Apr. 15, 2007 Edition

Finding Opportunities In Eyesores

How Cash 4 Houses is turning a city's ugly situation into perfect PR
By Lanese Querner

Prichard, AL, residents whose homes are at risk of being bulldozed in the city's "Operation Eyesore" campaign have new hope, thanks to their local "ugly house" guys.

The goal of Prichard's "Operation Eyesore" is to improve the city's aesthetics. While many citizens are on board with the idea, others face a serious threat. Owners of the dilapidated homes targeted by the city who are unable to afford the necessary repairs could see their properties leveled.

But thanks to HVA franchisee Steve Brown of Cash 4 Houses, many of these homes will be saved. In partnership with the City of Prichard and Mayor Ron Davis, Brown has pledged to make an offer to buy and rehab several of the houses facing demolition.

"This program gives us a chance to help people out of an ugly real estate situation," explains Brown, an HVA franchisee since 2004. "We handle the costs and labor needed for repairs, and we put beautiful homes back on the market to breathe new life into the community."

Joining Mayor Davis during the official announcement at a press conference on March 23, Brown has received a wave of community support, including a full story in the Mobile Press-Register, a television news segment on the local CBS affiliate, and an appearance on the city's television program.

Brown opened Cash 4 Houses in Mobile, AL, with his wife, Mecca, and parents Ron and Marie Brown. Prior to that, the Browns ran a real estate business in Jackson, MO. Later, Steve Brown explored franchising and discovered HVA on the Internet.

"The HomeVestors training really opened our eyes to how much we could grow," says Brown. "We now see that the number of houses we sell in a year is only limited by how many times we implement the HVA system."

The low cost of living has made the Mobile-Prichard area a good market for Cash 4 Houses, and has even become a popular market for out-of-state investors seeking rental properties. Selling to investors brings in a steady stream of business and cash flow security, allowing Cash 4 Houses to participate in other projects, such as "Operation Eyesore," that give back to the community. Their growing rehabbing business also allows them to make more houses available to first-time home buyers.

Brown says staffing has played a large role in their success. Before entering the real estate business, Brown worked in the restaurant industry. There, he learned the importance of staffing as it relates to growth.

Early on, Cash 4 Houses staffed their business based on where they wanted to be, not where they were. And Brown thinks it worked. With commission-based employees who are driven to produce, Brown said meeting his company's goal to buy120 houses this year shouldn't be a problem.

"Don't try to do it all yourself," Brown says. "Hire the necessary staff to allow your business to grow."

For Cash 4 Houses, every challenge is a new opportunity. "In real estate, we are problem solvers. We are able to capitalize on our problem-solving abilities and turn a profit," explains Brown.

With their new partnership in the "Operation Eyesore" project, they hope to turn homeowners' problems into new beginnings.

Franchise Development Gains Momentum

26 new franchisees join Team HVA -- and we're looking for more!
By Jason Killough

Since the last Franchise Development update in The Vestors VoiceŽ, HomeVestors has welcomed the following new franchisees into our system: Kyle Hamilton in Minneapolis, MN; Raheel Virani in Atlanta, GA; Alan Fishbone and Jeff Jonas in Northern NJ and Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Bronx Counties, NY; Ozzie Medina in Leesburg, FL; Rick Guerrero, Jimmy Levy, David Tuaty and Mauricio Duarte in West Palm, FL; Rodney Randle and Reggie Harden in Houston, TX; Bambi Gorman in Atlanta, GA; Angela Davis in West Palm, FL; Les and Darlene Spires in Chicago, IL; Tim Pisinksi and Pat Bender in Albany, NY; Bob and Jim Dulin in Michigan City, IN; John Jones in Hartford, CT; Daniel Orosa in Miami, FL; Joe Peri in Orlando, FL; Steve Tlapek in St. Louis, MO; Troy and Patti Robertson in Norfolk, VA; and Tom Parsons in Las Vegas, NV.

Florida franchisee Don Cameron has also purchased a second office that will serve Martin and St. Lucie counties, FL.

HVA is also pleased to announce that the following franchises have renewed their agreements: Sheri Torres and Scott Friedman, Resource Properties, Atlanta, GA; Mark and Kay Coon, Home Buyers of River City, Jacksonville, FL; and Roy Baker, Paul Parker, Anthony Isaac, Rolf Rufhus, Don Marvin and John Morse, HomePro Denver, Denver, CO.

In other exciting news, HomeVestors is now ready to begin recruiting franchisees in both New Hampshire and Rhode Island! Development in those states will complement existing development in Massachusetts.

