Investor Profile

Stockbroker to Real Estate

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The Key to Success is Mentorship Carl Bassett is a very proud “military brat” who has moved more times than he can remember. His father is a Vietnam veteran, and his grandfather was Brigadier General Roundy, who was the Commanding General of Fort Rucker, Alabama during the Vietnam war. While attending Westminster College, a private school in Salt Lake City, Utah, Carl Bassett began working as a stockbroker for Fidelity Investments in 1999 and completed his degree at the University of Phoenix, compliments of Fidelity. Successful as a stockbroker, Bassett decided to try his hand in the food industry and bought a Blimpie’s fast-food franchise two weeks prior to September 11, 2001. In 2003, he moved to Las Vegas to begin his ultimate adventure in real estate. The Beginning Carl Bassett was a real estate appraiser for ten years before transitioning to full-time real estate investing after regulations such as the Dodd-Frank Act came into play. He went to work as a consultant for Invitation Homes for a brief period until he bought his first HomeVestors franchise in Las Vegas in May of 2012 and became an independent business owner. In 2012, his new company, Black Rock Real Estate LLC, bought 67 houses and he was honored as “Rookie of the Year” by HomeVestors. Bassett attributes his success to following and trusting the HomeVestors systems and methods and to his Development Agent Mark McKeller and a trusted mentor, John Holman. In the next 10 years, mentorship will continue to be an invaluable part of his real estate successes. A New Business Model for Black Rock In 2021, Bassett began laying the groundwork for a new business model – buying houses near military bases and working with the military housing departments to rent his houses out to soldiers stationed at the base. The advantages to this model are many – most military bases are experiencing housing shortages, there is a built-in database of prospective renters, and late rent payments and maintenance issues are almost non-existent. As of December 2021, Bassett has bought 55 homes close to Fort Sill, Oklahoma and all were basically rented from day one. Obviously, Bassett is looking at expanding this model. The Present Day Black Rock Real Estate LLC is one of the top home flipping companies in the Las Vegas market. They have a staff of five full time employees and employ construction crews to repair and rehab the properties. Regarding his construction crews, Bassett says, “In terms of real estate investing, construction is #1 and property management is #2.” Their business approach focuses on long term relationships, and they are willing to walk away from a deal if it is not in the best interests of the parties involved. Bassett and his employees are passionate about first solving the sellers’ needs. “Real estate is about the person and not about the house; the house is secondary,” said Bassett. Bassett currently owns four franchises: Las Vegas, Kansas City (Missouri), Orlando, and a suburb just outside of Las Vegas. In 2021, he was recognized as “Franchise of the Year” having bought 157 homes that year alone. He also has the distinction of being the only HomeVestors independent business owner who has increased his volume year-over-year for ten straight years. Bassett’s key to success: Finding the right mentor. And of course, his wife Kalyn and their four children. Homevestors What exactly does it mean to be aHomeVestors® business owner? Owning a real estate business is life changing and naturally comes with risks! When you become a HomeVestors business owner, you get immediate access to motivated seller leads, financing resources for qualifying purchases and repairs, one-on-one coaching with your local Development Agent, proprietary software for analyzing properties and deals, and access to a nationwide network of coaches and peers. Your house-buying business is yours and you run it as your own venture with a focus toward your individual business goals. If you are interested in a franchise, call 855-454-4578. Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.

