Atlanta ‘Extreme Home Makeover’ Home In Foreclosure for Second Time
In Clayton Country, Georgia, a metro Atlanta home featured on ABC’s “Extreme Home Makeover” is facing foreclosure for the second time in less than a year.
The 5,500-square-foot Clayton County home, on Ahyoka Drive in Lake City, will be sold on the courthouse steps Tuesday.
Eight months ago, homeowner Patricia Harper said that it was no one’s business that the house that so many people had built with their own time and money was in foreclosure.
“In a case like this … it’s just heart-wrenching. I just don’t understand,” said Lake City Mayor Willie Oswalt.
Oswalt said the Harper’s finances are the public’s business, because along with foreclosure again, the Harpers haven’t paid their city garbage bill in a year and a half.
“Well it was in November of 2006 … and their current bill is $432,” said Oswalt.
“Because it’s depressing for me … I work every day to pay for mine,” said Angela Clayton.
Chase said the Harper family again defaulted on a $450,000 second mortgage. They’d worked out a plan to save the home the last time.
“I don’t like to owe anybody $10 … you talking about $450,000. I don’t understand, I don’t comprehend,” said Oswalt.
Milton and Patricia Harper were given a paid-off, completely-furnished mansion, a college trust fund, and total freedom from property taxes for the next 25 years. Essentially, they won the lottery, and that’s fine. Good for them! Someone has to be lucky.
Someone had to be greedy, too.
Milton and Patricia Harper got it into their minds that they wanted to start a construction business. They thought this would be a great idea despite the fact that there was a visible and sharp downturn in store for the housing and construction markets in their area. They decided to do this despite the fact that they had no experience with the construction business, no savings, and no way to really get things off the ground.
But they did have all that equity in their house…