Mortgage Lending to Real Estate Investing
Focus on Honesty and Customer Service
Dean Bendall/Bendall Properties, LLC is an independently owned and operated franchise business owner with HomeVestors® of America, Inc. (HVA) in the Metro Atlanta market. He started his franchise, Bendall Properties, in 2019, but earnestly began working the HVA system in 2020. Today, he and his wife and business partner, Sandy, are purchasing over 20 houses per year in the Metro Atlanta area.
From Mortgage Lending to Investing
Working in the mortgage lending industry from 2009 to 2019, Dean always had an interest in buying homes, rehabbing them, and then selling them.
In 1996 while in another business, Dean and Sandy had bought a commercial property and decided to sell it in 2019. The money they made from that transaction gave them the money and the “choices” to leave the mortgage industry and begin investing in residential real estate.
He discovered the HomeVestors opportunity while driving through a neighborhood and seeing a HomeVestors yard sign. Realizing he now had choices, he left his position and bought his franchise in 2019.
Becoming a HVA Business Owner
“In my first year I was ‘way over-confident’ in my sales abilities,” said Dean. “I really started gaining traction when I learned to leverage the HVA system. As a result of working with my Development Agent (DA), John Holman, I had a great second year.”
In Dean’s second year, he bought and sold 15 houses and continued to grow his business year after year, buying and selling over 20 houses each year.
“I never forgot the importance of having a great coach and mentor. Today, I still rely heavily on the guidance and mentorship of my current DA, Brandon Hagins.”
One of the benefits of being a HomeVestors franchisee is being part of the Advertising Council. Dean explained the value of the Advertising Council by saying there are no competitors within the HomeVestors system and that everyone works together.
“The interactions I have with other franchisees in the Advertising Council are amazing. We help each other out and readily offer advice to each other without expecting anything in return.”
Today, Bendall Properties has a full staff and are hiring more people this year.
“Sandy manages the money, I have an office coordinator, a buyer, and may soon be hiring a project manager. My role is to focus on money-making opportunities and to steer the ship.”
The Future
“The Atlanta Metro market is huge and just full of opportunities. The housing market is very good with starter homes selling for around $300,000.” Dean and his team focus primarily on fix-and-flips, but Dean has also started working on his personal buy-and-hold portfolio.
Looking at 2025, Dean says it will be the same as 2024 unless interest rates start coming down into the 5% range. “A mentor (John Holman) once told me that the real estate business will continue to be good as long as people like living indoors.”
“There is so much to love about HomeVestors. Yes, they have a great lead generation program, but more importantly, the company centers around honesty and customer service. Buying a person’s home always comes second…our first mission is to help people out of ‘ugly’ situations, even if that means just giving advice and not buying the home. I still love doing deals around the kitchen table.”
HomeVestors
Whether you are curious about real estate investing or you have dabbled in it and want to make it a full time job, HomeVestors helps entrepreneurs from all walks of life build their own real estate business. Our franchise owners enjoy independence while also benefitting from the famous We Buy Ugly Houses® brand and our best-in-class real estate investing tools, software, and mentorship.
If you are interested in a franchise, call 866-249-6932, email Sales@homevestorsfranchise.com or visit www.homevestorsfranchise.com. Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.
