Posted on 03/03/2009 12:00:27 AM PST by wzlboy
Their 5,300-square-foot mini-mansion is scheduled to be sold on the Clayton County Courthouse steps Tuesday.
And they’re not alone among winners of “Extreme Makeover,” the popular reality show that refurbishes or rebuilds home for families in need.
Eric Hebert of Idaho lost his home in February with nearly $400,000 owed to the bank, the Associated Press reported.
Families living in two other “Extreme Makeover” homes, one near Detroit, the other in central Florida, were granted last-minute reprieves after their financial struggles were publicized.
The Harpers, who have three sons, are unlikely to get such charity. In fact, Milton Harper said Monday his family has received death threats since their first brush with foreclosure was reported in August.
“People are going to be people and I love them and bless them anyway,” he said. “We’re in God’s hands.” He declined to talk about specifics of the foreclosure.
The Harpers were granted a loan modification last summer to avoid foreclosure on their house, the biggest built by “Extreme Makeover” at the time. They had used the house at 5489 Ahyoka Drive in Lake City as collateral for a $450,000 loan; the family says the money went to a failed construction business. According to state real estate records, the couple agreed to make payments of $2,279.35 until June 2047 on the outstanding $468,245 mortgage.
The Harpers have struggled for several years with finances. In January, a State Court judge ordered Milton Harper to pay Southern Regional Medical Center $10,000 after the Riverdale hospital sued for the amount.
Harper said he told the hospital he was unemployed but did not follow advice to get indigent services agencies to help with the bill “due to my pride.”
ABC-TV issued a statement Monday: “‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ families aren’t immune to the current state of the U.S. economy. EMHE has always strived along with our volunteer builders to create not only ‘extreme’ homes, but homes that work for the owners for years to come. As always, we are striving to build greener, more affordable and environmentally responsible homes, and redoubling those efforts for years to come.”
The Harpers were selected by the show’s producers after they learned of the couple’s problems with a septic tank. Hard rains would cause raw sewage to flood their then modest-home, which was made over into a sprawling behemoth.
The original story was posted quite a while ago - the title was “Extreme Rakeove - Taxpayer Edition”
Always seemed sad to me that the amount of money used to build a huge ‘pretty’ house a liberal would be proud of could go to pay for more smaller houses that would help more people. But then I guess a show like that wouldn’t be as interesting to watch.
Those homes can't survive being built in a week. The framing isn't dry, the sheetrock and taping isn't dry. I would like to see these homes a year or two later.
Genocide!
Arithmetic!
Fiscal Responsibility Elitism!
I’ve watched this show alot, and have never been able to come up with math that works - even when the house is “given” to them.
I’ve watched the gazillion electronic gadgets that go in - state of the art air filtration.
Big screen tv’s throughout the house.
Gigantic sound systems.
Computers in all the kids rooms. One house even had a classroom for the homeschooled kids with a whole bunch of new computers sitting on the tables.
Then you have to consider the SIZE of the beautiful new house and what it takes to heat or cool the place.
Then consider the makeover in the backyard. Some with pools or therapeutic mini-pools (more electricity for filtration/heating plus cost of filling the pool and maintenance)
Then consider some of these people are also getting free vehicles.
So - even if this is “given” to them, and some of them are told that “your mortgage has been paid off” - they still have to claim this “gift” as income.
So they pay the feds on the gift.
Then they pay astronomical utility bills.
Then they’re property gets reassessed and they pay higher property taxes.
Then they pay for the upkeep of the huge house and all the gadgets.
I’m in wondernment that more of them AREN’T going into default.
“Those homes can’t survive being built in a week. The framing isn’t dry, the sheetrock and taping isn’t dry. I would like to see these homes a year or two later.”
_____________________
As a contractor and wood flooring distributor I’ve wondered the same thing. I bet the sound of nail pops wakes em up at night.
And what about letting the wood floor acclimate? That alone takes close to a week once the humidity from the drywall is removed.
My GF is hooked on watching EM and we spent a whole evening watching back to back episodes. I have failed and should be kicked out of the man club.
“Those homes can’t survive being built in a week. The framing isn’t dry, the sheetrock and taping isn’t dry. I would like to see these homes a year or two later.”
I’ve wondered about that.
My friend just moved into a newly built home a few years ago.
I remember when the concrete was poured for her basement it had to sit there for quite awhile before the company would build on top of it.
How do the Extreme crews get away with it?
I figured maybe they were using a special mix that dried quicker.
Bump for later...
My wife loves this show. I’ve never watched. All I can hear from a neighboring room is shouting and crying going on. I’ve wondered what the responsibility of the receiving family is on receiving their “dream” home. Now I know. They have to act like fools.
These people would have been better off had they immediately sold the home, taken a portion of the money to buy a small starter home, then invested the balance. But no...
I got caught up in the "hysteria" over this show when it first started. Took me about two episodes to wonder how the H*LL these families could afford to stay in enormously expensive homes. They include cutting edge technology and are designed to be sooooo greeeeen! You know what - that all costs money - a lot of money! TAXES, cable subscriptions, internet subscriptions, utility bills, upkeep on green systems, etc. are LUXURY items that the average family cannot afford. Most of the families on the show are not even average wage earners.
Just more of the "average guy trying to live like a rich guy" mentality!
I think it would behoove the Extreme Makeover people to hold a lien on the houses they provide, just to avoid such as this.
I highlighted it b/c the author of the article tried to bury it under the sob story of eviction.
Their Obama fmamily values and work ethic keeps them DOWN.
Okay I admit it. It’s my fault. In fact, everyone’s failures are my fault. Not Obama. Not Bush. Not Dr. Phil. Me...Me...Me.
Now where is my government money. What do you mean there is no money? I said I was sorry.
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