Business Is Not a Hobby

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Focusing On the Five Pillars of Success – Every Day Already a successful and seasoned businessman at the ripe young age of thirty-four in Tucson, Arizona, Larry Gibbons felt the need to be professionally tested. Armed with real world upper management experience, an undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and an MBA from the University of Phoenix, Gibbons set out looking for his next big challenge and test. He found it, and after a few hiccups, passed with flying colors! The Prelude For fifteen years, Larry Gibbons worked for a large subcontracting company in Arizona working with production homebuilders, custom homebuilders, and remodeling companies. After working his way to upper management, Gibbons came to the realization that he wanted to be his own boss. He knew that he would not be staying with the company and sought the advice of a trusted advisor and sage – his father. Gibbons’ father gave him one piece of advice that would forever change both his professional and personal life – consider buying a franchise. His father encouraged him to buy a franchise of some sort because as a franchisee, the company would provide coaching, advertising, and marketing assistance. Most importantly, franchises come with built-in brand recognition which can be leveraged for success, which is what really grabbed Gibbons’ attention. So, Gibbons took his father’s advice and began researching various franchise opportunities. Through professional contacts he had made during his career, he was introduced to HomeVestors. He was also intrigued by the HomeVestors billboards featuring “UG,” the HomeVestors caveman mascot. In 2016, he bought his franchise and became a HomeVestors independent business owner, LSG Investments LLC, in southern Arizona. The Beginnings According to Larry Gibbons, “I entered the business with zero preconceived notions about real estate. I did not know anything about the real estate business, but I trusted the HomeVestors systems and methods that I was trained on.” Following the coaching and training he received from HomeVestors and his Development Agent (DA) Fred Hubbard, he set his sights on Tucson, Arizona – “a hot, solid, and thriving place to do real estate.” Gibbons picked five “business pillars” to focus on: Leads/Referrals, Financing, Supply Chain, Construction, and Sales/Rental Management. “Business is not a hobby,” said Gibbons. “Business is a tough job and I hustle and work on all five pillars every day, with most days starting at six o’clock in the morning. You do not become successful watching television.” The Present Day Gibbons attributes his success to his dedicated team of professionals. “I incentivize my team to succeed, and I have tremendous respect for each of them,” Gibbons said. “We laugh, smile, and have a lot of fun together.” Focusing on Fix-and-Flip and Buy-and-Hold, his HomeVestors franchise in 2021 was ranked #20 overall in the country based on performance metrics for sales and purchase closings and ranked #2 in “minor” markets. “As a devout Christian, I really feel that God has put me in this position for a reason. My team and I assist homeowners on a daily basis – we put help before house – looking for solutions using our residential real estate expertise.” Gibbons and his wife, Melissa, “the love of his life,” met in Belize while on a scuba diving adventure. They married in 2014 and have two boys. As an avid scuba diver, Gibbons used to own a scuba diving store in Tucson, which proves one thing – “if you can sell scuba equipment in a desert, you can do anything with some hard work.” Homevestors What exactly does it mean to be aHomeVestors® business owner? Owning a real estate business is life changing and naturally comes with risks! When you become a HomeVestors business owner, you get immediate access to motivated seller leads, financing resources for qualifying purchases and repairs, one-on-one coaching with your local Development Agent, proprietary software for analyzing properties and deals, and access to a nationwide network of coaches and peers. Your house-buying business is yours and you run it as your own venture with a focus toward your individual business goals. If you are interested in a franchise, call 855-454-4578. Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.

