Extreme Makeover Foreclosure Angers Volunteers
The TV show Extreme Makeover used 1800 volunteers in 2005 to give the Harper family a new, four-bedroom Mcmansion. Foreclosure will now claim the home angering all those who donated their time and money.
The AP reports Lake City Mayor Willie Oswald told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
“It’s aggravating. It just makes you mad. You do that much work, and they just squander it.”
Beazer Homes and the Extreme Makeover crew plus many volunteers tore down the old home and in six days replaced it with a huge 4 bedroom, 3 car garage monstrosity with multiple fireplace, rock walls, a solarium, and an office.
A Fool and His Money…
The Harper’s it seems wanted to go into the construction business and used a cash-out refinance of $450,000 as seed capital. The business failed and the Harpers stopped paying the mortgage. The free Extreme Makeover home will go the Clayton County Courthouse steps for auction on August 5, 2008.
The Harper’s also received $250,000 for a home maintenance and scholarship fund from Extreme Makeover.
I wonder why they didn’t use that money to pay the mortgage?
I wonder why they didn’t just both get jobs and pay the mortgage?
Oh, now I remember…because when something is given to you, you simply don’t care about it. I would never use the word foreclosure victim in applying it to this scenario. The Harpers are no victims…simply unappreciative and greedy.
Trust me…this won’t be the last Extreme Makeover foreclosure.
Good Luck!
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There is only ONE party responsible for the loss of the Harper home…the Harpers.
It is NOT the responsibility of the bank to ensure that the borrower isn’t doing something stupid. People have to take responsibility for their own stupidity.
People only value what they work for. The Harpers cared NOTHING about the work and donations they were received as a handout.
Of course ABC is only doing things to impress the average tv viewer. I stopped watching after the first one I saw because it was so ridiculous. People give a sob story and get mini-mansions to “make up” for some perceived hardship.
Too bad I’ve never heard of any of these “hardship cases” working two jobs or working and going to school to better themselves. Guess the hardship is they didn’t get handed high paying/zero qualification jobs to begin with???
Since the Harpers didn’t use any of the quarter million PLUS in cash they received as a gift to pay their bills; I’m wondering if they will be using it to repurchase the home through a dummy corp since a home in a $150k neighborhood will not sell for anywhere near $450k.
Probably not since they weren’t smart enough NOT to piss away a free mansion but it is a thought.
I agree that this won’t be the last makeover foreclosure. Building enormous homes just to impress the cameras is not a good idea to put people in them who did not work to earn the homes.
At least this particular family used the loan to try starting a business. It’s good they tried to provide some service back to the community, even if it was not a great idea to start another construction company.
Of course, they could have used some of the $250k in contributions to do that, rather than take out $450k in loans from a bank.
$450K house in a $150K neighbor and explain to me how the bank calculated the appraisal. Seems to me that house is worth about $200K max, not $450K
Another inflated appraisal. The Harper family are not the only ones stuck on stupid in this situation:
1. Why didn’t their original real estate agent mention the words “home inspection” and “home warranty”?
2. Why did ABC/Beazer homes put $450K into a house in a neighborhood where the average house is $150K? They only needed a new septic system.
3. Why did the Harpers start a “construction” business, something they obviously know nothing about? And did they tell the bank that’s what the money was for? Did the bank ask to see a business plan?
4. How did the bank appraise the house? Isn’t an appraisal supposed to be what a sane person would pay for a house? What sane person who can afford $450K is going to buy in a neighborhood of $150K houses?