The median duration of homeownership in the U. S. is 13 years, with a 3 year increase since 2008. However, homeownership duration varies from area to area. One significant change is the median tenure of a family in a home, which has increased by nearly nine years since 2008. The most recent average duration of homeownership was eight years, while the median was 13. 2 years in 2021, an increase of about three years over the last decade.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) maintains historical data on various aspects of homeownership, including the median tenure of a family in a home. In 2024, the average length of U. S. homeownership is 11. 9 years, nearly double the length of 6. 5 years in 2006. However, home ownership has been on the decline since 2020. According to Redfin’s analysis, homeowners typically stayed in their homes for 10. 2 years in 2012, increasing to 13. 5 years in 2020. The trend for homeowners to stay in their homes has flattened after the pandemic, with the average tenure coming down to 12. 3 years in 2022.
Most American residents live in their homes for less than 15 years, with 47-seven percent of homeowners between six and 10 years. The median tenure of a family in a home has increased by nearly nine years since 2008, with many staying in a house several years until they change jobs or divorce or can afford a nicer home. The average mortgage is 7 years, as people often intend to stay in their home for 10+ years.
Pew Research has shown that the number of Americans living in multigenerational homes has quadrupled since 1971, and the share of Americans living in multigenerational homes has quadrupled since 1971. The answer to this question depends on the home life you have and how you were raised. For example, some people leave home as soon as they graduate high school, while others may be within 5 miles of each other or even closer.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| What is the average length of time people live in houses … | I doubt that there is a true average time that people live in a house. My average time would be just over 12 years, but my first house was 18 months. | quora.com |
| How long do homeowners stay in their homes? | As of 2018, the median duration of homeownership in the U.S. is 13 years1. Compared to previous years, homeowners opt to spend more time … | nar.realtor |
| How Long Do Most Families Stay in Their Home? | How Long Do Most Families Stay in Their Home? | linkedin.com |
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What Is The Average Length Of Homeownership?
The average length of homeownership in the U. S. is 16 years, with lower-earning and less educated individuals typically staying in their homes longer. As of 2024, the average duration is approximately 11. 9 years, reflecting an increase from the shorter term of 6. 5 years in 2006. Around 42. 3% of homeowners have lived in their current residence for less than 10 years, while 8. 6% have remained for 40 years or more. The median homeownership duration reached 13.
2 years, a significant jump of 3 years since 2008. Different factors, including region and home age, influence these averages—the typical American homeowner spent 12. 3 years in their home in 2021, slightly down from 2020's peak of 13. 5 years. Renting is often cheaper than buying in 59 U. S. markets, and only 32% of millennials own homes. Additionally, the homeownership rate stands at 65. 6%. From 2010 to 2020, U. S. households expanded by just 10.
1 million, the lowest increase for any decade since 1950. Despite fluctuations, Americans are generally staying in their homes longer than in previous years, with a marked rise in median tenure since the early 2000s.
How Long Do California Homeowners Stay In Their Homes?
Approximately 35% of homeowners have resided in their homes for 10 to 15 years, while 16% have lived there for less than five years. The average homeownership duration is eight years, with a median tenure of 13. 2 years, marking a three-year increase over the past decade. Homeowners in California tend to stay the longest in their homes, with significant variances across different metro areas. For instance, homeowners in large cities like New York City and Los Angeles average 15-18 years, exceeding national averages.
In contrast, the Mountain States exhibit the shortest tenure. A noteworthy trend is the increase in median years spent in homes; it was only 4. 4 years for homeowners selling in California’s 30 largest cities in 2019, gradually rising to 4. 8 years by 2021. The typical U. S. homeowner now spends 12. 3 years in their residence, down from a peak of 13. 4 years in 2020. California cities like Los Angeles and San Jose boast the longest homeowner tenures, averaging 18.
7 and 17. 8 years respectively. Interestingly, a significant portion of homeowners, around one-third, plan to remain in their current homes indefinitely, particularly those without mortgages, many of whom have lived in their residences for 30 years or more.
Do Most 20 Year Olds Live At Home?
Younger adults in the U. S. are increasingly moving back in with their parents, with approximately 45% of individuals aged 18 to 29 living at home, the highest rate since the 1940s. A 2022 U. S. Census Bureau report revealed that nearly 10% of young adults aged 18-34 lived alone, while 30% of those aged 65 or older did so. Among those aged 25 to 34, a greater percentage of women (43%) than men (34%) were living with a spouse. Additionally, data from 2021 indicated that one-third of U.
