by Byard Duncan, Anjeanette Damon and Sarah Smith, ProPublica
This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
On billboards, postcards and signs nailed to telephone poles, a familiar proposition appears: Businesses will buy properties no matter how much work they might need.
Selling to these buyers can sometimes be a good option for a homeowner. But some experts have referred to certain aggressive uses of this sales practice, which frequently involves senior citizens, as “equity theft.”
If you’ve had experience with a company or buyer promising fast cash for homes, our reporting team wants to hear about it. We’re particularly interested in accounts from people who have sold — or almost sold — their properties; people who have worked for, or been affiliated with, a house-flipping company; and advocates who have represented upset sellers. (We’re less interested in stories about incessant mailers and phone calls.) If you have something to share, please do so using the form below.
Photo Credit: Scott Graham/Unsplash
