Boise is home to nation’s ‘ugliest house’ of 2025. See the dramatic makeover

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A Boise home recognized as the “ugliest house” in the nation has undergone a dramatic makeover.

HomeVestors of America franchisees Paul and Tanice Myers spent six weeks transforming the home at 3015 West Sunset Ave. in Boise from a trash-filled dump to a safe, livable space — winning the company’s Ugliest House of the Year competition.

“We love stepping into tough situations and imagining what’s possible,” the Myerses said on the official contest website. “It’s not just about repairing houses. It’s about restoring pride, relieving stress for families, and giving communities a fresh start.”

On Wednesday, the Myerses delivered a $20,000 check to the Treasure Valley branch of Habitat for Humanity, according to an email from HomeVestors spokesperson Ariel Herr.

The donation was “the final cherry on top” of the Myerses’ community-focused renovation, Tanice Myers told the Idaho Statesman.

The Treasure Valley-based house flippers volunteer with the nonprofit organization “quite a bit,” her husband added.

What is the Ugliest House of the Year award?

Famous for its trademark slogan “We buy ugly houses,” HomeVestors of America is a national real estate network whose property investors purchase homes, renovate them and sell or rent them.

Every year since 2007, HomeVestors franchisees have competed for the title of Ugliest House of the Year — submitting “before” and “after” photos of their “most remarkable” transformations, according to a January news release. Then, “the public votes to crown the ultimate winner.”

In 2025, the teams behind 20 home makeovers from around the country faced off.

However, the Myerses ultimately took the prize.

The husband-and-wife team, who joined HomeVestors in 2018, operate active franchises in Boise and Seattle, according to the release.

What did the west Boise home look like before its makeover?

At first, the west Boise home was “uninhabitable” with “trash-filled rooms, a damaged kitchen and impassable laundry room,” according to HomeVestors of America. Built in 1954, the 1,580-square-foot home had suffered “years of decline,” resulting in “severe safety issues,” the release said.

“No one could walk” around the Boise property without risk, Tanice Myers told the Idaho Statesman via Zoom.

As a result, the homeowner’s “family recognized that he needed to be able to move on into a much healthier living environment,” Myers said, adding that many people feel “embarrassed” to find themselves in such a “tough spot.”

In the release, Myers called the house a “perfect example of people reaching out for a lifeline when facing an overwhelming situation.”

“They’re calling us, hoping we have an answer because they just don’t know where to start,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many hold onto our postcards for years and feel a tremendous weight lifted when they’re ready to call.”

Paul Myers said he and his wife started receiving offers on the upgraded house “in the first couple weeks” after listing it and were able to close on a deal within a month.

How much did the Treasure Valley property renovation cost?

As the Myerses began their six-week renovation of the west Boise house, they encountered everything from “decay” to “rodent infestations,” the couple told the Statesman.

However, “The house was in pretty good shape structurally,” Paul Myers said, so he and his wife mainly focused on clearing it out.

After stripping the Boise home of its contents, the Myerses added new cabinetry as well as a new driveway, sprinkler system and heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. They also updated the bathrooms.

The transformation cost the couple more than $100,000. They hired local contractors to help get the work done, according to Tanice Myers.

Real estate investors donate wheelchair ramp

During the renovation process, the Myerses noticed that the wheelchair ramp at the Boise home was in pristine condition — but it needed to be removed.

“We did not just want to chuck it and recycle it,” Tanice Myers said.

She and her husband donated the ramp to a Boise woman whose 9-year-old daughter uses a wheelchair, and installed it at their house.

“It was such a blessing. They are such wonderful people,” Shannon Shores, who received the donation, told the Statesman in an email. “I cannot say it enough that this was the best gift we could have been given for her, and we are forever thankful.”

Shores said she had been trying to figure out how to afford a quality wheelchair ramp for her daughter, who has been diagnosed with spina bifida and scoliosis.

“This has made Abby feel so much more independent. … She can get to where she wants to go on her own,” Shores said. “It has helped me as a caregiver in the safety of getting her in and out of the house.”

What should I know before selling to HomeVestors franchisees?

HomeVestors of America specializes in buying homes from owners seeking to sell quickly with no need to repair, clean or market their properties.

“We understand that the traditional real estate market isn’t ideal for everyone,” HomeVestors says on its website. “We pay cash for houses because sometimes people need a faster, more straightforward solution.”

“We work with our sellers every step of the way from consultation to closing,” the company says.

However, critics say HomeVestors franchisees have taken advantage of vulnerable people in difficult situations in the past, ProPublica previously reported.

“You were always lying to them. That’s what we were trained,” Katie Southard, who owned a HomeVestors franchise in North Carolina, told ProPublica in 2023. “There was a price that you could pay, but you would always go lower and tell them that was the price you could pay.”

However, HomeVestors claimed that predatory home-buying practices are not encouraged and that the cases exposed by ProPublica represent only a small fraction of the company’s dealings.