Investor Profile

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**Publisher Note** Scott Sekulow passed away on Thursday, August 12, 2021, just one month after granting this interview. Scott had been hospitalized several days with COVID. John Holman, his Development Agent, said, “Scott was one of the really good guys. He was a leader in the council, always generous and willing to help other people. He will be missed!” From all of us at REI INK, Rest in Peace. “The Flipping Rabbi” Scott Sekulow, aka “The Flipping Rabbi” (a moniker bestowed by Emmanuel Lewis, the star of the 80’s sitcom Webster), bought his first HomeVestors® franchise in 2018 in Atlanta, GA. After only three and one-half years, his company, JNS Real Estate Investments, Inc. has become the Number One franchise in Atlanta. He bought his second franchise two months ago in Augusta, GA. He is also the founder and Rabbi of Congregation Beth Adonai in Atlanta which he formed in 2002. Having grown up in retail, he was a partner in his first business at the age of twelve; a pretzel booth at the Atlanta Flea Market. By age 18, he was a licensed real estate agent, only to give it up a few years later to pursue other interests. Feeling the call of the ministry, Scott went back to school in 1993 and received a BS in Biblical Education. Since then, he has ministered in the USA, Israel, the former Soviet Union, South America, and India. As a hobby, he got into flipping houses after rehabbing a rental property for his mother-in-law. He bought one of his houses from a local HomeVestors franchisee who convinced him to get involved with HomeVestors. Scott looked at HomeVestors as a great way to help people. “I don’t buy houses, I solve problems,” Scott explained. One such example concerns a decorated Vietnam Veteran who served eleven years in the military. After losing an eye and not getting much assistance from the VA, the veteran needed help and just a “little” money from his house so he could move in with a friend. Scott was not only able to get $10,000 more than expected from the sale of his house, but the Ministry also paid for the veteran’s moving expenses. Multiple Exit Strategies Scott has also taken a different approach as a HomeVestors independent business owner. One of the factors that initially attracted Scott to HomeVestors was that they offer multiple exit strategies for properties, be it wholesaling, fix and flip or buy and hold. So, as the market changes you can change your focus, as well. From the beginning, Scott’s focus has been on working with and selling to hedge funds, and in most cases not even rehabbing the property, just selling directly to them. While the Atlanta franchise focuses strictly on wholesaling, the Augusta franchise, SNJ Real Estate Solutions Inc., concentrates on both wholesaling and buy and hold. When a rehab is necessary, enter Judy Sekulow. The couple met while both attending Mercer University in Atlanta. Scott graduated with a BA in Management and Judy with a BA in Marketing. They married in 1989 and are the proud parents of a daughter, Natalie, born in 2001. According to Scott, “Judy has the decorating eye.” Today, the Sekulow team buys 70 houses per year consisting of wholesale deals and “cosmetic” fix and flips. They also recently began adding properties to their personal real estate portfolio. Even during the COVID lockdown, their businesses grew while other companies experienced a loss or shut down altogether. Scott attributes this to the fact that there is no competition among HomeVestors independent business owners. “We all work together, give advice to each other, and help each other. HomeVestors corporate has built a strong bond within the organization.” He also attributes it to the fact that real estate is a relationship business and not merely staring at your computer screen and being an “instant buyer.” HomeVestors What exactly does it mean to be a HomeVestors business owner? Owning a real estate business is life changing and naturally comes with risks! When you become a HomeVestors business owner, you get immediate access to motivated seller leads, financing resources for qualifying purchases and repairs, one-on-one coaching with your local Development Agent, proprietary software for analyzing properties and deals, and access to a nationwide network of coaches and peers. Your house-buying business is yours and you run it as your own venture with a focus toward your individual business goals. If you are interested in a franchise, contact April Nealey at april.nealey@homevestors.com Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.