S. adults aged 18 to 34 resided in their parents’ home. A Pew Research Center survey found that young Americans are increasingly likely to see this living arrangement as common. Although 55% of millennials owned homes in 2023, up from 52% in 2022, many Gen Z adults, aged 19-26, continue to live with their parents. The trend shows that living at home is a delayed sign of adulthood; in 2021, only 22% of 25-year-olds were married, down from 63% in 1980. Current data also suggests that young adults are staying in their parents’ homes longer than previous generations, making this the most popular living situation for young Americans today.
What Is The Typical Lifespan Of A House?
The average lifespan of a newly constructed house generally ranges from 70 to 100 years, influenced by several factors such as construction quality, materials, and maintenance practices. In the United States, the average age of owner-occupied homes increased significantly, from 23 years in 1985 to 35 years in 2011. Homebuyers typically anticipate living in their homes for about 15 years after purchase.
Although many houses built with high-quality materials can exceed 100 years, the overall life expectancy of a house largely depends on factors like installation quality, maintenance, climate conditions, and usage intensity.
While a commonly held belief suggests that a house can last at least 60 years, a well-maintained structure can endure well beyond that timeframe. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates the average lifespan of a house to be around 70 years, with concrete structures typically lasting from 75 to 100 years. Various components of a house, like those made from concrete, brick, cast iron, or copper, tend to have longer life spans. Therefore, effective routine maintenance is essential for enhancing a home's longevity, allowing it to possibly last indefinitely with proper care.
How Long Do People Usually Stay In Their Homes?
Homeowners in California exhibit the longest tenure in their residences, with typical durations of 18. 7 years in Los Angeles and 17. 8 years in San Jose. Other notable cities include Cleveland (17. 4 years), San Francisco (16. 7), and Memphis (16. 5). The analysis by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) indicates that homeowners generally stay longer in homes in areas with fewer new residents; the average homeownership length stands at 16 years.
Interestingly, 42. 3% of homeowners have lived in their current homes for less than a decade, while larger metropolitan areas like New York City and Los Angeles see tenure ranges of 15-18 years, above the national average. Conversely, the Mountain States have the shortest homeownership spans. As of 2024, average U. S. homeownership is 11. 9 years, nearly doubling from just 6. 5 years in 2006. While tenure peaked at 13. 4 years in 2020, it has remained relatively high, reflecting a trend of people owning homes longer post-pandemic.
The typical U. S. homeowner currently resides in their home for 12. 3 years, a figure that has slightly decreased from the previous peak but is still higher than historical norms. Additionally, a significant portion of homeowners, particularly baby boomers, plan to stay in their homes indefinitely.
How Long Do Most Families Live In A House?
In the U. S., homeownership trends indicate that a significant portion of homeowners have resided in their current homes for extended periods. Specifically, 47% of Americans have lived in their homes for six to ten years, while 35% have stayed for ten to fifteen years, and 16% for less than five years. The average length of homeownership is approximately eight years, but a noticeable shift in median tenure has occurred. Over the last two decades (1985-2008), the median tenure averaged around six years; however, by 2018, this duration had increased to 13 years.
Remarkably, as of 2024, the average length of homeownership is reported to be 11. 9 years, nearly doubling from 6. 5 years in 2006. This trend indicates that homeowners are increasingly choosing to remain in their residences for longer periods. Historical data from the National Association of Realtors reveals a growing preference for stability in homeownership, as families opt to stay in their homes longer than previous generations.
The evolution of median tenure reflects broader changes in housing patterns, with families often living in homes for over a decade, thus highlighting a significant cultural shift in attitudes toward homeownership and relocation.
What Is The Best Age To Leave Home?
The average age for individuals to move out of their parents' home ranges from 24 to 27 years old. This timing aligns with the completion of education, marriage, and the establishment of long-term relationships. Financial stability is crucial, as many young adults remain at home due to high living costs and student debt. While traditional departure ages are between 18 and 25, the decision largely depends on personal circumstances and planning.
