Extreme Makeover Homes on Market

It is very interesting to see that these houses that were custom built for the family are for sale. I’m sure they will never be able to get another home that is similar or as nice.

I also wonder what the TV show thinks of this.

The show reminds me of foreign aid a few decades ago. A lot of good intentions and tons of money – but thanks to ignorance of the willing donors the help offered does not help at all or results in more problems than the recipients had before.

I occasionally stumble across this show and EVERY TIME have wondered how any family in their right mind will keep the houses that are created for them. Asides from being build in a rush (and maybe, just maybe, not so well), they are huge, considerably more costly to maintain and operate than anything they had before, and packed full with gadgets and styling elements that you are probably sick off after two weeks. Or when the kids reach puberty and cannot stand looking at frogs /pink /whatever-you-liked-when-you-where-11.

In my opinion this show, the designers, and the host behave like children in a candy store without displaying much far-sightedness. And selling the house they received and buying something reasonable is exactly what I recommended to those families from my living room every single time. Imagine you keeping your life and income the same but all the sudden having a house that is 5 times bigger. You would go crazy. There is a thing a too much house.

These huge houses are so yesterday, so over the top, and so embarrassing if you look at the state of the world and environment. This is what happens if you let shallow people interested in TV ratings and who cannot possibly understand (or consider) your situation and LONG-TERM NEEDS decide for you. Just like your kids when they pick a present for you – You get what they want.

Karsten
http://www.polluteless.com

I’m sad but not surprised. The families receiving these houses usually have severe financial issues, poor habits, unemployment drama and are unable to provide for themselves–even when it is handed to them!!! I understand the intent and the desire to help unfortunate people—you just can’t give anybody anything and expect them to be able to rise above it all. If an adult is unable to make things “work” within their current circumstances–you can’t really expect them to cover costs for a house that is triple the size of what they would normally have. Extreme Makeovers should be for sincere families that just need fine tuning—not welfare families that are unable to care for themselves much less an expensive house.

Of course, you realize the day of Extreme Makeovers is now gonna get the shaft. Thanks alot Harper Family for being ignorant and clearly lazy—Get a job and pay your bills.

Some people are sooooooo short-sighted!

It is NEVER appropriate or intelligent to give anything to anybody they are not equipped to handle. Be it ability or willingness, for some it is just not important to have a huge house. They care about other things. Or they have to care about other things first. Others cannot handle the responsibility to maintain a house. Giving people who fall into this category a huge, expensive, new home will not help them. That is not rocket science and it had nothing to do with “gravy train”, ignorance, or lazyness.

If you want to help people you enable them to help themselves. What wbout a house that is small (about the same size than before, maybe a bit bigger), energy efficient (and therefor cheap to run), built well (and therefor cheap to maintain), and designed to last aesthetically as well?

But no! This does not represent the American Dream in which anyone can get anything and keep it too if you just want to and are willing to work hard to get it. Bigger is better.

Folks, get off your high horses! I own a house and I am looking forward to the day to have a much smaller one to begin enjoying what I think is important (rather than constantly fixing the stuff that breaks and worrying about energy costs). Help people by allowing them to follow their interest and giving them a house that is a good strong and long-lasting foundation to build upon whatever they (!) want. Not the designers.

Give someone a fish and they have food for a day – Teach them to fish and they have food for life. This show gives families fish. More than they need and it goes bad. Can’t say I am surprised. Just disappointed with people who should know better and pretend to know better.

Karsten
http://www.polluteless.com

What do you mean, it is JUST your opinion? Your opinion, and anyone else’s makes our democracy work, so please express it. It is a million times (just an estimate) better than JUST watching TV. At least internet is two-way communication and idea exchange if you can leave comments.

From what I can tell from watching the show, every time I watched the people needing a home did not have the means to maintain the home they owned. They recieved a home that was even harder to maintain. Of course they are happy. You think they pick families who do not show those feelings easily? You honestly think they take a risk and build a home for someone who has strong opinions and is not afraid to show them. Also, this is TV. They edit out what they do not like to show.

The “green” home we need to have – you will never see them on this show. To make sense they have to be much smaller than anything they have so far created. They need to use passive solar energy and need to be built they way it makes sense for the area they will be in. Not just a few solar panels, an wind generator and a green roof (in a desert!).But of course they will (and have already in one show) jump on the bandwagon of pretending to be green while not changing any habits. More greenwashing coming your way.

But what do I expect? Deep concerns, rational thinking, and meaningful actions on private US television? Nah. It is limited to entertainment. I keep forgetting.

Karsten
http://www.polluteless.com

i have found in my 72 years of living that if you get something for nothing it is not as valuable to you if you had worked your ass off for it i have no sympathy for these people

Teach a man to fish and he won’t go hungry. I want to know why the producers don’t sit down with the families and find out what they can afford as far as taxes and what than is best, maybe it’s better to improve and modernize than completely rebuilding a home way out of their financial reach. Giving them a financial/budget/credit course may also help the families who recieve these make-overs. It’s time maybe the prodicers/sponsors take some responsibility but than again where’s the rating for that?

It’s very simple and some of you have already hit on it – THERE IS NO REASON FOR THESE HOMES TO BE SO ELABORATE. A simple, sturdy home is quite enough if these people are really sincere about getting a new home. If these people are really sincere they should be greatful for nothing more than a roof over their heads and warmth in the winter. Some of these homes that they tear down could be remodeled at an enormously cheaper price and would serve the same purpose. If EM is going to put all that money into these homes JUST to be sold for profit, why doesn’t EM take on projects such as helping people get educations and health benifits etc that will really help the family. I’m not saying to stop building homes but they really should keep them to a “reality mode”.