Walt and Gina York

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A Whirlwind of Events Leading to Success For North Carolinians Walt and Gina York, to say that 2015 was a whirlwind of life-changing events, would be an understatement! Walt and Gina, knowing they were going to get married, established GW Property Solutions, LLC in March of 2015 with the intention of flipping houses and holding rental properties. They married in September 2015, bought a HomeVestors® (HVA) franchise in October 2015, started their HVA training in November 2015, and started their advertising in January of 2016. Prior to HomeVestors, Gina worked in the insurance industry and home-schooled her two children, and Walt was an independent marketing consultant. The couple purchased their first rehab from friends who happened to be HomeVestors franchise owners. Seeing their friend’s success convinced Walt and Gina to look at the HVA opportunity. The couple wanted to be independent business owners instead of working traditional corporate jobs. From day one with HomeVestors, Walt and Gina decided to forget everything they thought they knew about the real estate business and follow the trusted HomeVestors system and their faith in God. As strong Christians, the GW Property Solutions foundation is firmly rooted in their Christian-based core value system. The Growth of a Team In Walt’s words, they also knew that “it takes a village to build a successful business, and HVA is the best village there is.” They also humbly attribute their success to a great internal team. Walt and Gina look at their first full year (2016) as HomeVestors independent business owners as a “learning” year. In July of that year, they hired Kyle Maloney, who initially started with the company as a painter, as a buyer. They bought 9 houses. At the start of their second year, they hired Mary Parrish as a coordinator, allowing Gina to focus on sales and Walt on lending. They also brought on Lawdy Oaster and David Kennedy as a part of their rehab and renovation team. The year ended with 38 houses being bought and sold. In their third year, Walt and Gina won the “Most Improved Franchise” award. Due to continued growth, they added Sherri Grant as a coordinator and elevated Mary to the position of business manager. That dynamic team ended their third year with 56 purchases and the success continues today. Another key component to their success was their HVA Development Agent, Jim Williams, and other franchisees who shared their knowledge and experiences. As pointed out, “We were buying into a family and not a franchise.” The Future Is Bright After just a few years, Walt became the Development Agent (DA) for the Greensboro, NC area. The DA program provides the necessary field support for both the new business owners as well as the seasoned ones. He is also the chairman for the FAC Technology Committee which works with the HomeVestors IT department to improve technology. The GW Property Solutions team is excited about the future. The real estate industry is in a “ultra-hyper” seller market allowing the team to sell homes for a lot more money. They also see adding more rentals to their ever-growing portfolio, envision more success, and most importantly, they see more joy in the days and years ahead. As they continue to grow and balance their portfolio between rentals and “buy-rehab-sell” properties, their advice to new HomeVestors franchisees is simple: commit to the business, commit to the system, and trust the HVA advertising programs. HomeVestors What exactly does it mean to be a HomeVestors business owner? Owning a real estate business is life changing and naturally comes with risks! When you become a HomeVestors business owner, you get immediate access to motivated seller leads, financing resources, one-on-one coaching with your local Development Agent, proprietary software for analyzing properties and deals, and access to a nationwide network of coaches and peers. Your house-buying business is yours and you run it as your own venture. If you are interested in a franchise, contact April Nealey at april.nealey@homevestors.com Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.

The Evans Brothers and Team

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How Cody and Chris Evans Turned a Small Idea into a Huge Reality In 2002, Cody and Chris Evans had an idea: “Let’s buy homes, remodel them, and sell them.” So, that is exactly what they did. Little did they know that their “part-time” idea would develop into an extremely successful real estate investment business. During the day, Chris was a real estate agent and Cody owned a construction company. This seemed like the perfect pairing of skills as they began their “after-hours” operation in LA County, and they very quickly recognized the financial potential in flipping houses. “Then the leads fizzled out,” said Cody. While trying to figure out how to solve the leads dilemma, Cody saw a HomeVestors (HVA) billboard which sparked his curiosity. “We had been running a real estate brokerage, an appraisal company, and a construction business together and buying, repairing, and selling houses on the side for years, but around 2011-2012, the leads started drying up. We were not sure how HomeVestors would be able to find the leads we could not. We were working in the same industry, so if we were struggling, why weren’t they?” A couple of months later, after doing his due diligence and overcoming a bit of skepticism, Cody and his partners bought a HomeVestors® franchise in Los Angeles, and Patriot Holdings was formed. Shortly thereafter, they got their first deal in Pasadena which turned out to be a “win-win” for everybody involved, according to Chris. The Growth of a Team The Patriot Holdings partnership team expanded to the four Evans brothers, the sons of a professional drummer—Cody, Chris, Corey, and Casey; and Scott Mansfield and Britton Briscoe. They decided to go full steam ahead and own six HomeVestors franchises; three in California, two in Florida, and one in Texas. Scott handles Texas and assists across the board with valuations, and Britton handles Florida. Initially, just like other “newbie” HomeVestors independent business owners, they thought they knew more than their mentors and did not exactly follow the HVA model. Looking back, both Chris and Cody admit that they should have trusted the system from day one. After trusting the system, they purchased nearly 100 homes in one year. Today, Cody, Chris, and Britton are a Development Agent (DA) team covering California, Oregon, Seattle, and Florida. They are the second largest DA organization within HomeVestors. The DA program provides the necessary field support for both the new business owners as well as the seasoned ones. The Future is Bright The Patriot Holdings team is excited about the future. The first quarter of 2021 was their best yet, and they see the balance of 2021 being just as strong. Cody speaks for the entire team when he explains, “If you treat sellers the right way there will always be tremendous opportunities. The fact of the matter is that there are people in need of our services, and they will sell to someone they trust. What it comes down to is that it is about us and that seller—not about the house. HomeVestors teaches you to look at what a seller’s needs are, and then figure out how you can meet them. We love having that piece be a part of the work that we do every day—going to sleep knowing that we’ve helped someone else out of a difficult situation, but also made some money for ourselves and our families.” HomeVestors What exactly does it mean to be a HomeVestors business owner? Owning a real estate business is life changing and naturally comes with risks! When you become a HomeVestors® business owner, you get immediate access to motivated seller leads, financing resources, one-on-one coaching with your local Development Agent, proprietary software for analyzing properties and deals, and access to a nationwide network of coaches and peers. Your house-buying business is yours and you run it as your own venture. If you are interested in a franchise, contact April Nealey at april.nealey@homevestors.com Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.

