Ice Cream Shop Wants Help Locals In Cleveland Community

A Cleveland, Ohio ice cream shop is offering free ice cream to anyone who takes down a predatory home buyer’s sign. Locals say these signs, posted at bus stops and benches all over the city, direct poor homeowners to predatory companies that buy houses for a lowball price.

Rooms To Let: CLE, the organization running the promotion, explained the problem on Facebook.

“Have you seen these signs around? These companies specialize in taking advantage of homeowners; underpaying and undervalue homes, acquiring properties and let them fall into disrepair in an attempt to make a quick dollar at the neighborhood’s expense,” Rooms To Let: CLE wrote. “We think this is wrong and if you do to… Bring one of these signs into our offices at Slavic Village (5620 Broadway Ave) enjoy an ice-cream from Daisy’s Ice cream on us!”

Walter Hyde, the owner of Daisy’s Ice Cream, said the predatory buyers often do nothing with the property, leaving abandoned homes and blight littering the neighborhood.

“My fear is even if they buy the house, are they just gonna let it sit and rot, are they not gonna improve on it,” Hyde told News 5 Cleveland. “And there are enough people investing in the neighborhood who do want to improve on the housing, and I’d rather see that happen than the alternative.”

A sweet treat in exchange for helping others avoid getting ripped off? Sounds like a pretty good deal.