typical

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12 March 2001
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080728/ap_en_tv/tv_extreme_makeover_foreclosure

I am sorry if this offends anyone but IMO these people were in the original situation they were in for a reason. Why isn't there a show on TV where they give money to someone who knows how to use it rather than hand it out to people who will squander it? The cameras could follow around the receiver and show the effort it takes to make the money work for you. Then the people who were originally on the couch will stay on the couch.

Why didn't the show put some protection in place so they couldn't take out a loan? What a friggen mess.
 
Reminds me of those people that win the lottery and then end up with no money.:confused:
 
What pisses me off the most is that they probably burned through the money that was set up for the kids education as well.
 
[sarcasm] Come on Steve. Everyone knows that it isn't the homeowners fault. After they had the house built they couldn't drive around in that old 1977 pickup truck. They also needed a boat and some nice Rolex watches. And of course the kids needed to get thier Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Now how are they supposed to afford all of this we ask. Of course they should take out a HELOC. ABC essentially provided them with a bank account worth $450,000 without even putting a lein on the home. It's no one's fault but the lawyers over at ABC.[/sarcasm]
 
[sarcasm] Come on Steve. Everyone knows that it isn't the homeowners fault. After they had the house built they couldn't drive around in that old 1977 pickup truck. They also needed a boat and some nice Rolex watches. And of course the kids needed to get thier Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Now how are they supposed to afford all of this we ask. Of course they should take out a HELOC. ABC essentially provided them with a bank account worth $450,000 without even putting a lein on the home. It's no one's fault but the lawyers over at ABC.[/sarcasm]

Oh that's right sorry...my bad.
 
wow :frown:

having said that, i can't help but wonder how many of the other families who have been given this type of fresh start followed this path so we would have a better idea of this is typical or an exception.

i don't know the details - and am too lazy to google them - but it seems the show has been on for 3+ years. if they did 10 family projects a year for 3 years, then we're talking 30 families. i'm not sure how to relate "typical" in mathematical terms, but it seems to me if it occurred in 1 out of 30, it's an exception. i think it would be interesting - but unlikely - if abc released a statement re how their other recipients are faring / adjusting to their new digs.

steve, i really like your idea about the tv show but i'm afraid the general public audience response would be low and the show wouldn't make it past initial testing... taking the time to learn the intimate details of building a career, financial stability and lasting relationships is far less exciting (for most) than instant gratification.
 
steve, i really like your idea about the tv show but i'm afraid the general public audience response would be low and the show wouldn't make it past initial testing... taking the time to learn the intimate details of building a career, financial stability and lasting relationships is far less exciting (for most) than instant gratification.

and the masses aren't as interested in learning hard work as they are in seeing handouts. If gives them hope that if they sit on their ass long enough they too might also get a handout to abuse.


disclaimer: I am in a funky mood today. :biggrin:

I see your point and I have in fact personally helped people less fortunate out in the past and present. I monitor them after wards though to insure their intentions are as they appeared to be.

Gave a guy a vehicle once because he was down on his luck, not an expensive one just a few grand. A week later he was trying to sell it. Good thing I had a lien on it.
 
Why isn't there a show on TV where they give money to someone who knows how to use it rather than hand it out to people who will squander it? The cameras could follow around the receiver and show the effort it takes to make the money work for you.

Yeah, I've seen that show! It's called capitalism. All I had to do was open my eyes and it was all around me. :smile:
 
85% of people are retarded, live paycheck to paycheck and are lazy. The other 15% work hard, learn how to NOT live in a 400k home and make 60k a year and save. Too many people care what others think about them "House, car, clothes". If you don't give a shit with others think, do what you want to do not what everyone else does and has failed at then you will be sucessfull. Most people want security but working for someone else is the least secure you can be.
 
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.

I understand the desire to want to see what you gave is working as intended, however, it'd be difficult task to police and not one - I think - the TV show is morally responsible for. Especially considering the advice they give to consult a financial planner. You give someone every opportunity to succeed, what they do with it is their responsibility.
 
