Wahid Malik Shakur is aware of the criticism of investors like him.
“At 50 now, I realize people gonna always have something to say,” he said.
Investors like him are called wholesalers. They buy homes that aren’t for sale. As in, the homes have no sign out front. They’re not listed for sale online. It’s possible even the owners themselves haven’t decided to sell.
As these investors have swept through south and west Atlanta, in search of rising property values, housing advocates warn they’re predatory. They say the investors try to convince homeowners to sell for less than their properties are worth.
And an analysis of real estate records by WABE and APM Reports found in the gentrifying neighborhoods where these investors are most active, homeowners regularly sell for prices that were so low, they were half the estimated fair market value according to Zillow’s…
