Do You Have The Ugliest House This Year?

If so, it may be worth more than you know! By Joanne Graupner   Breaking News: You may now enter assigned properties into the the Ugliest House of the Year contest! At the Mid-Year Sales Summit in early June we announced the return of the Ugliest House of the Year contest and asked you to start taking high-resolution photos and videos of your ugly houses. For those of you who weren't in attendance at the MYSS (and for those who were in attendance, but got so excited that they forgot all the details), here again are the details: All franchisees – even those who do not rehab – can enter by submitting photos and videos. From all entries received, the HVA Leadership Team will select 10 finalists. BizCom Associates, HVA's public relations group, will issue national and local-market press releases in mid-October. The finalists will be posted online for voting. The 2008 Ugliest House of the Year selection and the winning franchisee will be announced at the 2008 Annual Convention in Las Vegas. Photos. A description of the house will be distributed to national and local news media. Second- and third-place winners will also be recognized at the convention. If you have rehabbed the winning house, we invite "after" photos as well, although this is not a requirement for entry. If provided, "after" photos will be an extra bonus in the press release and in local media pitching, allowing the winner to showcase the home's transformation. So what is a really ugly house worth to you? First Prize: $10,000 advertising credit to be used in Q1, 2009. Second Prize: $5,000 advertising credit to be used in Q1, 2009. Third Prize: $2,500 advertising credit to be used in Q1, 2009 Entry Details and Rules are available under “What’s New” on the HVA home page. Look at your 2008 inventory. If you haven't already purchased a house that qualifies as a truly, stunningly, unequivocally ugly, start looking for that house now! . . . Joanne Graupner is a Regional Marketing Manager for HomeVestors. She can be reached at Joanne.Graupner@homevestors.com.