Family has to sell "Extreme Makeover" Home - can't afford taxes & utilities

[RamboLiberal]

Two years after Victor Marrero was chosen by ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to receive a brand-new five-bedroom home in Pennsauken, he's moving out.

In early 2007, after Diane Sawyer profiled Marrero and his son Billy Joe inside their roach-infested Camden rowhouse during a 20/20 program about the impoverished city, hundreds wrote in to nominate the family for Extreme Makeover.

That August, series producers handed the father of five sons the keys to a home on property donated by Urban Promise, an East Camden youth program.

This week, Urban Promise agreed to buy the house back from Marrero for $275,000.

Property taxes and utility bills had piled up for Marrero, who was living on a $939 monthly pension. A $59,000 donation from the community collected by New Jersey homebuilder J.S. Hovnanian & Sons, which constructed the house in a week, had gone to pay off longstanding debts.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20090725_Pennsauken_manplans_to_sell__quot_Extreme_Makeover_quot__home.html

Couldn't get a pic to paste but you can see the house here. http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20090725/NEWS01/907250338/1006

Not the first story I've read of this happening. Guess it looks good on TV but some might be better off with a Habitat for Humanity home or the Extreme Makeover people ought to be more sensible & build something the families can afford to pay taxes & utilities on.

[spanone]

1. yea, but i'm sure it was good for a few tear jerking moments on teevee

and that & ratings is really what these 'reality' shows are about.

[demmiblue]

2. Not sure, but I think that happened to the Detroit family, as well.

Very sad.

[angrycarpenter]

3. I've always wondered why they give a huge house to poor people.

Doubling the size of a house quadruples the upkeep and utilities and raises the taxes. I imagine that there are a lot of them in the same boat. Every time I saw them put a poor family into a mansion I thought to myself that it would eat them alive with debt.

[Lifelong Protester]

4. This just confirms what I always thought

these 'reality' and I use the term loosely, shows are for ratings and for "show", not for 'reality'. For Pete's sake, couldn't someone have figured this (the cost of taxes, utilities, upkeep) before hand and done something more reasonable, such as Habitat for Humanity style home?

[RamboLiberal]

5. New Assessment, Higher Taxes, Insurance to Come for Hampton Family

By Brad Belote

Story Created: Jul 23, 2009 at 10:01 AM CDT

Now that the cameras and crowds have gone, the Hampton family of western Greene County face a new financial reality.

Chris & Niki Hampton and their six children had their home destroyed and rebuilt by ABC's "Extreme Makeover:Home Edition."

A 3,200 square foot house replaced their 800 square foot cottage.

The Greene County Assessor will visit the property in the next 30-60 days. New taxes on the home will start in 2010.

The Hamptons also face higher homeowner's insurance premiums. Farmers Insurance has donated a year's worth of insurance to the family. The company is also adding an identity theft policy because of the family's recent notoriety.

http://www.kspr.com/news/local/51487097.html

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. $939 a month income can't support a house

[TreasonousBastard]

7. here were similar problems with "This Old House"...

and a few people sued. They thought they were getting everything on the arm, and then the bills and reassessments started coming in. I vaguely remember someone getting stuck for almost a quarter million in renovations.