Calling all owners of ugly homes

02/23/2010

By Tierney Plumb / Washington Business Journal

A contest is underway to find the ugliest houses in D.C. Seriously.

Real estate investors in the D.C. area can nominate the ugliest houses they bought at any point between March 1, 2009 and Feb. 28, 2010.

The deadline for submissions is March 26. Voting will take place April 5 to May 14. Last year's D.C. winner was a real find: The dilapidated Cape Cod style home, built in 1948, had a fire that started in the basement and was in need of an entire interior renovation.

Dallas-based HomeVestors  of America Inc., which is holding the contest, is known for buying ugly duckling homes and rehabbing them. Many are sold on the retail market; others are maintained as rentals.

"This contest celebrates the ugly ones - the ones that may be homely now but will become the belle of the block after they�¢??ve had a makeover,�¢?? said David Hicks, co-president of HomeVestors .

Here are the rules:

1. Any investor can enter ugly houses he/she owns or has owned in the area.
2. An ugly house cannot be entered if the original occupant still lives there; the original occupant must have vacated the house.
3. The ugly house may already have been rehabbed, as long it was ugly at some point between March 1, 2009 and Feb. 28, 2010
4. Houses must have been investor-owned at the time they were ugly.