On The Road
President and CEO Dr. John Hayes will join members of the Development team in conducting HomeVestors Franchise Seminars in the following markets from April through July:

April 20-21 -- Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL

May 10 -- Memphis, TN

May 18-19 -- Newark, NJ

June 1-2 -- Long Island, NY

June 11 -- Boston, MA

July 18-19 -- Atlantic City, NJ

Do you know anyone in these markets whom you can refer to our franchise?
As a reminder, through June 30, 2007, HVA will pay $10,000 cash to every franchisee that refers a new franchisee. The franchisee can also opt for $10,000 in ad credits.

Franchise Development has already paid a total of $40,000 (four $10,000 checks) to franchisees for referring new franchisees during the first quarter of 2007. Thank you for all your referrals!

In order for a referral to be qualified, the prospect must have heard about the HVA franchise opportunity from the referring franchisee. If a lead's name and contact information already exists in HVA's sales database, the lead does not qualify for this program. This special promotion does not apply to transfers. Franchise Development will continue to offer $2,500 in advertising credit for each transfer referred.

. . . If you would like to refer a prospect to HVA, please contact Sherry Wallace at 972.761.0046, ext. 144.

Talk Is Actually Expensive

Protect yourself from people whose talk will cost you money
By John P. Hayes, Ph.D.

John P. Hayes, Ph.D.

The old saying goes, "Talk is cheap," but I've discovered the opposite. Talk is actually expensive!

If the "talk" you're hearing delivers the wrong message, or if it's a distraction, that kind of "talk" is likely to be costly.

All the personal development gurus have been telling us for years that self-talk is critically valuable to our success. Since most of the self-talk that people hear is negative, i.e., "I can't do that," "THAT won't work," "I don't have good luck," "Things don't usually work out for me," etc., it's clear that this kind of talk is indeed expensive. It retards growth and keeps us from the very success that we want.

Here's another example of expensive "talk," and almost every franchisee can relate to it. A franchisee who had only recently joined our system called me to say that he needed to sell his franchise. Since he'd just graduated from our Success System Training several weeks earlier, I asked him why. He said, "Because everyone I talk to tells me it's not going to work. I'm not buying any houses and I'm losing money."

I asked, "Who are you talking to?" He gave me the names of a couple of franchisees. I didn't recognize the names, so I asked the franchisee to hold on for a moment while I checked the franchisee standings to see where these names showed up on our Best Customer and Top Closer lists. Interestingly, the franchisees he named were in the bottom 15% of our network!

I said to him, "Do you realize you are talking to franchisees who are at the bottom of our system?" He said no. I'm the first to say that franchisees should talk to other franchisees. That's one of the great advantages of a franchise network. You can sometimes learn more from a colleague than from a member of the corporate team. But why talk to people who are at the bottom of the network?

The franchisee said he appreciated my point, but it was too late. He was already convinced that he could not succeed as a franchisee. The initial talk he had with the unsuccessful franchisees ended up costing him money . . . and no doubt some misery.

When it comes to talk, we've all got to protect ourselves. It's fine to ask for information, but doesn't it make sense to talk to people in the top 25% of our system rather than those who have yet to move up the chain of success? Granted, a franchisee who's just getting started may not be in our top 25% and still may be one of the best people to talk to, so a little common sense is important. But someone whose talk is negative probably isn't ever likely to reach the top 25%.

Talk that's expensive can also come from people outside of our system. There are numerous people outside of HomeVestors who want to distract our franchisees, and discourage them. It's pretty easy to figure out their motives. Once again, protect yourself. Don't talk to them!

People often say, "What can it hurt just to talk?" Obviously, plenty. If the talk you hear convinces you that you can't do it, or that your market is different, or that you need a different marketing plan, a new phone number, or whatever, it may end up costing you your business. And that kind of talk is expensive!

Looking For "Ugly" Sub-prime Situations

Your happy customers needed now!
By Monica Feid

Monica Feid

In recent weeks, stories about consumers falling victim to the sub-prime mortgage meltdown have received national media coverage. HVA corporate and even individual franchisees have been contacted by the media to offer expertise and insight on the topic.

More importantly, the media wants HomeVestors to provide testimonials from those homeowners who have been saved from possible foreclosure by a HomeVestors franchisee.

We need your stories about happy customers if we are to win positive inclusion in this national topic. Reporters and editors are specific in their interest: They want to speak with homeowners who have experienced the fallout of a sub-prime mortgage that has driven their monthly mortgage payment upward in recent months.

If you are among those with stories featuring a happy ending to a sub-prime nightmare, we need your help in getting positive media coverage for all of HVA.

Please note that your customer -- preferably a recent customer -- must be willing to share his or her story, and must sign an appropriate release.

Forward your story and contact information to Gregg Stengel, HomeVestors marketing publications manager, at 972.761.0046, ext. 189.

. . . Monica Feid of BizCom Associates handles public relations for HomeVestors franchisees. She can be reached at 972.490.0903.