Harper Family Extreme Makeover:Extreme Makeover Home Foreclosure
The Harper family “Extreme Makeover” house is facing foreclosure.ABC’s hit show “Extreme Makeover” helped the Harper family who lives in Georgia by tearing down their old house and building a beautiful home with four bedrooms.Over 1,800 people, got together,back in 2005 to accomplish the task. The Harper family “Extreme Makeover” foreclosure took place after the home fail to secure a $450,000 loan,causing the house to go on auction in a Clayton County courthouse on Aug. 5.
TEL | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
Below is a response I’ve posted on a couple of blogs to comments that some of the posters are being racist when they complain that the loan was “ill spent”:
To me, it doesn’t matter if they bought cars or boats, or decided to get work trucks, tools, and long term leases they couldn’t pay. Maybe they overpaid their subs, or didn’t bid enough to make a profit. The point is that “stupid” comes in every color and size. Gamblers are the same.
We’ve been offered every type of crappy loan imaginable, but have yet to take one of them. Our “common sense” and “adversity to risk” told “an inner voice in us” that we’d have significant trouble paying off any of these loans if we had just one SMALL bad turn of events. We also knew we wouldn’t want to “feel the shame” of being unable to pay back a loan that we made for very high risk ventures (I have to know — did this man ever have a business of his own beforehand? If not, I’d call this loan “high risk”) or extra toys (like boats, vacations, and remodels).
I don’t think stupidity and greed comes in any one color. Sure, some lenders knew they were making crappy loans — for which they should BE JAILED. And some of their customers also knew they were taking huge chances — BUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S MONEY — for which they should BE JAILED. Interestingly, I’d bet that many of the same people waving around the “you’re a racist” comments would have called THESE SAME lenders racists if they hadn’t made these loans to certain people, had any common sense prevailed over the last ten years.
In this specific case, the family had every right to go out and “blow the wad”, if they chose to do so. After all (I presume) they owned title to the home. Also, because of the high profile of Extreme Home Makeover and the good things it does, this is THE MOST LIKELY type of situation to make front page news. BUT I ALSO HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS MY DISDAIN AND DISPLEASURE, USING THIS FAMILY AS THE POSTER CHILDREN for foolishness, avarice, and greed. Frankly, I don’t think their color had anything to do with it — statistically, there are plenty of folks from every race and color who “bet the farm” using my life savings to satisfy their “wants” (not needs). MY ANGER KNOWS NO COLOR.
landry | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
To me, one of three things may have happened with the Harper family. (1) They simply got greedy and made a bad investment. (2) The family may have been the target of con men. And (3), losing that money in a failed start-up business may just be a front for the family to cash in on the value of the home.
This is the exact reason I never watched this show. We can give valuable gifts to stupid and greedy people but no one even considers giving that money spent on building that home to a dozen homeless shelters or cancer research…..
We have people dying in the streets and this Harper family just cashes in on a $450,000 gift for themselves.
nelly | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
Not only did they lose the house, but they were also given another $250,000 on top of the house for their kids college and house maintenance. Know you can say they were just unlucky but most people would just call them stupid!
DAVE | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
NO WAY. THEY WERE BLACK??
Aimee | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
I’m with # 3 and I also do not watch the show because of the same reasons as you. they should build home for children-women-ect not greedy people who got themselves into the bad situation by over spending in the first place also having to many children when they could not afford them in the first place.
Silverback | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
The Harper family were most likely coned, but stupity caused them to lose their home. I hope they didn’t sqander their children’s education funds.
Ryan Ashby | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
I hate it when I see an article that says “there is another VICTIM in the mortgage crisis”. If someone goes into forclosure, it is their own fault. I love it how everyone wants to blame someone else. It is never anyone’s own fault. Hey, here is a house, oh ya, and $250k, oh ya, and scholorships for the kids. Next day at the local bank, “Hey, I got this house, I want to open a construction company. I know, I have no mortgage, but that is the best part, I want to take out one for $450,000, have a $3500 a month payment that I can’t afford so that 3 years from now I can look really stupid and give it all away”. Damn, I hope those scholorships are in a trust so these dumb-ass parents don’t ruin these kids future. Some people just aren’t meant to have a brain that functions I guess.
buckybuck | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
This is the reason why our Welfare system does not work.
Geez | Jul 30, 2008 | Reply
Anyone without great money management skills given a windfall of cash will inevitably shoot themselves in the foot.
Jake | Jul 30, 2008 | Reply
Thats just pathetic. They’re given a $450,000 home, $250 for college and taxes on the home, plus another $100,000 for home expenses, repairs, etc. and they lose it all in 2-3 years? WTF?
$800,000 given to them and its just pissed away. I feel absolutely no sympathy for them whatsoever.
As someone mentioned, hopefully the college funds are setup so it has to go to tuition and nothing else, but what did the kids do to deserve it anyways? College grants are to be earned and not just given away. If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, the kids will blow it in the first year of school anyways so more wasted money.
Hopefully they kept their old minivan in the 3 car garage so they have a place to move back into.
C. S. Grubbs | Jul 30, 2008 | Reply
The banking industry is to blame for some of this. It has been made way too easy to borrow money. I had the recent experience of handling an estate after a relative’s death. There was an account with $50,000 in it. I also had to sell and transfer real estate and stocks. This required a medallion stamp, available only at a bank. Every single time I went into this bank for this purpose (about 20 times), I had to listen to a sales spiel about that 50K. They were almost salivating at the prospect of getting me to sign up for collateral loans, business loans, stock funds, investment funds, you name it. But that money was meant to be divided among the heirs and it would end up with none at all left in the bank. I also had to explain all this about 20 times. Dealing with these hard pressure sales tactics for a year left me with a very bad feeling towards the banking industry. I’m sure the Harper’s got some very bad advice from some very eager to please young bankers. You may not realize it, but most banks have in-house competitions where the employees who bring in the most business get prizes….just like any other retail sales environment. It ain’t your Grandaddy’s bank any more!
chris | Jul 30, 2008 | Reply
Hey that redneck white trash dude in west va. won $325,000,000 in the lottery and he is broke now.After only 5 years.well after taxes he got only like $210,000,000.LOLOL.
Nik | Jul 31, 2008 | Reply
Yeah, it’s totally the bank’s fault. I’m sure they were totally commited to swindling the family out of their home.
Wake up stupid. The reason we have so many damn problems out there is BECAUSE no one takes responsibility for their dumb ass actions… I didn’t MEAN to sign the paperwork, the bank FORCED me too. I didn’t MEAN to shoot the guy I robbed, but welfare isn’t paying me enough. It wasn’t MY FAULT I cheated on my partner, I needed more WHATEVER.
Take responsibility or you’ll never grow up, totally dependent on everyone but yourself.