3 out of a hundred with loans taken out on them. Taxes are only 2to 5oo a month. Minimum wage and a paper route could support this household….the homes they build are not elaborate to me… get off your high horses and use common sense. this is the thinking that got the economy and government where it is today. If I could only be King for a day….

Well, great change of direction, Sally! Will this become
a political blog now? We have one of these homes near me.
I’ve never even seen it and I am a decorator, so the show lost me a long time ago. In fact, TV lost me some time
back – don’t watch or have it now. Why don’t we all get a life and get back to helping each other instead of waiting for a slick TV crew to jump in?

I think that this show is valuable and serves a purpose. However, tooo many people are taking advantage and going to ruin this for everyone else. Extreme Make Over needs to make sure the people will not lose the house and make sure they cannot sell it or use it as collateral to the point of losing the home for 20 years. People losing these houses are rediculous. Most people can’t even afford this type of house and then to turn a tragedy story for profit and trying to get money out of a situation is blasphamy. ABC and Extreme Makeover needs to make sure this cannot happen in future homes. the houses they build are elegant and gorgeous and most beyond the common american family’s wealth so whoever gets chosen to receive a home needs to be sure they are in the house for 20 years and cannot lost it due to lack of financial resources.

Yes, I feel that some of these families truly need help, but the houses are too elaborate. If the family wants a house that elaborate, then they really do not deserve a home. Additionally, the families that sell the home for profit do not deserve a makeover. If the family decides to sell the home (before a fixed length of time, such as 10 years), they should only receive the original mortgage, with an adjustment for inflation. For example, if the original mortgage was $210,000, then the family should receive $210,000 plus inflation for the house. That would deter anyone from selling the house for profit. The rest of the money should go back to EMHE. I also think that EMHE should build houses based on the family’s budget. Way too over the top for me.

Just a couple thoughts to ponder.
1) If I was in financial distress and had a crappy house, I would volunteer for the TV industry to come build me a house I could not afford so that I could sell it and move to a nicer, smaller home than they built, but bigger home than I had house.
2) TV is for entertainment and dreaming. The show does that and gives us a wonderful story to go with it.
3) The sell of the home at an increased value will hopefully contribute to stimulating the economy somehow. The only problem is if someone is trying to sell the home at current neighborhood home values. If they would just sell it significantly under the market value, wouldn’t they still make a profit compared to what they would have if they sold their original crappy house?
4) When they sold their new home for a perceived loss, they would still be making a gain of what they didn’t have in the first place, the new people moving into the home would have a nicer bang for the buck for their family which is as deserving as anyones, and the economy in that area would have a boost from the home sell and the new family spending more money in the neighborhood that they saved from buying a more unreasonable expensive home.
5) As for all those “green” comments, I’m still an American, capitalist, and big dreamer, big spender, and like my big truck, like my air as cold as I can get it while your sweating, and I will continue to spend frivalously because I can. Enjoy your green environment in your squished up bumper cars and sitting as close to your fan as you can because your concerned about spending a couple bucks. I will continue to exercise my rights to enjoy life. You only live once and those that save end up leaving earth with as much in their pocket as those that spend it all. God bless American and my belief it will rebound as it always does.

Even make over homes are getting hit, has the crisis missed anyone.

Excellent work, extreme makeover homes looks very good.

Seems dat kiersten, kerstin, and every othr spillin of the name she could come up with was turned down for a make over… back in 08…. wow. It is a TV Show. People Voll—-yen–ttteeeeeaaarrr…. to part take in the show. I just stumbled on this bunch of comments… they are more telling than the story.

the houses are more efficient, that washes the utility issue.
the mortgage evaporates, more than counters the tax issue. and what ever the reason for the sale.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$#
It is a contest…..
they entered ,,,, they won….
what they do with the winnings…
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
NONE OF OUR BUSINESS >>>>!<<<<

Awww – that’s sad. The truth is.. with Extreme Makeover … generally the tax people come around and re-assess everything and then the property taxes skyrocket; thus, no one is able to now afford the home. I agree 100 percent with Cheryl above… the tv show dumps a ton of money into a house for good ratings but the people who they do it for are usually low income or needy. How can they afford to maintain a house like that?

although clearly some of the shows didn’t end up working the way intended in the end (I wish I could find more updates on family both on the web and on the show), but many do. the show has aired updates on some families who still upkeep and love their homes. The woman in altamonte FL (mentioned in an earlier post here as losing her home) did not end up losing it, she worked out a deal for the county fines and still lives there and runs her charity from there.

the show had a couple of seasons where the houses were too big, but they cut back. They also have many episodes where they pay off the mortgage, give the family a fund for expenses, and in some even do things to help their business. but even if you find the house is too much, I hope the families that sell find they are better off than before the show and I have to assume that the show explains to the families that there are expenses or taxes, etc.

overall I think the show is great and I believe more families are enjoying their homes than have sold them or lost them (oh yea, someone mentioned families not equiped to deal with the windfall, I am sure some do find going from almost nothing and then having a mortgage free million dollar home a huge temptation to borrow against, esspecially before the market collapse and if they have kids going to college, getting married, etc) – Douglas