In Housing, Ugly Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Home flipping — buying, renovating and then selling a home for a profit — has been around for decades, but here’s my story about a new franchise in Connecticut that capitalizes on an unusual name:

The roof in the Granby house leaked so badly that there was water damage in the basement. Sliders in the living room opened onto a two-story drop where there should have been a deck. And windows were pock-marked by a BB gun.

Matt Erdmann, left, and Adam Paragone in front of a house in Granby that their franchise of We Buy Ugly Houses has purchased. The company renovates and sells the property for a profit. Photo by Kenneth R. Gosselin/kgosselin@courant.com.

Ah, now this is a dream home to Matt Erdmann and Adam Paragone.

They buy ugly houses.

Erdmann and Paragone are co-owners of the first “We Buy Ugly Houses” franchise in Connecticut, which purchases often rundown houses for cash, renovates them in five or six weeks and sells them for a profit.

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, of course, and for these partners, it isn’t all about curb appeal or even the state of repair. The partners think of ugly in the broadest of terms.

Read more of my story here.