Extreme Makeover: Fucked Edition

[gsdx]

Enough past contestants lost their new homes through taxes as well as income taxes (since the home values are 'winnings' according to the IRS), upkeep, home equity loans (when their mortgages are paid by some publicity-seeking store or company), high mortgage payments, bankruptcies, and so on.

What's worse is the fact that virtually all of the new 'mini-mansions' are built in areas where the property and home values are far below those of the new homes. When people sell them, they can't get anywhere near the value of the homes when those around them are sold for hundreds of thousands less.

The people couldn't afford to live in the homes they were living in before. How can they possibly live in new homes which cost them thousands more each month?

And now, with the American economy the way it is, I'm wondering how many more people are falling to to it and losing the free homes which they can't afford to live in

Of course, with every single thing (and I mean every single thing) that goes into those houses being donated, the only profiteers are Ty Pennington and his designers and ABC.

You'd think, with all the millions ABC is pulling in each week, they could afford to buy Ty a belt.

 

[gsdx]

In Australia, if you win the lotto or prize of any kind, it's considered a windfall and you don't pay income tax on it. You do pay tax on any interest earned etc, but not on the bulk of the win.

The same holds true for Canada. However, if a Canadian goes on an American game show and wins money, they pay American taxes, both State and Federal.

 

[gsdx]

^ I'm guessing it would apply to any non-American contestant.

 

[LESAINT]

They should stop that show.. i can't watch it because of what you said..

 

[Lefty]

I am not challenging any portion of this thread. Questioning the validity of some or all, yes.

Property values are determined by the neighbor hood, not the individual parcel.

The lucky winners are not losing a dime if they sell.....the sale price is in fact a gift,

what did it cost them...you can't lose what you don't pay for.

Ex...my home has dropped almost 300,000USD since the 'recession'.....have I

lost this money...no, #1 I haven't tried to sell it. #2 I would lose some money

at this point by selling but that has been partially augmented by my tax

advantages as a home owner, my occupancy of the dwelling and my enjoyment

of the embellishments I have done to the property. No argument here, just

some possible confusion as to apples and oranges. I do wholeheartedly concur

with the THRUST of the thread. JMHO.

 

[Mike68]

Wow, most of those folks lost their homes? How sad. Some of those folks seemed that they really appreciated and needed it at the time..

 

[Lefty]

brick,

I hate the show and wish they would give ty a belt around his neck and waist to see which will 'catch' on first. brooooohahahah.

 

[gsdx]

Why don't they just renovate a cute little craftsman bungalow instead of constantly shoving those behemoths up our ass?

That's what they used to do in the first season. They did nothing more than renovate broken-down homes for the inhabitants and fix the most serious problems. Even the stories weren't heart-wrenching sob stories. It all changed when the show caught on and the sponsors jumped on board.

The lucky winners are not losing a dime if they sell.....the sale price is in fact a gift,

what did it cost them...you can't lose what you don't pay for.

The homes aren't a 'gift'. The electric bills on all the big screen televisions alone would cost a fortune. Seriously, why does a teenage boy need 6 plasma TV in his bedroom? There are big-screen TVs in virtually every bedroom.

Families who used to live in 1200 square foot homes suddenly had over 4000 square feet to run around in, and along with all that footage came higher taxes and higher upkeep.

They aren't a 'gift'. These people were struggling to keep their old homes alive. Their salaries didn't increase when they got the new house.

 

[Lefty]

Neil,

I am not disputing, I am in total agreement. It is a stage show a 'raree'

show whose sole purpose is cheap coverage and maximum advertising

revenue generating.

Its like the money the U>S> pours out world-wide and fuck the people here.

Can you imagine what 1 month of that shows time, equipment and sponsorship

could have meant after Katrina? Or movie stars that adopted American

homeless..or..orrrr...well I'm sure you get my drift.

DISGUSTING and I make it a policy to try and avoid the sponsors too.

 

[gsdx]

There is also the matter of 'needy'. There have been a number of scandals including a memo which was leaked a few years ago listing the 'needs' and 'illnesses' they would consider.

There is also the famous scandal in which a Hawaiian family's house was ready to fall into a ravine. It was revealed later that both the husband and wife made over $100,000 per year each.

Yup. Needy indeedy.

Here's an interesting read. The comments which follow the article are equally interesting and revealing:

http://gawker.com/5510397/extreme-makeover-home-foreclosure-edition

 

[Lefty]

Neil,

still reading but we are on the same page.

Did note, the one casualty they cited got burned by his own greed....

still the bulk is there and very very hard to digest.

Maybe I need to beef up my intake of Cynic Juice...EH?

 

[jameskelly]

What I liked, what I don't now:

I liked that the early show had a lot of home renos for people with various disabilities. It was very educational, provided an example for other builders, and served a specific need. I remember there was a girl who couldn't be in the sun, for example.

I don't like what was a simple and moving show becoming overwhelmed with excessive noise and ra ra. It's no longer a relaxing Sunday evening show for me.

Maybe there is a shortage of needy people in the U.S. who can still actually own a home, but some of the needy have become a bit questionable.

