As the old adage goes, “If you took everything away from those that have, and gave to those that have not, within 5 years the haves would have it all back again.” In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

Name should be changed to “Extreme Takeover”

Extreme Lis Pendens

What’s that saying about teaching a man to fish instead of giving him a fish? They should have given them a helping hand instead of a handout. Hopefully the kids’ scholarships are still safe.

I Wonder how-much is the place….WORTH today…..Perhaps…$100-K.

Its commendable for ABC to not to place restrictions on the homes they provide for these families but it really borders on being naive as well. They’re basically asking for this to happen and its too bad that a family would be so irresponsible with such a gift. I doubt many people are going to be looking to bail them out again.

It certainly was not the intention of Beazer or ABC to provide loan collateral. Id be furious.

At least it appears that the just passed housing bill will not bail out this bunch. One’s left to wonder about the scholarship accounts.

They probably won’t use the scholarship accounts. They would probably take out a loan on them if they could. They should pay back every person and company involved for being so careless with such a gift. They are foolish for not getting the suggested financial advise. They owe everyone involved an apology.

I doubt such geniuses have much use for a scholarship. This may be an ‘extreme’ example of the ‘housing crisis’. There is no crisis. Those who never should have been in the homes they lost got a nice little trip to fantasyland for a while. rather than whining about what they ‘lost’, they should be grateful that they had the opportunity to live above their means for awhile; now they should buckle down and WORK for it this time.

IF their college scholarships are “safe”, they may be as useful as the free home. Past academic performance is the best predictor of future academic performance. Unfortunately education financial aid based solely on income may not be “used” wisely.

I’m in real estate as a licensed agent/loan officer & after analyzing this article. It looks like they thought they could pull off what the ABC show did by opening their own construction company with the proceeds coming from the mortgaged home which was given to them. To me this is greed, & it goes to show you not EVERYONE can do real estate, it’s a very complicated field. I have degrees in this field & many come to ask for my knoweledge to leverage for themselves, but I know they need to learn themselves when it comes trying to get rich quick in real estate, it does not work. Real estate is longterm, & not a gamble. Just because someone else is sucessful doesnot mean you will be by trying to do what they do. This has caused alot of the real estate crisis today.

I cannot believe how ungrateful some people are. I have struggled my entire life (as half of America does) I can’t even imagine someone building me a $100,000.00 home, let alone one so grand. I agree with most of these comments and hope they scholarships are safe. I’ll be as soon as they can get their hands on them, they’ll be wasted too.

I love this show but I believe that most of the homes built are indeed “extreme” as they are too
large and costly to maintain. I would be grateful for a 900 sq.ft. home with the basic amenities. Most of the kitchens in the new homes cost more than I would put in an entire house. Also I believe there should be some restriction that would prevent someone from getting a mortgage on their “gift home”.

I also think that some of the homes are a bit extreme. I commend the show for helping those in need but by helping them, they may also be hurting them. Some of them probably don’t make enough from their job to pay the utilities or taxes (if any). I think the families would be grateful for just having their needs met. Good things do come in small packages.

I agree with Cheryl, some of these homes are “extreme”. Can they afford to keep up with just the light bill? It’s a true blessing within itself. But we need to think beyond the show. When the camera leaves where do we go from here? Although the family made a true financial mistake, hopefully it doesn’t hurt their childrens’ scholarships fund. Ty, the crew & ABC… Extreme Makeover is more than welcome to come to good ole Houston, TX. I would be happy with enough home to take care of a mother, father, & 3 boys. Countinue to be a blessing to those in need. Don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch.

Rich, disgusting country that glorifies excessive materialism which in turn creates greed. I look at that house and I don’t see an appropriate gift at all - I see a curse .

This show is in Charlotte right now where they are over building in a neighborhod and ruining it. If this show truly wanted to change lives and not just get ratings they would go into a neighborhood and halp 10 people with 45K in necessary home improvements. New roofs, energy effiecient windows, central HVAC and help many people with realistics needs, not just lavish one family tot he expense of the entire community.
The fact that ABC builds these homes with donations and volunteers just to boost their ratings makes me sick. Perhaps we should get some fake TV cameras and tell all these volunteers they are being filmed while they help to build Habitat Houses for the deserving.

