SARASOTA -- Gregory Weinstein thought a house he bought last month was so ugly it could win a contest.
The home at 1916 32nd St., a haven for drug addicts, was filled with roaches, trash and fleas.
"I didn't see any rats," Weinstein said. "They were probably hiding."
Weinstein is the president of Goldmine Properties LLC, a franchise of HomeVestors, a nationwide company known for its "We Buy Ugly Houses" billboards.
The company holds an annual "Ugliest House of the Year" contest to find the worst dwelling in America. Weinstein's home is among the 10 finalists.
When the contest came out, Weinstein said, "I knew I had a winner."
The roof in the back of the two-bedroom home was completely missing. The inside stank and the floor was littered with nearly everything imaginable -- including a man's athletic cup.
Weinstein said he agreed to buy the home from a single mother who inherited it but was unable to maintain it.
He sold it to Naples-based Real Property Developers LLC. The company is redeveloping the home.
Neighbors said they were happy to see the improvements. Rosemary Williams, 48, lives next door and said she could smell the stench of dead rats.
"It will be nice if they fix it up," Williams said. "One bad house on the block can make the whole neighborhood look bad."
The winners of the contest will be announced during a conference in Orlando on Dec. 5. To vote for one of the finalists, visit www.homevestors.com/ugliest_house.
