HomeVestors: iPad Pricing Tool for Property Buyers

HomeVestors, the company behind the iconic "We Buy Ugly Houses" billboards, operates through a franchise network of real estate investors who purchase distressed properties. I was contracted to build an iPad application that would help their field agents quickly assess properties and generate accurate purchase offers on-site.

The Business Need

HomeVestors franchisees visit dozens of properties weekly, needing to:

• Quickly assess property condition and repair needs
• Calculate accurate after-repair value (ARV)
• Generate competitive offers that maintain profit margins
• Document the property with photos and notes
• Work in areas with poor cellular connectivity

Their existing process involved paper forms, manual calculations, and significant back-office work. An iPad tool could dramatically improve efficiency and offer accuracy.

Core Features

Property Assessment:

• Room-by-room condition checklists
• Repair cost estimation with local pricing
• Photo capture with annotation
• Voice notes for detailed observations
• Offline data entry with sync

Pricing Engine:

• Integration with MLS comparable data
• ARV calculation algorithms
• Repair cost aggregation
• Profit margin calculations
• Offer price recommendations

Comparable Analysis:

• Map view of nearby sales
• Filtering by property characteristics
• Adjustment calculations for differences
• Historical price trend visualization

Offer Generation:

• Professional offer documents
• Email/print from the field
• Digital signature capture
• CRM integration for follow-up

Technical Architecture

The app was built for reliability in challenging field conditions:

Offline-First Design:

• Core Data for local persistence
• Background sync when connectivity available
• Conflict resolution for multi-device scenarios
• Large dataset management (comparables, pricing data)

Data Integration:

• MLS API integration for comparable data
• Geocoding and reverse geocoding
• Property tax record lookups
• Franchise pricing database sync

Photo Management:

• High-resolution capture optimized for real estate
• Automatic organization by room/category
• Compression for efficient upload
• Local storage management

Security:

• Franchise-level data isolation
• Secure authentication
• Encrypted local storage
• Audit logging for compliance

Field-Optimized UX

The interface was designed for real-world property visits:

Glove-Friendly Controls:

• Large touch targets
• Minimal text entry
• Quick-select options for common items
• Voice input integration

Bright Environment Support:

• High-contrast UI options
• Readable in direct sunlight
• Adjustable text sizes

Efficient Workflows:

• Typical assessment in under 10 minutes
• Minimal required fields
• Smart defaults based on property type
• Quick offer generation

Results

The iPad tool transformed HomeVestors' field operations:

• 60% reduction in property assessment time
• Improved offer accuracy reducing deal fallthrough
• Better documentation for due diligence
• Faster franchise onboarding with guided workflows
• Data insights for pricing strategy refinement

The tool became a competitive advantage for HomeVestors franchisees, enabling faster and more confident decision-making in the competitive distressed property market.