I agree with Charlotte Realtor.

It was STUPID to put $400K into a house in a neighborhood of $150K houses.

It was STUPID for the bank to appraise it for $400. For $400K I want to live next door to $450K, not $150K.

I think ABC/Disney and the Bank and MORE STUPID than the Harpers. The Harpers are going to pay for their mistake, the bank will get bailed out and ABC/Disney doesn’t care.

All the Harpers needed was a roof and septic tank. Instead they got bankruptcy. But ABC got the ratings it wanted.

My wife and I saved for years. We decided the terms of our house purchase. Then paid it off in 5 years on one medium income. No cell phones… no cable tv… minor vacations… And people think we’re “lucky”. Right

I think that the people who help build these homes for deserving families should be commended. I feel the work and dedication comes from the heart.A genuine love for humanity.I also believe that the homes should be toned down a bit.I do not think that people need all these extras in their home. A good quality washing machine and Dryer, working cook stove,working A/C and heat. Enough room for a family to be a family.Most people are happy with the basics…More is always nice, but leave room for goals, and something to work for.

Its great they (ABC, the folks on the show, the volunteers, Sears etc) help people who have had such tough times, but when the house is done it usually is so beyond the owners means that it’s only a matter of time. They can’t afford to maintain/fix what they have had due to their life circumstances and then they get a McMansion or starter castle with maintenance, heating oosts, and higher taxes. How about a simple ranch dwelling with enough features to make their life easier?

As a struggling parent of 3, I am slammed every time one of my children applies to college as we never qualify for financial aid being a middle class family. We live in a modest home and have modest savings. This family was given a gift and used it as I am sure they lived, expecting rather than giving. Why bother with the scholarship? Now without a home they can appply for financial aid and receive it for a free ride to college. They qualify for food stamps as well as living assistance. Oh, and I forgot, free medical insuracne through our medicare program. How extreme.

The majority of you are losing sight of the reason WHY these people are about to lose their home…it had NOTHING to do with maintenance aspects (taxes, upkeep, utilities, etc.), but EVERYTHING to do with GREED! Instead of enjoying their GIFT, and continuing to work at what they had been doing all along, they decided to take out the FULL EQUITY ($450k) LOAN on their FREEBIE to start their own business–which of course,
FAILED! Neither ABC/Disney, Bush, Obama, and/or Realtors, et. al., are to blame for this failure…just the people who became GREEDY and signed on the dotted line for the equity loan and the loan officer who approved it (who should have known better).
When are people going to start taking responsibility for their actions–or lack, thereof?! This is no different than elderly people who have lost the home the they have lived in for 50 years, because they decided to take out an equity loan to go on vacation (or something equally frivolous), or to just enjoy life “forgetting” that they have NO INCOME, and no way of paying back the loan…”but, but, but we’re old, we’re on a fixed income, won’t somebody DO something to help us?!”

All those houses are reassessed for taxes at fair market value. Now, even though they have a free home, and were completely dumb to take out a mortgage on the assessed value, they still have to pay the tax rate for that $450,000 home. Most families profiled cannot even afford that per year, let alone anything else. Why would these people do something so stupid? And they will get bailed out because they just will. Let’s face it folks, it’s the guys in the middle who get it worse, from above and below.

Another sign of WSJ being a holding of Soviet “Pravda” - there are more posts here being deleted each day. Why bother running this blog, if obviously you can’t handle the truth?

1. People, we should keep the negative talk to ourselves. Who are we to judge others. It’s not morally proper to be name calling people involved who feel bad enough they have to deal with the consequences/aftermath of their misguided actions
2. Bad judgements all around…All involved should have made sure the family would be able to afford the basic needs to run the home
3. Charlotte Realtor made a good point about Habitat for Humanity…They should be part of a show like Extreme Makeover and call it something “Humble Beginnings” or “Humanity’s Home”, etc. where homes are built for the ones where the need is great, not extremely fancy homes, but practical homes with enough amenities and space to live comfortable.
4. Anyone receiving a home from Extreme Makeover should placed the homeowners in a Home Owner workshop to give guidance in maintaining their home, financially, cosmetically, etc.
5. Than after they move in, periodically check on them to see how they are adjusting.

