America’s number one home-buyer, HomeVestors, has purchased its 85,000^th house since it was incorporated and began franchising in 1996. The “We Buy Ugly Houses” company announced that franchisee Charles Williams, bought the milestone property in Atlanta’s Hunter Hill neighborhood. Independently owned and operated HomeVestors franchises in 152 markets across America purchase and improve approximately 8,000 houses each year. The 85,000^th house milestone comes just under a year after the company announced the purchase of its 75,000^th house in 2017.

“Entrepreneurs like Charles are driving our incredible growth, which has the added advantage of improving neighborhoods around America, like Hunter Hill, one house at a time,” said David Hicks, CEO of HomeVestors. “Charles was already a real estate investor when he started working with us nearly five years ago, but his business has grown exponentially since he tapped into the trust homeowners have in our national brand.”

Williams, an Atlanta native and U.S. Army veteran, will celebrate five years with HomeVestors this March. Prior to that, he had been an investor, a builder and an electrical contractor. After the last market downturn, Williams joined HomeVestors. In the first year, he purchased seven houses, and by 2017, he had increased the number of houses he purchased in a year to 27.

“The HomeVestors approach is a science, with proven systems that work the way I think,” said Williams. “First, they have incredible data and analytics that help me make educated purchasing decisions. Then, there’s the cooperative aspect of the Ad Councils, allowing franchisees to work together to build up each other and their market in a way that benefits everyone – the rising tide lifts all ships.”

HomeVestors began franchising in 1996, and has been in Atlanta since 1999, where the market includes 50 franchises. Williams, who grossed $2.45 million in 2017, holds some of the properties he purchases as rentals, and sells about 75 to 80 percent once he’s improved them. Most of his rentals are in the West End of southwest Atlanta, where he also has his offices. He is a member of the Executive Board and Past President of the West End Merchant’s Coalition, and serves on the Executive Board of the West End Community Improvement District.

“I really enjoy what I do, especially when it comes to the service we provide to sellers,” added Williams. “Yes, we’re interested in buying real estate, but that’s secondary to when I talk to homeowners who feel like they’re drowning in a personal situation. They may be struggling with deferred maintenance, cash flow, or an inheritance, and I can be part of the solution that helps them move on both financially and emotionally.”