John and Corinne Tesh like to say they are beautifying their Jacksonville, Florida, community one family at a time. As HomeVestors® of America franchisees, the “We Buy Ugly Houses®” people, the Teshes are part of a network of franchises that makes up the largest and longest-running cash homebuyer in the country. By Patty Horansky
John and Corinne Tesh like to say they are beautifying their Jacksonville, Florida, community one family at a time.
As HomeVestors® of America franchisees, the “We Buy Ugly Houses®” people, the Teshes are part of a network of franchises that makes up the largest and longest-running cash homebuyer in the country. Founded in 1996, HomeVestors boasts more than 1,100 franchises nationwide, with more than 140,000 “ugly” houses purchased quickly and for cash.
The Teshes, who came on board in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2014 and moved to Florida in 2017, have purchased and rehabilitated, rented or sold more than 300 houses.
Before joining HomeVestors, Corinne worked in the corporate world for more than 20 years and has an interior design background, and John was a longtime commercial photographer. While the couple previously had tried flipping houses, they had no brand recognition, backend support or credibility with sellers, John said.
When Corinne heard about HomeVestors, she convinced a reluctant John to attend a promotional event with her. “It totally changed our lives,” he said.
After meeting the corporate team, reviewing the numbers and talking with franchisees, the Teshes signed on. They trained for five days at the brand’s Dallas headquarters and attended a national HomeVestors convention early on.
Kevin Culkin, a HomeVestors development agent, guided the Teshes through the process of signing, learning the system and leaning on each other’s strengths. Corinne has a knack for numbers and an eye for detail, while John is gifted in sales.
“The other main thing that helped us instantly was the brand,” said John, noting that HomeVestors is perhaps best known for its iconic billboards.
The Teshes answer calls daily from homeowners who want to sell quickly for a variety of reasons, such as divorce or inheritance.
HomeVestors provides access to lenders that provide up to 100% financing, and franchisees help one another, from pooling advertising dollars to sharing ideas and homes for sale. Using proprietary valuation tools, they are able to make accurate offers on the spot.
“We say that we go into neighborhoods, buy the ugliest house and make it the prettiest house,” Corinne said.
Patty Horansky