Compassion is needed, not negative talk and banter…Pray for the family and hope they learn from this experience and will do right in the future.

it’s clearly time for national extreme makeover

In other articles I have read on these idiots, it’s been reported that they were given enough money to pay taxes on the home for 25 years along with the scholarship money. This is nothing more than a recipe of greedy people, utter incompetence, and today’s trendy sense of entitlement… all void of any gratitude for those who busted their butts to help them out. You folks who are blaming the show or someone else for this disaster need to re-examine your thought processes. This is solely the fault of this family so quit trying to find enablers to help shoulder the blame. If you don’t like the manner in which ABS chooses to distribute charity, I suggest you start your own reality show to do as you see fit.

We need to stop all the give aways. For example, that idiot Obama now proposes giving away $1000.00 to all americans as an energy rebate which he will obtain from taxing the oil companies. All the oil companies will do is pass the cost of the tax on to consumers causing the price of oil and gas to shoot up for the consumers. Of course, I guess he could just ignore the laws against seizure without compensation and just steal the money, what an idiot.

I judge others all the time especially greedy, stupid and lazy ones and I am not aware of any moral reason not to do so, I would let them fail and go live on the street under the overpass. Maybe if more of us used “judgment” we would not bombarded with these tales from the stupidification of america.

Let me get this straight… Some of you are actually trying to assign fault on the TV show for their generosity??? But if it had been the government’s incredibly efficient social & welfare programs handing out other people’s money to this family, then everything would have been just peachy, right?

The house was more than they could afford to maintain? After the camera crews left they had no rent or mortgage payments and were given quarter million in cash! I’m no fan of the entertainment industry, but some of you people are off your rockers to try to blame Extreme Makeover for this bafoonery.

I’m perplexed by all the anger and hate in so many comments. None of us have direct knowledge of the families circumstances other than what’s been relayed by the media and that’s not much. How can you pass judgement without all the facts? What seems to be a misfortunate event, maybe even brought about by a “stupid” act, doesn’t make the adults stupid. Do we know whether the adults had any experience in the construction industry or with running a business before? No. So how can you pass judgement that it was a bad decision? As a business owner myself I don’t how you run through $450K in three years especially with no mortgage but, hey, I’m not in their shoes.
And to somehow equate the parents poor actions with the kids IQ is just wrong. These kids could be top of their class or just scraping by but, again, we don’t know. Hopefully the scholarship fund had some stipulations on it so that the kids had to enroll in college or a trade school to qualify for it.
And this is just one family out of how many that EHM has helped? The show has good intentions that may need to be rethought so that the gift is more in keeping with what the family can manage and what’s appropriate for the neighborhood. Just my two cents.

My Dad always told me : Never put a beggar on a horse. They will ride it to death !

I have to agree with Alan W. It is not the fault of the show that these folks squander the precious gift given to them. I remember them praising Jesus when they saw the beauty of the house. Somehow I think that they forgot to also help themselves after all was said and done. I just hope that this does not negatively impact the show. Wouldn’t it be sad if they discontinued the show because of this one family’s inability to be thankful for gifts given?

millions of people work their tails off every day just to support a modest lifestyle and these people take a wonderful gift and toss it to the wind. These types of situations are why I don’t listen to peoples sob stories. It sad that for the money and work of others, multiple hard-working families could have been helped. BTW, when you receive such charity, there should be strings attahced. if you don’t want the strings, don’t take the charity.

BTW they were also given $100,000 cash on the show, in addition to paying off the mortgage and the scholarships. When a local TV reporter caught up with the mother of the family, she threatened to just take what’s left of the money and go away if people didn’t stop harrassing her. The $450k mortgage was taken out barely a year ago, and I don’t think any payments were made on it at all.

This story has been out for a while, and since I first heard about this I have been trying to view the situation from both sides.

To the defense of the family, they made a financial mistake that anyone could have done. If their business was successful, they would have created a legacy that their children’s children could continue. Isn’t risk a part of investing (to all you WSJ subscribers)?

