but Macmeda sent this.
Saul Hudson adds
Just three years ago, the Harper family was riding high. They were selected to be on Extreme Makeover, an all-volunteer effort where workers slave around the clock to turn a dilapidated shack into a glorious mansion in less than a week. And it didn't cost the family a thing. Now, they stand in horror as a bank tries to steal their house because the Harpers couldn't repay their debt.
Like many Americans at the height of the real estate bubble, the Harpers saw opportunity right beneath their feet. With their house as collateral, they took out a $450,000 loan to start a construction business. The Harpers banked on their celebrity to overshadow the fact that they couldn't even take care of their original house that was already built, let alone build an entire new house.
"So what if my house was literally falling apart, I don't know a thing about construction or running a business and the housing market was about to go into the crapper," Mr. Harper said. "What was I supposed to do, let my ATM, umm I mean, house just sit there with all that equity like some kind of chump? The house was nice and all, but it's all about how much cash you can take out these days."
The company failed shortly after it started and the Harpers stopped making payments on their loan. Now the bank plans to forclose. While the house may be gone, they are lucky enough to hang on to a few of the creature comforts that come with squeezing every ounce of equity from a house, including the luxury SUV that was leased through their now defunct construction company. But in addition to being victims of greedy banks, they are also being victimized by oil companies. "If it wasn't for those damn gas prices, we would still have that house," Mrs. Harper told CNN. "But at least we look important while we're driving around looking for places to rent. That's all that matters."
How Saul knows all this, I don't know, but it appears he is being tongue in cheek and that is all good.
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