Help Save This Family's Home!

Help Save This Family's Home!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Four years ago the Vardons moved into their dream home, in part to improve the life of their 16-year-old blind and autistic son, Lance. That same year "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" came in and completely revamped the Vardons' house so they could finally sleep peacefully. Judy Vardon told us Lance often sneaks out in the middle of the night and the Vardons can't even hear the door opening. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" added cameras and a slew of other hi-tech gadgets, so the Vardons and Lance could function and feel safe.

Judy told us her husband works for one of one of the big three automotive companies and might be laid off in the coming weeks -- but they just renegotiated their mortgage with a super high rate of 11.50%, not to mention all of the medical bills that aren't covered by insurance. We first heard about this story from our friends at Detroit's "Mojo in the Morning". Watch as Mojo and co-host Spike -- who are both dads -- take us into the Vardons' home and present them with a huge check to get the donations going!

Judy Vardon shared with momlogic how "scared she is to lose their home, because Lance will be very confused and go back to his old life -- which was such a struggle for all of us. Because his mind (autism) always thinks this is his home forever -- it will destroy his emotions."

If you have an extra $5, $10, $20 or even more this holiday season, please send checks to: Judy or Larry Vardon,  P.O. Box 721084, Berkley, MI 48072-0084

6 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

Does EHM charge people for fixing up their homes? Why do they have this super-high mortagage? I’m sure they made their home worth way more than what they owe. Sell it if you need to.

- Crystal

Posted 12/11/08 02:47 PM

My understanding is that they absolutely do not charge them (at least the builder and the team who does the work are there as volunteers), but they don’t always eliminate their former mortgage debt. This was probably what they owed on their previous home. They may also have refinanced to help with medical bills, etc. and now can’t afford the higher mortgage.

- Not Sure

Posted 12/11/08 04:29 PM

Boo Hoo

- Anonymous

Posted 12/11/08 09:55 PM

Jealous are we Anonymous?

- Not Sure

Posted 12/13/08 10:07 AM

They probably refinanced to pull the new equity out to help pay bills instead of getting a second job. What’s the problem with that you ask?… well they clearly couldn’t afford the now much higher payment especially with the extremely high interest rate. They didn’t want to work any harder and take on a second job so they made a bad financial decision just like millions across the country and now they risk foreclosure. Should they get ANOTHER break just because they were once on TV? Sorry but I say NO. They’ve had their break and clearly don’t deserve another one. You can say that I’m jealous and envious of their luck, but the facts remain. They had an opportunity to have a home that made their lives better and by refinancing into a payment that they could not afford they may have gambled that away. The could have chosen for one or both to get a second job but they did not. No they chose to take the easy way out and pull the equity out of their home and accept a higher payment. Now we are supposed to feel bad for them and donate our hard earned money to pay their bills? Well I for one don’t feel bad for them and will not give them my hard earned money. People making selfish/lazy/BAD financial decisions is the main cause of our economic crisis. People need to get a grip on reality. If you can’t afford your bills now, you surely won’t be able to afford them once you refinance into a higher interest and payment. You may pay off a portion of your bills but your monthly payments will go UP PERMANENTLY and you risk losing your home. We do not have a debtors prison in our country. If you can’t afford your bills you can make payment plans. Creditors may not get their money all at once but they will eventually get it. Plus you aren’t risking foreclosure.

- anony

Posted 12/16/08 03:34 PM

I actually agree with you for the most part. But there should be Some sympathy. We all make poor choices when we are faced with hard decisions. They have a double whammy. The husband works for an industry that is imploding and faces periodic lay-offs. And worse yet, they have a son that requires a tremendous amount of expensive care and therapy. One of my best friends has a son who is autistic so I know at least second had how expensive it is to give them potential of having a “normal” life when they grow up, not to mention keep them safe in the process. They can never be left alone, and the people who provide respite care are very expensive. So getting another job is probably not a cost-effective option. It’s really a no-win situation. But maybe they could have made better financial decisions. Who knows.

- Not Sure

Posted 12/17/08 08:10 PM