About 20 years ago, MTV ran a contest where you had a chance to win Bon Jovi’s childhood home. A couple won the contest, but instead of living in it, they sold it and used the money to pay for the husband’s law school education. I don’t know what was the result, but they were given a gift and took a risk.

We are not perfect. We all make mistakes.

I work in real estate development (with contractors) and think this couple might be “slick” as opposed to “silly”. because no way did they spend $400K in one year trying to launch a construction business. I do believe that they knew they’d never be able to sell their house for $400K and decided to “sell it to a mortgage lender”. Bet if we check out their kids’ college funds we’ll find that they all have some “extra money” in them. And I bet their “construction business” built at least ONE home, which is probably owned by a judgment-free corporation of which these two (or their kids) are the only shareholders.

People started pulling similar stuff like this in Sacramento about a year ago as the prices started dropping–taking out seconds and using the money for down payments on comparable homes (often in the same neighborhood) that were now selling for 20+% less than their current ones.

These people just ried to start a business by levereging their assest. ther eis nothig wrong with that . The bank was wrong to let them borrow so much. They could have sold the house for , say 300 000. lived in a 75 000 house ,and used the rest to start the rest to start the business. That way they would still have a house, money for their kid s education and may have made “zillions” if they made it it in the business. “Always keep your day job” Or Believe in Moses but tie your camell tight”

These people deserve to be homeless. This is a perfect example of why Welfare does not work. People DO NOT APPRECIATE what they don’t have to work for.

How can so many of you be so judgmental and rude ~ I agree with “Humanitarian.” And commenting that these kids wouldn’t benefit from the scholarship is monumentally prejudiced ~ their parents made the mistake, not them. Extreme Home Makeover should require new owners to homestead their properties, that way they wouldn’t be carried away and would be unable to mortgage the property.

C’mon folks. I’m with **Humanitarian** on this. Sounds like the family tried to leverage their good fortune into a growing concern. Indulgent capitalists should be proud that the family took a risk in the marketplace while critical liberals should be proud that the bankruptcy system still works, even imperfectly. These guys were the quintesential american-dreamers, something for nothing and your for free. Cast stones if you must, but have a heart. Coulda been you…..

I understand that these people also got over $250,000 dollars in money contributions along with the $450,000 house and they blew it all? WOW!

Correction–
It appears the $250,000 is gonna be used for scholarships for the three children, so it should be safe for now.

Where will they go now? What ever their needs were before aren’t they still there? So they are back where they started but worse now because they have no home now?

Would you expect anything else . From this type of person. Hate to say it but this isnt the smartest breed on the planet.

Plan and Simple Greed it is, at both Levels, the Banks and The Harpers.

I have read through all comments and the story twice. I am stupified that as Americans you all are forgetting one thing. We live in a Capitalist society. NOT a Socialist society. We do not split everything we have equally among all, because it doesn’t work. We look out for number one, regardless of who else it may injure. Some say that it was as precious gift, yes, maybe. But you see, I am a self employed business owner myself. I would have seen it the same exact way…a business investment. Did they do a great job investing, no. But that doesn’t make them anything other than average. The likelihood of a new business venture failing is nearly 75%. So they took a risk and will now pay for it. Why are you all sooo surprised by this? Finally, you all seem very good at putting in your “old adages” here’s mine: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”…here’s another, “If you don’t have anything smart to say, shut up”. To the family, buckle down and try again whatever the cost. This foolish country we live in has put the predominance of our jobs in China, India, etc. The small business is all that is left.

Porpoises and chimps are looking awfully intelligent these days.

I had no idea there were so many people who had a gift for being able to read other peoples minds. How sad that people can turn on each other so quickly. No one knows the details of this situation. They had an opportunity and invested in a business. Yes it would seem that they may not have had the best business sense, but we have no idea the circumstances that led to this. It’s sad, but it doesn’t make them ungrateful. We all make mistakes and we suffer the consequences. I would say losing their home is a high price to pay. Be a little more understanding. There is enough negative talk on the news. Let’s wish for the best instead and hope they get back on their feet!