I do not like the excessive attempt to attach the show to flag-waving patriotism. Serving your country is patriotic - building a house is just building a house.

Here's what the show really reveals - America's lack of a meaningful social safety net, unemployment insurance, and public universal health care take a real toll on some families, and reduce homeowners to real poverty. And a few winning the lotto isn't going to change that, but addressing the issues for everyone and fighting for change will.

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

Television is a vampire that suck creativity out of your brain and replaces it with fake entertainment.

 

[MoltenRock III]

Why should the beneficiaries who make hundreds of thousands of $$$ be taxed any less?

Most winners of the American lotteries also end up declaring bankruptcy just a few years later. They can piss away $100 million faster than a crack whore on ice.

Instead these people should be sent to financial management classes, to learn how to manage their wealth. Poor people with poor people mentality will make insanely foolish decisions when it comes to money, and if they win a few million $$$. They have no concept of saving, investing, or what to do to make your money work for you.

I don't have much sympathy for people like this however. The lottery winners end up with millions upon millions of dollars, or a multi-million $$$ home from the Extreme Makeover show, same thing really. They now have the money to buy good financial advice. If they're too dumb, or shortsighted to find a good advisor and put themselves on a strict budget, they will never have two dimes to rub together. Poverty is more than a condition it's a mindset.

 

[USEDCAR]

Well if a single mother of 3 kids is working at a Grocery Store making 7 an hour why in the hell are they going to build them a house the size of the white house? With pools and bowling alleys and a whinnie the poo room with life time size characters for Shirley who can afford that? Maintaining the house and paying electric? i know the taxes are hell especially when they throw in fully loaded suvs. And i don't understand if i live in a bad neighborhood and all the houses are ghetto why would i want a big McMansion in that neighborhood.


I agree they should just remodel the house or just tear down the house and put a small compact modular in its place. During the first season they used to gut out the house and kept it simple.

 

[Lefty]

JamesKelly....

I am feeling free to say Hi.f......HI.

Now, you can feel free to climb down out of you "gilded" yes, gilded. Not
golden, tower and apologise to Americans and Canadians alike for your blanket slams posted above. I hope the error was in interpretation and that your petty self serving 'I am so much better than you people...americans..' implicating remarks were not intended as they read.

Personally I have many friends and acquaintances on both sides of the border
and a few other borders as well but would never castigate them in a blanket manouver as you have done.

Maybe my one Red White and Blue nerve/thread is hanging out...maybe not,
I do know that I am not 'dissing' all Canadians for the apparent lack of breeding in one. The purpose of this post is not dissing you, it is almost asking all people
to think about what they say about other people when making collective remarks

 

[gsdx]

I liked that the early show had a lot of home renos for people with various disabilities. It was very educational, provided an example for other builders, and served a specific need. I remember there was a girl who couldn't be in the sun, for example.

Some of the sob stories I've seen on the show were ludicrous, though. I'm not a fan of the show by any means and watched only a few episodes when HGTV Canada broadcast it for 15 hours a day when they got the programme, but a few that I watched were stupid if people really thought about it.

One was a problem with radon gas in the basement. A roll of plastic from the hardware store would have solved that problem. But 'no'. . . build them a huge, honkin' house.

Another was a couple with 2 daughters in wheelchairs. So, what do they do? They buy a split-level house which Ty tears down so he can build them a huge, honkin' house.

Another was a single father on Welfare and food stamps trying to support 4 sons who shared 2 bedrooms and slept on the floor because their father couldn't afford beds. So Ty builds them a huge, honkin' house for the father who is still on Welfare and food stamps and his boys. Oh yeah. . . the youngest boy, I believe, was 16 or so. The oldest was 22 or. Get out there and find a bloody job!!

Granted, some of the cases were, indeed, very needy (health care for sick children can drain the coffers so very quickly, but caring for a sick child is hard enough without the financial headaches of trying to stay afloat in a huge, honkin' house.

 

[bankside]

If they can't manage their finances before the show, and getting a free house doesn't help them, the problem is them, not the government or the network.

They should be willing to sell the house if necessary, and live in something cheaper. I don't buy the argument about some disadvantage due to the wrong neighbourhood. Any of our houses would be worth millions more if it were magically transported to Holland Park in London, but that's life.

And ultimately, people aren't made to appear on this show as some kind of punishment. Nor is it something like jury duty. These people are volunteers. They should cherish their chance.

 

[gsdx]

I don't buy the argument about some disadvantage due to the wrong neighbourhood. Any of our houses would be worth millions more if it were magically transported to Holland Park in London, but that's life.

I think you should study up on real estate before making such statements. A property is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. Transporting a crappy house to Holland Park in London doesn't suddenly make it worth millions. It's still a crappy house.

And building a mansion for $15 million in the midst of $200,000 homes doesn't mean the mansion will sell for $15 million.

Real estate doesn't work that way.

 

[rareboy]

I'm sorry.

But I always think that all those 'get something for nothing' losers who allow their lives to be so totally trashed by being involved on these shows all get what they deserve in the end.

It is the perfect morality play of some Americans thinking they can live beyond their means without consequences.