swirlgirl Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 This is just amazing. They get a brand new house and they squander it.http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g1hj8hGLeLlanHneLFOwwW1n7HEAD92712Q8Q'Extreme Makeover' house faces foreclosureLAKE CITY, Ga. (AP) — More than 1,800 people showed up to help ABC's "Extreme Makeover" team demolish a family's decrepit home and replace it with a sparkling, four-bedroom mini-mansion in 2005.Three years later, the reality TV show's most ambitious project at the time has become the latest victim of the foreclosure crisis.After the Harper family used the two-story home as collateral for a $450,000 loan, it's set to go to auction on the steps of the Clayton County Courthouse Aug. 5. The couple did not return phone calls Monday, but told WSB-TV they received the loan for a construction business that failed.The house was built in January 2005, after Atlanta-based Beazer Homes USA and ABC's "Extreme Makeover" demolished their old home and its faulty septic system. Within six days, construction crews and hoards of volunteers had completed work on the largest home that the television program had yet built.The finished product was a four-bedroom house with decorative rock walls and a three-car garage that towered over ranch and split-level homes in their Clayton County neighborhood. The home's door opened into a lobby that featured four fireplaces, a solarium, a music room and a plush new office.Materials and labor were donated for the home, which would have cost about $450,000 to build. Beazer Homes' employees and company partners also raised $250,000 in contributions for the family, including scholarships for the couple's three children and a home maintenance fund.ABC said in a statement that it advises each family to consult a financial planner after they get their new home. "Ultimately, financial matters are personal, and we work to respect the privacy of the families," the network said.Some of the volunteers who helped build the home were less than thrilled about the family's financial decisions."It's aggravating. It just makes you mad. You do that much work, and they just squander it," Lake City Mayor Willie Oswalt, who helped vault a massive beam into place in the Harper's living room, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustaTexan Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 Ha I just logged in to post this one. It's like now they are probably right back where they were before the makeover. raised $250,000 in contributions for the family, including scholarships for the couple's three children and a home maintenance fund.Hope they atleast still have the scholarships intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavazos007 Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 This is such a sad ordeal, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isislc Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 I'm sorry but What idiots!! If I had all those people helping me and giving me everything for free, I NEVER would have put that home at risk for ANYTHING! Like Deanna said, hopefully the kids still have their scholarships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarbaby Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 I read another article on this same house/fam. The woman was soooo sarcastic. Has sort of a "it happened and i don't care" attitude. Makes you want to just slap her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isislc Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 I read another article on this same house/fam. The woman was soooo sarcastic. Has sort of a "it happened and i don't care" attitude. Makes you want to just slap her. I would feel better to repossess her kids from her and then run her over with a car instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenous Wolf Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 Three years later, the reality TV show's most ambitious project at the time has become the latest victim of the foreclosure crisis.That's [EXPLETIVE DELETED]!!! The AP journalist who wrote this piece of crap is blowing smoke up our [EXPLETIVE DELETED] because the way they lost their house had absolutely NOTHING to do with subprime or shady mortgage deals. It was all about stupidity.And none of those morons were victims... Unless labeling stupidity as victimhood counts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilton1 Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 http://www.sfisonline.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/n/a/2008/07/28/entertainment/e113152D69.DTL&o=0This is a picture of the house. By the way this just goes to show that people often create the crap that they find themselves in. Most poor people are poor because the keep making the same %$%^$& decisions. No amt of social policy can change that. Had that house been given to someone with half a brain they would probably have sold it and bought something smaller and cheaper. and invested the rest of the money. STUPID I think its good for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reverserguru Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 Most poor people are poor because the keep making the same %$%^$& decisions. No amt of social policy can change that. QUOTE]Really? Which study is this based on or is it just common sense? Most poor people don't even live in the USA and depending on the definition of stupid people, there is a chance most stupid people don't live here either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilton1 Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Most poor people are poor because the keep making the same %$%^$& decisions. No amt of social policy can change that. QUOTE]Really? Which study is this based on or is it just common sense? Most poor people don't even live in the USA and depending on the definition of stupid people, there is a chance most stupid people don't live here either.Are you for real? I think it is quite obvious that my statement was not regarding world poverty but rather a statement aimed at the issues of poverty in the US. And yes, I stand behind my statement and it comes from 4 years of social policy research evaluating education reform programs, welfare reform programs, Jobs programs etc. for the US government and private foundations. Bottom line is most of the time Handouts don't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reverserguru Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Are you for real? I think it is quite obvious that my statement was not regarding world poverty but rather a statement aimed at the issues of poverty in the US. And yes, I stand behind my statement and it comes from 4 years of social policy research evaluating education reform programs, welfare reform programs, Jobs programs etc. for the US government and private foundations. Bottom line is most of the time Handouts don't work.I am for real. How many extreme makeovers have there been, 30 or more? and after 1 idiot squanders their boon that equates to most people? 4% is most? Who is not being real and who is making generalizations? I get enough exposure to superior class judment here in oklahoma, so none here please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilton1 Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 I am for real. How many extreme makeovers have there been, 30 or more? and after 1 idiot squanders their boon that equates to most people? 4% is most? Who is not being real and who is making generalizations? I get enough exposure to superior class judment here in oklahoma, so none here please.Ok, I think you need to deal with the the chip you seem to have on your shoulders. My statement clearly is not limited to any extreme make over show but most social handout programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarbaby Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 If they are going to provide these homes to people "in need" for them..then they need to teach them the skills they need to handle such a gift. There's a reason these folks need their homes re-built in the first place. They don't have the skills/knowledge/drive to do better for themselves to get outta the slump they are in. Just because one is born poor doesn't mean they have to live and die that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swirlgirl Posted July 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 But the thing is, these people were given a gift. If they just lived in the house, there would not have been a problem as the house was completely paid for. The problem was they used their gift as collateral for a loan on a new construction business.Instead of being grateful, they saw dollar signs. And it was not the show's responsibility to tell people to not use their home as collateral for new business. This is just common sense. The rate of failure on new businesses is widely known. They were just stupid and irresponsible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug5 Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. It makes me so beyond angry that people threw away such an amazing opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reverserguru Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 http://www.sfisonline.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/n/a/2008/07/28/entertainment/e113152D69.DTL&o=0This is a picture of the house. By the way this just goes to show that people often create the crap that they find themselves in. Most poor people are poor because the keep making the same %$%^$& decisions. No amt of social policy can change that. Had that house been given to someone with half a brain they would probably have sold it and bought something smaller and cheaper. and invested the rest of the money. STUPID I think its good for them.The chip has been removed, although I still feel this statement is (........). I now see why political statements are not allowed, they do seem to spark irrational anger. At least they were smart enough to try a business venture. I would have just blown it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whocares Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 I agree about the part of trying, but 450,000.00 to start a business? I think it was unrealistic to spend that much money in a start up business, I invested less and am still in business after 3 years.I think it's their house to lose, I personally will never have a loan against any of my properties. Maybe they think someone else will come to the rescue and buy the house back for them? Who knows?The Bottom line is Most people who come into a windfall squander it and after awhile they have nothing to show for it...Lotteries, inheritances, ect.Some even say things were better when they were broke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reverserguru Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 I agree about the part of trying, but 450,000.00 to start a business? QUOTE]I'm sure that house was already LOADED, so a buisness venture, mediteranean full body orgasm. or a really big bag of (soon to be legal) herb (if everyone will vote democrat) could have been the only options available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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