I just feel bad for the whole scenario here. Bad choices were made all around. The results were very unfortunate. It could happen in any given situation if either side is operating without sage advice and sound wisdom. If given a choice of being rich over being wise, one should always choose the gift of wisdom.

That they were willing to take a financial gamble with the house makes me wonder whether in their own hearts and minds this wasn’t the place they really wanted to remain forever. They certainly aren’t allowed to up and sell the place are they? So perhaps they just decided to cash in on their equity like millions of other homeowners have done.

So many of you people are blaming ABC. ABC didn’t just toss these people out into the world with no way of maintaining their home they were given money to pay taxes and keep up with their bills. They’re kids have scholarships and their house is paid for, if they kept their jobs and worked 9-5 I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t have lived very comfortably.

I do wonder why they qualified for this house to begin with. They must have been in dire straights and up to the time of the show not able to help themselves. I think the very first comment on this story is applicable. Take the money from the haves and give to the have nots, and the haves will quickly regain it. I think they were in trouble for a reason and should not have taken such a risk when it would seem they did not know what they were doing.

In America, 9 times out of 10 the have-nots have not for a reason. Most people will never understand, no matter how often it plays out.

They would be in no trouble at all if they didn’t take out that loan.

My husband has worked for the same major telecommunications company for 32 yrs, has suffered a major heart attack due to stress, and still can’t retire because we still need $ 100,000 to add to investments just to get by..we own a 900sq ft home & live meagerly.Justice? I think not.How about helping the “working class”, TY,instead of fools that can’t manage a true gift!

the extreme makeover may have to make changes to their show due to this situation.they need to stop building elaborate homes.the money they used to build one home could help at least several other families.i think they should not give anyone money.the donations should pre pay taxes,insurances and other expenses related to the home.i live in a modest house which i have pre pay my mortgage two months ahead.i try to put any extra money towards the principal.i understand it is difficult to live below your means especially.as a americans we have no one wants to be homeless.i hope that family will be able to find a place to live that is affordable.

i would give anything for someone to build a home for me .we just lost our home because my wife was sick and unable to work.we strugle frome day to day and i can’t beleave some one is this dumd to loose there home for greed.

I have to agree with the line of thought that NOLA Darling has presented. 1. Start a “Construction Company”. 2. Build your new house at a fraction of the cost of your home equity line of credit as your own “contractor”. 3.Default on your loan, let the bank buy your old home that is overvalued for the neighborhood. 4. Put the “extra” money from your “loan” and reduced standard of living in your savings account. Result: You have reduced your expenditures, maintained a standard of living, provided for your retirement AND your children’s education. Hmmm. Sounds like someone may have had a financial consultant…..BRILLIANT! I hope this is really what happened. It is the perfect use for the “gift” they were given.

If they did take that loan from the bank w/ intent to default they should be put in jail. Scum bags. Nothing but traaash. Criminals. Dead beats. UnAmerican. truely Pathetic. Shameless.

At the same time, the show and the bank would have been pretty stupid to create the situation.
.
You may be an idealist, but we live on earth. Not everyone will abide by your ideals. Too many well-meaning idealists create ways for others to take advantage of them. If you begin to truly analyze some of today’s most popular political movements and their agendas, you’ll be horrified by the loopholes they’ll create.
.
Then they’ll blame the other side of the fence and create more loopholes to “fix” the last ones. And the cycle continues.

A gift is a gift whether it be a $1 or a $1M it still is a gift. You should never try to tell someone what to do with the gift once it is given. You love, you support, you encourge, you cry, and care. Never never stop caring, they tried for a dream, it did not happen but you cannot condemn someone for trying. They lost something they loved and cared about for at least attempting their dream. Some call it greed, maybe. Some call it stupdity, maybe. But, it was a dream they stepped out they tried they failed, but at least they tried. Did you give up on your dream? Life is a learning process. But, it is how your treat someone and what you do, not what they do with what you give. A smile can be read in your words. Are your words giving a smile? Don’t judge just love.

You can’t put restrictions on a gift. Get real.

Wow, what a complete loss for this family! I hope at least the kids learn from this something about how quickly one can spend money.

