 When this article comes out, I want to encourage you, please don't click on it." That was David Hicks, CEO of Homevestors of America, the We Buy Ugly Houses company. Recognize this billboard? Yeah, that's them. Hicks announced his plans to retire shortly after we published an investigation that found some of the company's franchises had deceived sellers and targeted people in vulnerable situations to get rock bottom prices for their homes. We're ProPublica, a non-profit newsroom, and this is some of what we uncovered. Homevestors is the self-proclaimed largest home buyer in the U.S., and it trains more than 1,100 franchisees in 48 states had a zero in on a homeowner's desperation. Homevestors' ads tend to pop up in places that have suffered hurricanes or wildfire damage, and they'll reach out to people who have recently divorced or had a death in the family. Someone from Texas, whose father had recently been murdered, told our journalists that homevestors wanted his house and wouldn't take no for an answer. She said the letters got so persistent that checking her mail became traumatizing. Speaking of which, homevestors' franchisees are taught to find the pain when interacting with homeowners. This is from an internal company document. Pain is always a form of motivation. Once you find the seller's pain, you have a much better chance of buying the house. Franchises are also taught to hunt for signs of desperation in neighborhoods, like water shut-off notices and boarded-up windows. Homevestors says they promise not to take advantage of anyone who doesn't understand the true value of their home, but that's not what our journalists found. We heard from people who had family members suffering from dementia and strokes and other medical issues that they feel were taken advantage of, and when homeowners pried to back out of deals, time and time again franchise owners would sue or file paperwork to block a sale to another buyer. Some homeowners have fought from their deathbeds to get out of their contracts with homevestors. This 80-year-old man was sued by a homevestor's franchise and ended up writing to a judge about his case from a hospital bed. He wrote, I signed not knowing what I signed. Before our story published, homevestors held an online meeting for all of its franchisees and leadership unveiled a plan to bury our reporting. So we did what any journalists would do. We wrote an article about it. In response to our reporting, homevestors issued a statement claiming that the situations we uncovered represent a small fraction of their business. They said they were investigating some of the cases we found and pointed to a 96% seller approval rating, which is calculated internally. Following our initial reporting, U.S. senators and regulators asked for more scrutiny of predatory house flipping practices. Then David Hicks stepped down as the CEO of Homevestors of America. In a letter announcing his retirement, he said recent press coverage of the company's home buying practices has taken a personal toll on me. To read the full investigation, click the link in our bio. Also, if you've had experience with a company or buyer promising fast cash for your home, our reporting team wants to hear your story. You can get in touch with us at propublica.org slash cash for homes.