All Forum Posts by: Ashley Childers

And... Here’s some more .02 cents, because opinions are rare and few people have them lol. 

I’ve been in real estate for over 20 years (minus some time after 2008). I’ve been a real estate agent, landlord, flipper and new construction spec builder.

I own a Homevestors franchise now, and that was always my ‘end game’ plan (nope, not trying to sell a franchise, it isn’t for everyone, it was and is for me).

I agree completely with the broken nature of wholesaling, overall. In so many cases, it is done unethically by unscrupulous people trying to make a quick buck, taking advantage of everyone they can. Those are the ones who ruin the reputation of the business. 95% of wholesalers are fly by night, here today and gone tomorrow, and what ‘deals’ they try to peddle have overinflated ARVs and underestimated repair costs. But they aren’t all crooks, it can be done ethically and legally, and fill a gap in the market, helping seller’s unload houses that most any real estate agent would turn their nose up at. 

Why there is a need for ETHICAL wholesaling is a rabbit hole debate for another time. There are MANY reasons why a seller may not want to list their house on the open market. (How about COVID-19? Yep, we’re already getting those calls, they don’t want 100 people traipsing through their home).

We (Homevestors) wholesale in every state, in some form or fashion according to local laws. We’re regulated by the government and each state. They keep us legal (not saying there aren’t bad seeds here and there, they’re everywhere in every business). It isn’t my primary business model, but it makes sense for some properties that I handle. We take care of our sellers and I have a wall of thank you cards and letters of testimony from people we have helped.

It can be done. Is it hard? Lol that’s an understatement, but what is easy that is actually worthwhile? 

Do most wholesalers and investors fail or never even get off the ground? Yep.

Do most new real estate agents never get to quit their day job? Yep. There’s a reason why they say its the most fun you’ll ever have making minimum wage.

It’s true, its too easy to pass a RE agent class/test or waste your money buying a course from a ‘guru’. The only thing easier than that, is quitting.

Whether you want to be an agent, wholesaler or investor, it will take time, patience and hard work. None of it is easy, but keep learning and stick with it and it will be worthwhile. Only listen to the ones who are successful doing what you want to do, and ignore the negativity. It’s just background noise.  

Be ethical and take care of people, always. We advise every lead that calls us that they will generally get more money for their house if they just call a real estate agent. We pride ourselves on recommending what we feel like is the best path for the seller, regardless of whether that means they work with us or not. It’s the right thing to do, and we have gotten referral leads from people who we didn’t even actually help, because of this.

[Solicitation Removed by Moderators]

I am a Homevestors franchisee in the Western NC and Upstate SC market. I purchased my franchise a little over a year ago, after over 20 years of ups and downs investing in real estate on my own. Best decision I ever made, hands down. The training, support, access to financing, and leads are second to none. I watched this company grow since the late 90’s, so to say I did my homework is an understatement. Yes, you will pay royalty fees, but the upside is priceless and the fees drop considerably with time and volume. If your serious about building a real business, as safely as possible, and you want to learn, REALLY learn, they’re worth exploring further. As far as other companies.. Homevestors is the largest in the nation, for a reason. I’m happy to talk further, and I don’t make anything on this. Good luck!   

Seeking a professional with strong people skills, sales experience a plus but not required. Western NC and Upstate SC areas. Training and (negotiable) starting base salary provided, then generous commission package. This job will include traveling to the homes of our potential sellers, anywhere from a 20 minute drive up to a couple of hours, depending on where the home is. While at the home, you will work on building rapport with the homeowner, and evaluating repairs and updates that the home would need in order to be brought up to retail ready condition (we have proprietary software to help with that, so basic iPad skills are helpful). You’ll need good phone skills, be organized and be able to relate to people on a genuine level. You must truly love helping people, and be able to be sympathetic to their situations. Self motivated, hard working buyers for our company can expect to earn over $100k per year.   

I purchased a franchise 6 months ago after following the company for almost 20 years. Feel free to reach out to me also!

I have filed for and owned trademarks in the past with another business. It is not something that you just file for and ‘get’. It is an incredibly lengthy process by which your application is put through the wringer and is tested against every possibility in an attempt to disprove the validity of the proposed trademark. Only then is the trademark awarded, and only then do you realize that your work has just begun. As Patti said, “Every brand protects their trademark”. They have to. As the holder of a trademark, you are REQUIRED to defend and protect it. If you do not, it will be assumed that you no longer wish to possess it and it will be dissolved and lost. 

This is way off topic from Rosanna’s question. I agree with Ned Carey about your personality being a criteria, that’s a good point. I look at it like this: Every day hundreds, maybe thousands of people buy a book, take a course or join a RE investing group or forum. Many of these people would make very good investors, but the vast majority will never even buy the first house and if they do, unfortunately their odds of success are about as good as taking their money to the racetrack. There’s plenty of information/education out there, too much sometimes. Conflicting opinions, what works for one person is reviled by the next, who can decipher what will work for them?

Now again, this is just me (and the well over 1000 franchisees we have). I like systems and support. I’ve done it on my own, and trial and error is very very expensive. I can’t speak for the guy who fizzled out in Boston, that’s a tough market but we have some VERY strong franchises there who are thriving. Our model is actually proven to have a higher success rate for complete novice and newbie investors than for RE veterans. It seems that its easier to train a blank canvas than to teach an old dog new tricks, who would likely come with their own ideas of how things should be (yep, I fight that everyday in my head). 

Look at your goals, talk to other franchisees, it may not be a fit for you at all, but who knows? It might be.

That’s quite diverse Patti! Hope to meet you in Atlantic City!

I have experience with both sides of the coin. I began in the late 90’s when I was 19, hit some home runs and took some big losses over the years. Thought I was on top of the world, then 2007-08 hit and my world crumbled. It took me awhile to rebuild (confidence and financially), I eventually began to dabble some again but couldn’t really get traction like I wanted. I had been following homevestors since the beginnning of my first real estate endeavors, so I decided the time was right last year and I finally purchased a franchise. I am very happy, very pleased. Can you do it without a franchise? Of course, people do every day.  A lot depends on your goals, discipline, etc. For me, the support, training, financing and family atmosphere more than outweigh the costs. When the next housing recession hits, I don’t want to be facing it alone this time, I want to prosper through it. 

There will be many opinions on this, and of course I speak only for myself. I have been in real estate for many years, in several different areas. I have been up, and I have crashed and burned (2008). I have also watched homevestors very closely for many years, since 1998 in fact. I made the decision last year to purchase a franchise, and ‘opened my doors’ October 1st. To say I am happy is an understatement. You get so much more than even I ever realized, from support and training to easier access to financing and a ‘family’ of other fellow franchisees that all love to help each other. Yes, you can invest in real estate without homevestors and be successful, thousands do. But for me, it was the right choice by far.

I’m looking to hire a buyer for the Upstate SC area. We are the largest professional home buyer in the nation, we have purchased over 100,000 homes since 1996. Full training will be provided, including access to our proprietary software and systems. You must have sales experience and be entrepreneurial minded. Leads and seller appointments will be provided and set for you, no cold calling of any kind whatsoever. This is a real job opportunity, you will be buying homes for my local Homevestors franchise, no money or personal risk to yourself at all. Commissions will be paid when the houses are purchased, and again when the houses are ultimately resold. This is not a get rich quick scheme, it will take a few weeks/months to begin to develop a pipeline of high income. Expected earnings are $100,000+. Email resumes to [email protected] and we will start a conversation, hopefully leading to an interview. It is possible to begin this position part time, as long as you can be flexible about attending buy call appointments. A non-disclosure agreement will be required.