Investor Profile

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Jeffrey Hotz From Musician to Real Estate Entrepreneur As the son of a real estate agent mother, Jeff Hotz always had a passion for real estate. He also had a passion for music. After graduating high school, Jeff joined the United States Marine Corps with the express goal of being a musician in the Corps. He did that and much more for six years, from 1998–2004 (as a musician in the Corps, you are first and foremost a fighting Marine). After that he took a “military” break and became a licensed real estate agent and property manager in the Washington, D.C. area before joining the United States Navy and becoming the Navy Region Southwest Brass Quintet Leader and Drum Major. He finally settled into the United States Army Reserves as a Trumpet Instrumentalist and Platoon Sergeant, positions he still holds today. While in Washington, D.C. in 2012 he saw a “We Buy Ugly Houses®” billboard and the rest is HomeVestors of America history. In 2013, he bought a HomeVestors franchise and became an independently owned and operated business owner in the Cleveland, Ohio market, forming Marcor Investments LLC. Because of military commitments, he ended up transferring his franchise to the Chicago area for a time, before ultimately securing a firm footing in Columbus, Ohio. In Jeff’s own words, he was “the right person at the right time”. The timing was perfect to immerse himself in his “real estate passion”. He always wanted to be his own boss and create something for himself and his family, specifically, long-term legacy wealth. Jeff’s wife, Kellie, is a Communications Consultant in the bio-tech industry, and together they have two boys: Brady, 12 and Bennett, 3. Similar to other successful HomeVestors independent business owners, Jeff has relied heavily on the support, structure, and time-tested proven systems of HomeVestors, including the Development Agent (DA) program. He also credits his military experiences and the knowledge gained from serving in the military. As Jeff puts it, “I do what I’m told to do.” He also credits strategic and tactical thinking, the mission accomplishment credo, and the ethics of selfless service. “Real estate is a numbers game,” added Jeff, “but people are the most important part. You need to be passionate about helping people!” Jeff equates his military “family” with his HomeVestors® “family.” “I would go to war with my HVA family,” Jeff stressed. At a mere 41 years old, 20+ years in the military, and a HomeVestors franchisee for 8 years, Jeff is on his way to building his long-term legacy wealth by also creating his own personal real estate portfolio along the way. Marcor Investments had their best year in 2020, pandemic and all. And, since 2017, Jeff has been the Development Agent for the entire state of Ohio. The DA program provides the necessary field support for both the new business owners as well as the seasoned ones. Jeff’s advice to fellow independent business owners: “Get committed…push back the noise…move forward…and focus on mission accomplishment.” Spoken like a true Marine andtrumpet player. HomeVestors What exactly does it mean to be a HomeVestors business owner? Owning a real estate business is life changing and naturally comes with risks! When you become a HomeVestors® business owner, you get immediate access to motivated seller leads, financing resources, one-on-one coaching with your local Development Agent, proprietary software for analyzing properties and deals, and access to a nationwide network of coaches and peers. Your house-buying business is yours and you run it as your own venture. If you are interested in a franchise, contact April Nealey at april.nealey@homevestors.com Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.