Byard Duncan
Byard Duncan is an engagement reporter at ProPublica.
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Byard Duncan is an engagement reporter based in Oakland, California. Before joining ProPublica, he spent seven years at Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. There, he and a team of other reporters were named Pulitzer Prize finalists in 2019 for their work investigating Amazon’s high rate of worker injuries. He is the recipient of two Gerald Loeb Awards, two Edward R. Murrow Awards, a National Headliner Award and an Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award.
“We Buy Ugly Houses” CEO Steps Down Following ProPublica Investigation
David Hicks, CEO of HomeVestors of America, said in a letter announcing his retirement that recent press coverage of the company’s homebuying practices has taken a “personal toll on me.”
Senators, Regulator Call for More Scrutiny of “We Buy Ugly Houses” Company
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s head said the Department of Justice and state attorneys general should be made aware of predatory house-flipping practices, following ProPublica reporting on HomeVestors of America.
Looking to Sell Your Home for Cash? Read This First.
Cash home buyers like the “We Buy Ugly Houses” company may offer a quick and convenient sale to homeowners. Here’s what experts say you should know about interacting with these companies.
Five Stories of Lives Upended After Dealing With the “We Buy Ugly Houses” Company
ProPublica found that HomeVestors franchises often target the homes of people in vulnerable or desperate situations. These are the stories of five people who found themselves in unwanted deals with a cash home buyer.
HomeVestors Praised ProPublica’s Reporting, Then Tried to “Bury It”
The “We Buy Ugly Houses” company held a virtual meeting for its franchises to outline a plan to “minimize visibility” of our investigation.
The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses”
HomeVestors of America, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the U.S.,” trains its nearly 1,150 franchisees to zero in on homeowners’ desperation.
The Federal Government Accidentally Burned Down Their Houses, Then Made It Hard to Come Home
FEMA told survivors of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history that it aimed to put temporary housing on their land. But because of its strict, slow-moving bureaucracy, that has happened only twice.
Local Reporting Network
Help ProPublica Investigate “We Buy Houses” Practices
If you’ve had experience with a company or buyer promising fast cash for homes, our reporting team wants to hear about it.
Help ProPublica Investigate Threats to U.S. Democracy
We want to hear directly from the people involved in the administration of our elections — local clerks, canvassers, poll workers and more — about new challenges on the job.