JD
I agree, there will always be situations and people that cheat the system for their benefit. I am not naive. I believe in ideals and morals. However, I also think pragmatically. The ends don’t justify the means. These people weakened a bank/institution and weakened a community. They should go to jail and their kids should be donated to science so they can find a cure for shaddiness.

Without taking advantage of the financial aid they were advised to seek they are no different than lottery winners who lose it all plus some, thinking they know it all and no one can tell them anything. A financial planner can help anyone of any means to take care of the financial funds they have no matter how large or small. Trying to quit their day job to become owners would not have been advisable unless there was an education based background on owning and operating a business. Just so very sad that they lost sight of the reason for being the recipient of the gifts they received. The Extreme Makeover homes are built to be energy efficient and utilized the latest materials. I would say this was a blatant case of “operator error” in being wasteful. I have found few of the homes shown to have been “excessive” in their construction or decorations. Having a home that is clean and neat with a fresh coat of paint minus the “excess” junk we buy can make a differene on any size home. Try using a video camera on your own as you walk in the front door and shoot your home as if you were making a movie/video and look at all the “stuff” you have filled your home with. Then watch the video. It might change your way of thinking.

This saddens me to read. It just goes to show you can’t help most people b/c so many of them are not honest and are just looking for a handout. I love Extreme Makeover and the part that really hurts is that they always have an extreme situation that usually requires “special needs” for a family member. What jerks! To virtually spit in the faces of all the people who helped them is sick. I too hope the children’s scholarships are secure, but I doubt it. This family sure took things for granted. Didn’t they? Many Extreme Makeover will put stipulations on the homes they build that they can’t be used for loans, etc.

No big surprise here. Why not gamble with other people’s money when you can? The risk is already out of the game. It is rational to not place a high value on that which you have not earned.

jealous, jealous, jealous. They made a mistake and now have to pay for it……period. No reason for the racist comments and name calling. Extreme makeover does need to provide EDUCATION to these families who get these houses and the Bank was only looking our for number one. yes it was a bad decision but hey it was their to make and their to reap the consequences. CHARITY is there for a reason and people shouldnt stop being charitable just because of a mistake. Like yall have never made a mistake…….LOL

I definitely agree that these people are at fault here. It’s a total slap and spit in the faces of the people who busted their humps to help these people live better.

First of all this has upset me so much. I watch this show every week and tears roll down my eyes when I see how this show has helped these families. I always dream a little, how nice it would be to be given a beautiful home like that without the mortgage payment..both of us coming from low income families, we appreciate the things we have earned with our own efforts.. We had nothing and worked for everything we own.. Times are tough and we have our struggles to keep things going but have been blessed to have what we have, because we worked for it. I think it’s wonderful for this show and all the volunteers to donate their services to help families that need it. I think in the future there should be better screening, and it’s not a bad idea to put a restriction on the deed about using it as collateral. I just hope they didn’t ruin things for other needy families.. I sometimes think that could be us one day..you just never know in times like these…but I would never gamble a gift like that… Black, White, Hispanic, has no relevance.. those were just bad choices that you don’t make when you own something free and clear..it’s a life long dream of most, and had by few…Lesson learned by them now I’m sure… I’m sad for the children, that could have been their future..you don’t gamble your children’s future, especially when it’s handed to you.

They did exactly what me and my brother would do, take the money and PARTY ON DUDE ! Screw those sucker volunteers

This web site needs an Extreme Makeover

Turn the T.V off and go and DO something, sitting in front of the TV with tears in your eyes isn’t helping anyone or anything, get a life !

yeah they are scammers some people call it “capitalism” they took everyone for a ride, good luck to them I hope they have the money invested in another house somewhere. I wish could get some suckers to give me $700,000 to play with, you could write whwtever you wanted about me but i’d be the one sitting pretty, youi all think these people blew this money, they are smarter than any of you realise, maybe they did get some financial advice !

