Duncan’s Tweets
A trend of seniors and the infirm being targeted and ripped off by HomeVestors franchisees through predatory tactics. Must read story 👇🏼
Quote Tweet
Our @propublica series on HomeVestors of America, the "We Buy Ugly Houses" company, continues today.
Read about the lives that get upended when HomeVestors' franchisees "find the pain." propublica.org/article/five-l
3
5
New: ProPublica found that HomeVestors franchises often target the homes of people in vulnerable or desperate situations. These are the stories of five people who found themselves in unwanted deals with a cash home buyer.
5
90
207
“Pain is always a form of motivation,” the training manual reads. “Once you find the Seller’s pain, you have a much better chance of buying the house.”
1
19
32
Our series on HomeVestors of America, the "We Buy Ugly Houses" company, continues today.
Read about the lives that get upended when HomeVestors' franchisees "find the pain."
5
5
NEW: How the We Buy Ugly Houses folks hurt people. Real people. Great reporting from , and of .
25
65
NEW today: Five Stories of Lives Upended After Dealing With the “We Buy Ugly Houses” Company propublica.org/article/five-l
1
46
102
A few weeks before our investigation into HomeVestors of America came out, the “We Buy Ugly Houses” company’s leadership called an online meeting for its 1,100+ franchisees.
The purpose of that meeting: Teach franchisees how to push back on our story. 🧵👇👇
7
646
1,495
Show this thread
"Our goal is to bury it," the CEO said.
It's not working.
Quote Tweet
A few weeks before our investigation into HomeVestors of America came out, the “We Buy Ugly Houses” company’s leadership called an online meeting for its 1,100+ franchisees.
The purpose of that meeting: Teach franchisees how to push back on our story. 
Show this thread
2
38
141
At , we spent a year reporting on HomeVestors of America, the "We Buy Ugly Houses" company.
A thread about what I, and turned up. 🧵👇
Quote Tweet
HomeVestors, the company behind those "We Buy Ugly Houses" billboards, has a stated goal: Help homeowners out of "Ugly Situations."
But our investigation found HomeVestors franchisees that used deception & targeted America's most vulnerable. 
Show this thread
3
36
74
3/ There are two sides of HomeVestors.
The public sees billboards, TV ads and postcards with “Ug,” a friendly caveman mascot. Sometimes he’s grinning and holding a bag of money.
read image description
ALT
2
27
173
Show this thread
2/ These tactics targeted the elderly, infirm and those so close to poverty that they feared homelessness would be a consequence of selling.
1
85
261
Show this thread
HomeVestors, the company behind those "We Buy Ugly Houses" billboards, has a stated goal: Help homeowners out of "Ugly Situations."
But our investigation found HomeVestors franchisees that used deception & targeted America's most vulnerable. 🏘️🧵👇
27
563
1,167
Show this thread
NEW: We got something you rarely see: internal investigation into police killing, w/ audio interviews of officers
They don't tell truth: A cop repeatedly told his partner not to fire.
Police investigators never ask about that, even though it was on film
43
2,153
5,501
Show this thread
The thefts never stopped. Today on , , and bring a horrifying, brilliantly reported account of the rampant, bottomless scams of #Homevestors, AKA #WeBuyUglyHouses, AKA "the #1 homebuyer in the USA":
propublica.org/article/ugly-t
10/
5
138
278
Show this thread
Home ownership is the American dream: not only do you get a place to live, free from the high-handed dictates of a landlord, but you also get an asset that appreciates, building intergenerational wealth while you sleep - literally.
1/
read image description
ALT
15
234
630
Show this thread
2
2
The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses” -- and and
2
3
HomeVestors Praised ProPublica’s Reporting, Then Tried to “Bury It” -- and
2
3
18
54
The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses”: propublica.org/article/ugly-t Comments: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=359010
1
2
The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses”- A investigation found HomeVestors franchisees that used deception and targeted the elderly, infirm and those so close to poverty that they feared homelessness would be a consequence of selling.
3
39
82
Some “We Buy Ugly Houses” franchisees used deception and targeted the elderly, infirm and those so close to poverty that they feared homelessness would be a consequence of selling. / By
2
31
68
This is the story HomeVestors really, really doesn’t want you to click on: The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses” propublica.org/article/ugly-t
1
37
82
I've been waiting for years to read this story. Every time I see a sign or advertisement for a similar operation. Maybe you have, too.
2
3
5
Show this thread
New: HomeVestors of America, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the U.S.,” trains its nearly 1,150 franchisees to zero in on homeowners’ desperation.
4
195
364
Congratulations to for this excellent investigative journalism: The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses”
4
17
“That cat piss smell, you know what that smell is?” he said with a chuckle. “That’s money.”
24
67
The training manual instructs buyers to comb neighborhoods and pounce on signs of desperation. If a family’s belongings are on the curb, for example, the directive is clear: “Quickly pursue the property where the trash pile indicates eviction.”
2
57
108
We Buy Ugly Houses says it buys homes others won't. The CEO brags about turning that “cat piss smell” to $$.
The houses are often owned by people in desperate situations who are convinced to trade their biggest investment for fast cash
We investigated:
7
142
275
If you own your home outright they can lowball you because there’s no mortgage to settle.
Please read this story from before you or your parents call one of these places.
2
41
96
After reached out to HomeVestors (the "We Buy Ugly Houses" people) for a story on the company's practices, the CEO instructed franchisees not to click on ProPublica’s story link, lest it improve the story's search ranking.
So....This link👇👇?
13
434
706
Homevesters acknowledged the depth and thoroughness of 's investigation and discussed changes to ensure “our franchises are doing the right things.” Its CEO said: "This is going to make us a better company.” Instant impact.
3
19
50
"Some homeowners fought from hospital beds to keep their properties. At least three died shortly after signing sales contracts; a fourth died after three years of worrying about money."
1
46
80
“You were always lying to them. That’s what we were trained,” said one former HomeVestors franchisee. “There was a price that you could pay, but you would always go lower and tell [sellers] that was the price you could pay.”
2
24
57
Show this thread
The CEO of a company being investigated by outlined a plan: using “strategic ad buys on social and web pages” and “SEO content to minimize visibility” of the article.
“Our goal is to bury it,” he said.
8
124
193