85% of people are retarded, live paycheck to paycheck and are lazy. The other 15% work hard, learn how to NOT live in a 400k home and make 60k a year and save. Too many people care what others think about them "House, car, clothes". If you don't give a shit with others think, do what you want to do not what everyone else does and has failed at then you will be sucessfull. Most people want security but working for someone else is the least secure you can be.

Well, I live in a mobil home, drive a Corvair, usually wear shorts and t-shirts. I don't care what anyone thinks. I don't even care what I think. I don't even do anything. So I consider myself and my dogs to be extremely successful.:biggrin:
 
I understand the desire to want to see what you gave is working as intended, however, it'd be difficult task to police and not one - I think - the TV show is morally responsible for. Especially considering the advice they give to consult a financial planner. You give someone every opportunity to succeed, what they do with it is their responsibility.

Well then the person doing the giving is just as stupid IMO. If they couldn't see this coming then they are the real idiots in this situation.

Why don't they give the money to someone who would appreciate it. If they had given the money to someone who could handle it then that person could have given back all the original principle plus some extra.
 
Losers will always be losers. This is just disgusting; I have helped out many people (albeit not to this extent) and they just piss it away and lose what ever it was they received. It seems they fail despite all the good efforts of those who try to help. Then what I hear is "I am just going to file BK and then I can start all over and people will be more inclined to loan me money since they will know I had a BK and can't file again for a 7 years....." These people just never get it-they are the cock roaches of our society.
 
Losers will always be losers. This is just disgusting; I have helped out many people (albeit not to this extent) and they just piss it away and lose what ever it was they received. It seems they fail despite all the good efforts of those who try to help. Then what I hear is "I am just going to file BK and then I can start all over and people will be more inclined to loan me money since they will know I had a BK and can't file again for a 7 years....." These people just never get it-they are the cock roaches of our society.

Good example of something I did recently. I had an window A/C unit that my sister bought while in college in NYC and she used it for a few years. When she moved back upstate she gave it to my mother who used it for a few years. Then my mother changed the window in her bedroom and it didn't fit anymore. Then I put it in my office. I just had mini-splits put in my office so I have this 10+ year old A/C unit that still looks and works like new.

I was at a tenants apartment who just had twins and has several other kids. They live on the second floor. It was hot a hell in her apartment. I gave her the A/c unit last month. I went there this month. The thing is filthy and 2 of the knobs are broke off and the front cover is cracked. Typical!:mad:
 
Why can't they just build a "normal" friggin house? Every house they build is over the top. Is a normal house not good enough anymore?:confused:
 
Well then the person doing the giving is just as stupid IMO. If they couldn't see this coming then they are the real idiots in this situation.

God forbid that responsibility goes to the family that took the 450k loan and defaulted on the house given to them. I mean it's not like the giving party advised them to consult with a financial planner or forced the family to try to start a business with that 450k loan. :rolleyes:

Why don't they give the money to someone who would appreciate it. If they had given the money to someone who could handle it then that person could have given back all the original principle plus some extra.

All of the families the TV show chooses to help go through a screening process to determine the legitimacy of the family's need and their ability to maintain their new home. I think it's a highly unreasonable statement to state that the family in the linked story wasn't grateful for their new home.

Bottom line: they made some very bad financial decisions that cost them their home. And FWIW, one of the contractors I know, did exactly this with his home and they've done very well.
 
And FWIW, one of the contractors I know, did exactly this with his home and they've done very well.


Oh, you mean the guy who actually gets off the couch and works the business. That guy. Sure, I am positive things would work out for him.

These guys took out a loan to start a business as a contractor. There is nothing you need to do to make money as a small contractor other than get out of bed in the morning. That is all it takes. I don't car if you live in a city that has less than a 10k population, BTW the same size as the city where I started a construction business when I was less than 20 y/o and with less than 100 bucks in my pocket. It doesn't take 450k to start a construction business. They squandered the money and if someone does any research into the situation they would find just that. I will bet every dime I have and shoot myself in the head if I am wrong. IOW I am willing to bet my life they squandered the money.
 