Maybe ABC could buy the house from the bank and give it to me, my life sucks boo hooo where are all the hand outs, I’m too friggin’ lazy to go get a job and pay a mortgage and all my bills please just bail me out boo hoo hoo

Some of you are asking “What’s wrong with leveraging their good fortune?” How about they GAMBLED away their entire quality of life by putting everything into a high risk investment! Where is the responsibility to your family when you squander away everything by getting greedy? Investing a portion of what you can afford is one thing, but it appears these folks gambled away the entire quality of life upgrade that they were handed. As a husband and father there is no way I would gamble away that kind of responsibility to the well being of my family.

Although it looks wonderful to see a program that gives 700,000 dollars to a poor family in distress, I think that the $700k would have gone a lot farther in food for entire families in South America or Africa that have absolutely nothing to eat!!!!!. I guess that would not have made such a nice TV show though. I believe the producers of the show need to rethink the most fundamental need of every person that has nothing in this world, does one poor family need a 4 bedroom mansion, or do a 100,000 families need to eat for 3 months with that money??? which one weighs more, and how far can we stretch our donations??

I apologize for the typo, I wrote 100,000 families, I meant 1,000 families.

I hear of a place in Bolivia (the second poporest country after Haiti) that has a project to provide housing to those that live exposed to the elements, a little 2 bedroom house about 1200 square ft, would cost $7,000, hopefully ABC would spend the next $700.000 on 100 homes down there and help 100 families instead of just one,like this example, that did not even appreciate the effort nor the well being of their own family members…Some might say, how about helping Americans, well I am sure there are many projects that would build a few more homes for the 700,000 that was spent on this one project. Good gesture for the folks at ABC, but clearly not very good results after all.

Gotta love the liberals! Complain about big evil companies that (God forbid) make profits, and then question & complain about the manner in which they give it away to charity. This show makes it’s money by showing how they give charity to US communities… it’s a successful business model where everyone wins (except unfortunately, the Harpers), but it’s still not good enough for you. My guess is that building huts in the 3rd world wouldn’t be near as successful of a TV show, thus no advertisers, thus no money to give away. Then again, actually digging into the minor little details of what makes business successful has never been the libs strong suit.

Boston hit the nail in the head. These lib just know how to complain about the situation, never even try to provide a viable solutions. Alway thinking on blaming someone else, never taking personal responsability. Always screaming with their ideolory without taking into account the reality.
So, would you all rather this family struggle for the rest of their lives trying to make enough money just to pay for the tax and maintenance of their new house? What’s wrong with wanting more and make a gamble in starting their own business? Thousands of people suceed while many fails. That does not make the people who don’t suceed bad people. No one is to blame in such situation. I just hope this family get back on their feet and try again soon. That is what the american dream is all about, isn’t it?

Anyone who knows the story of Powerball winner Jack Whittaker or most other lotto winners should not be too surprised by this story. Getting a crapload of unexpected, unearned wealth in an instant is a ticket to bankruptcy. If the family is still together, at least they got to enjoy the ride and they are better off than most lotto winners whose families break up.

While the idea of a charitable Extreme Makeover helping many people sounds good, no one would watch it. Who wants to watch a new water heater getting installed. The networks are giving us what we want to see, excessive consumerism.

In my opinion, I agree with the majority of posts on “greed” being the motivator of the homeowners.

However, my pet peeve is with the bank. This is a classic example of reckless lending being done by financial institutions across the nation that has ultimately resulted in a “bailout.”

So to join the name calling rhetoric, the bank is the idiot in my book:)

This show is feel good garbage that is really about product placement. Providing “pimped up” way over the top houses to people who are sometimes deserving and sometimes not. It’s not Habitat for Humnanity. I find the whole show distrubing.

sucks when the invisible hand pimp slaps you, doesn’t it?

taking out a loan on THE HOUSE YOU LIVE IN TO FINANCE A BIZ is not smart!

They will be on some talk show now, They have become superstars, Only in America..

ok then, Boston and Johnjohn,let’s go ahead and pay off their debt once again , and then give them a Hummer and a new business, with customers and all…That would be really nice, right??
It amazes me how some folks still think that talking about real fundamental issues like world hunger are a waste of time, and not worth a show, but yet they still believe that a MORON that was given a chance in life for him and his family, gambled it on a greedy impulse! Why didn’t he just go ahead and put the money into a table of black jack?? I am sure that most of us here would feel pretty thankful, and lucky to get a 700,000 fresh start in life, but good old greedy mr. winner decided that it was not enough, but he wanted a business too! And to top it off he has fans also…what a shame!

