The family who was the recipient of the extreme Makeover home at 5489 Ahyoka Drive in Lake City Clayton County, used the house as collateral for a $450 000 loan. This appears in the Clayton County mortgage records. They have obviously been unable to service this loan and now their "dream home" has been put on auction.
It seemed as though failure was not an option when in February 2005, television viewers saw the stunning home that had been constructed in just six days during January 2005. Beazer Homes USA and Extreme Makeover got together with professionals and volunteers to create a stunning home for the Harpers who had been plagued by a faulty septic system. Painted olive green and covered with special shingles, the home consisted of a music room, solarium, landscaped garden, three car garage and four bedrooms. It is interesting to note that the Harpers also received enough cash to pay taxes on their home for 25 years.
All materials and labor were donated and the Harpers old home was completely demolished to make way for their new Extreme Makeover home, these were valued at $450 000 and when the Harper's home was complete it dwarfed the other houses in the neighborhood. But it appears that Patricia and Milton Harper have actually got to do an extreme makeover on their finances. The house was completely free of debt, they had money to pay taxes for 25 years, but apparently they took out a loan on the house to start a construction company that failed.
This Extreme Makeover foreclosure story is indicative of the kind of times we are living in. It shows that anyone can be subject to foreclosure for any reason, the most important lesson I believe that can be learned is never look a gift horse in the mouth and try to never use a home that is paid for to finance something that might fail, you might find yourself without a roof over your head.
This Extreme Makeover foreclosure is shocking to say the least particularly when you consider the fact that Beazer homes raised $250 000 in contributions for the family which included a home maintenance fund and scholarships for their three children. They were chosen out of 15 000 other people for the Extreme Makeover and spent a week in Disneyland while it took place, courtesy of ABC.
Neighbors were quite sympathetic to the cause of the Harpers as they had opened their home to everyone. However the owner of Beazer homes cautioned that anyone should consult a financial planner if they receive a new Extreme Makeover home.