Why can't they just build a "normal" friggin house? Every house they build is over the top. Is a normal house not good enough anymore?:confused:

it's t.v. - normal and t.v. aren't often used in the same sentence :frown:
 
I hope the college funds haven't been squandered. :frown:
 
Oh, you mean the guy who actually gets off the couch and works the business. That guy. Sure, I am positive things would work out for him.

You're preaching to the choir. It's obvious they "squandered" the money lent and irresponsible with the home they were given. What's interesting is that they had to have a home built but thought they could start a construction company.
 
It is my understanding that the people who are picked for this show are filtered before being selected to ensure that there is a real need.

I love the show, to be honest, because it's a great example of folks getting a helping hand and usually, neighbors and community members pitching in to help out.

I can't believe that anyone could be so dumb as to waste an incredible second chance like this but it takes all kinds. The real sad part of the story is that there are children involved.
 
What's the problem here? Seriously?

The family (the "Losers") got a lottery ticket and a new home thanks to the reality TV show. That lottery ticket was worth, say, $450k.

They "spent" that $450k in "winnings" trying to start a new business. Most new businesses fail, and, unlike what SteveNY says, virtually ALL new general contracting businesses are failing these days. Contractors dwarf all other business bankruptcies and have done so for the last year or so. Truth. Low barriers to entry and a declining industry.

Now, I could say that the family was "stupid" for starting a contracting business at the peak of the R/E bubble, but, then again, not many people realized it would be at the time.

So...that $450k lottery ticket was risked, and ultimately lost, on a failed business venture.

That sounds more American than apple pie if you ask me. Good for them, although their luck/timing/business acumen could have been better.
 
F'king morons

Bird's eye 2d/3d maps of the house and area. Thats a damn nice house they got for FREE.

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/54051/view/?service=1

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They also got enough money TO PAY THE TAXES ON IT FOR 25 YEARS!

"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."


"Viewers will witness how the design team came to the home of Patricia and Milton Harper in the Atlanta suburb of Lake City, Georgia, where heavy rains often caused the family's septic tank to malfunction and spew raw sewage into the house. When life got messy, Patricia and the kids, Darius, 17, LaVaughn, 15, and eight-year-old Mister, would sleep in their van, while Milton Harper pumped out the refuse. A 5,300 square-foot English style home - the largest yet constructed by "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" -- was built for the family. The design team, contractors and hundreds of workers and volunteers were able to turn the Harpers' living nightmare of a house into a dream home. The process of their particular home makeover is the subject of this episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- How'd They Do That?"

While design team leader Ty Pennington was preparing to film this episode in his hometown of Atlanta, he underwent surgery for a perforated appendix. Although he was still recuperating, the energetic and dedicated Pennington did not want to let the family down. Not only was he was able to do his part from his hospital bed, the mischievous design team leader, along with Constance Ramos, managed to make off with a few items from the hospital for eight-year-old Mister Harper's new cardiology-themed bedroom."



"The Harper Family's Story (Provided by ABC)

Several years ago, Patricia and Milton Harper lost their two-year-old son when he choked on his food. At the time, the family was living in the projects in Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, the paramedics couldn't get to the child in time to save his life.

Life for them in the projects was tough enough, but the tragedy of their son's death prompted the couple to work even harder and get their family out of there. After putting in long hours and saving up every penny they had, the Harpers packed up their kids and bought their first home, a 1400 square-foot, four-bedroom ranch house just outside Atlanta.

What these first-time homeowners didn't know was they had just bought a big dump -- literally. Unaware of any problems when they purchased the home, the Harpers soon found themselves knee-high in raw sewage! Every time it rained hard -- which was often -- their septic tank would back up and human waste actually flooded their suburban home. The Harpers have been living in and out of their minivan because of bacteria in the house, not to mention the horrible stench that has damaged their possessions. Their furniture, clothes and even their dreams have all been ruined. Recently their minivan was in an accident, so even that shelter was taken from them. They tried to fix up a couple of the rooms in their house to live in, but were dealt yet another blow when another rainstorm produced a gaping hole in the ceiling of one of those rooms. "
 

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