This is not the first time I’ve heard of problems with these giveaway type TV shows. I don’t watch them, but it’s clear they want maximum tears for maximum commercial revenue, but have no interest in actually helping a family.
Perhaps a new show could debut, about the entire process a Habitat for Humanity (or similar organization) family must go through in order to get their house. From intial interviews, through classwork and counseling, building other people’s houses, then their own, and finally the keys. What is that, a 1-2+ year process? That’s reality!!

Let’s take a look at other families who have received homes from Extreme Makeover. It’s my understanding that two other families have lost their homes to foreclosure and several other families have had to sell because of the taxes and up-keep of the homes built for them. Where are the news reports on these families?
It’s obvious that the Harper’s made a huge mistake. No arguing with that, but let’s get all of the information as to what has happened to other families who have been given these gifts.

Esteban, Actually I couldn’t agree with you more that this particular family utterly blew it, and unfortunately everyone found out that in the end they weren’t deserving of what was given to them. I just have a problem with so many people who are so quick to demonize the very people that were trying to do a good thing here. By all accounts this show does great things for many families (I think they are now over 100 houses) and that’s 100 families (minus these bums) that have been given an incredible new opportunity in life. Why should we question that and make the very people who are doing it out to be bad guys? So what if there’s some product placement by companies that are GIVING their products away? So what if ABC makes some money in advertising revenue after they spend hundreds of thousands in production costs to make it all happen. Everybody wins here, but there’s always the chorus of boos that point to some other poor soul who needs the money more. Some of you folks will never see the good yet always find some negative without providing any viable plan to address your complaint. If you can put together an “Extreme Third World Makeover” show that stays on the air for more than two weeks, I’ll come over to Bolivia and help you build the next hut. In the meantime if this show’s excess of commercialism bother’s you, I’m sure there’s something on PBS to watch on Sunday nights.

I have to totally agree with the Comment by Alan W. This was all GREED. This family has no one to blame but themselves (not the show).

Cool! I’m gonna go buy that house on the cheap. Suckers.

Not a very smart move at all. The bank doesn’t lose because it can sell the house. What did they spend the $450,000 on anyway? Surely, it can be liquidated. Starting a business is fine if you are serious about putting in the sweat and of course the education for it. It’s too difficult to assess what actually happened here without better details but I think something smells fishy…did they ALWAYS want to start a business? Do they have the expertise? Or did they just take the money and run? My motto: Money doesn’t change you, it only makes you more of what you already are.

Boston is right. Masterpiece Theater is always on PBS Sunday nights. And no bad aftertaste!

Boston, I do not believe you would go to Bolivia to help build huts,I think you really don’t give a darn.
I take from your words that all you care about is a good old entertaining show that would make everybody happy for thirty minutes, and that’s it! Obviously to the ones producing it,sponsors, etc,etc.
What a narrow view! I do not recall writing anything negative about ABC , nor complaining about their program, I just brought up a point of view that concerns some of us more than the “show” potential of an act of charity, such as ABC’s.
If you do not have anything else to do ,and you are such cultured TV watcher, and obviously with plenty of time in your hands, maybe you should be the one spending more time looking into world facts, and meaningful things that can make a bigger impact, who knows, you might learn that “third world countries” also have human beings roaming around, with basic needs such as housing, and basic services, the only difference is that they do not have access to welfare, medicare, nor ABC’s interest to give money to them. Hopefully someday, someone will set eyes in those forgotten places,and who knows, maybe they could turn it into what you seem to like most: A money making machine!
By the way Bill Clinton seems to be interested in building huts in Africa too, could it be that he thinks ABC’s extreme home makeover as a “bad” show like you make it sound? Naaaah, I think you’re just out of touch!. Good luck.

The soon to be former owners are this home are examples of what is wrong with America. They want everything for nothing.

OK Esteban, I get it… No charitable work is worthy of praise unless it passes your definition of worthy, and addresses ne