Conflicts with parents may increase as individuals seek independence, but the timing of moving out varies greatly. Some parents expect children to leave home once they can support themselves, while others are more lenient. Factors such as financial readiness and personal maturity play significant roles in determining the appropriate age. Surveys indicate that 52% of individuals aged 18 to 29 lived with their parents as of mid-2020, reflecting economic pressures.
Though many agree that 25 or 26 is a suitable age for moving out, it's emphasized that there is no universally "right" age. Preparing for independence includes saving several months' rent and managing expenses. Young individuals typically feel ready around 22 to 24, but circumstances such as job availability and home life can influence their decision, illustrating the need for individualized consideration. Ultimately, the average age to leave the nest remains between 24 and 27, with various factors affecting the decision for each person.
What Is The Average Lifespan Of A House?
The average lifespan of newly constructed houses typically ranges from 70 to 100 years, influenced by various factors including construction quality, maintenance, and environmental conditions. Weak materials and weather exposure can significantly shorten this lifespan. In the U. S., the age of owner-occupied homes has increased from 23 years in 1985 to 35 years in 2011. Homebuyers usually plan to reside in their homes for about 15 years post-purchase.
While the typical house lifespan is said to be between 50 and 100 years, many high-quality builds can last beyond that threshold. Regular maintenance and timely repairs can prolong a home's life considerably. For instance, the average lifespan of a roof is about 20 years, largely determined by the roofing material and climate. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suggests an average house lifespan of around 70 years, taking into account geographic factors and construction quality.
Furthermore, while modern homes can achieve lifespans exceeding 100 years when well-maintained, the age of homes in the U. S. indicates that a significant portion are over 60 years old, illustrating the potential longevity of well-constructed residences. Thus, proper care and quality materials play a crucial role in the lifespan of houses.
How Long Do Americans Live In Their Homes?
In the U. S., homeownership has evolved significantly over time. As of 2024, homeowners typically reside in their properties for approximately 11. 9 years, a notable increase from the 6. 5 years recorded in 2006. Statistics reveal that 47% of American homeowners have lived in their residences for six to ten years, while 35% have done so for ten to fifteen years. Only 16% have spent less than five years in their homes.
The average length of homeownership stands at eight years, with the median tenure rising to 13. 2 years, marking a three-year increase over the past decade. Among homeowners who sold their properties in the second quarter of 2022, the average tenure was about 5. 87 years.
Homeownership trends indicate that a significant portion of homeowners, over a third, plan to stay in their current homes indefinitely. However, regional differences exist, with some households frequently moving. The statistics highlight that while the typical American homeowner has spent 12. 3 years in their home, recent years have shown a trend of increased stability in homeownership. Furthermore, the need for higher salaries to afford median-priced homes across many states complicates the landscape for potential buyers. Overall, homeownership durations reflect broader economic realities and changing demographic preferences among Americans.
How Long Does The Average Person Live In A Home?
The study indicates a slight dip in U. S. homeowner tenure in November 2021, where the typical homeowner spent 13. 2 years in their home, a decrease from 13. 5 years in November 2020. This marks the first reduction since 2012, which had an average tenure of 10. 1 years. Currently, the average length of homeownership in the U. S. stands at about 13. 3 years, though it varies significantly based on factors such as location, income, and education. A significant portion of homeowners, 42.
3%, have lived in their current home for less than 10 years, while 8. 6% have remained for 40 years or longer. Since 2008, median tenure has notably increased by three years. By 2024, the average length of homeownership is projected at around 11. 9 years, nearly double the 6. 5 years recorded in 2006, although this has been declining since 2020. The analysis highlights that many homeowners tend to stay in their residences longer, especially older homeowners, as younger buyers typically remain for shorter periods, often moving within 3-4 years.
It's reported that the typical duration someone remains in a nursing home is about one year. Overall, homeownership tenure has varied widely over the years with societal and economic changes impacting relocation patterns.
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My family applied to be on the show. Because we lived 60 miles from the companies that supplied materials (home depot, sears) we were awarded a “runner up” consolation prize of $5000. We fit their “profile” perfectly. Years later, hearing the horror stories about increased bills, ect, I am thankful that we did NOT get a new home from them.
I worked on this show as a construction worker and it was obvious afterwards that the network didn’t care about the family. The hosts would pull up in a limo wearing tools get filmed and get back in the limo. The family at the end would have drywall screws popping and doors not closing because we built it in 7 days.
We have a similar show in Poland called “my new home”. They help with houses in very bad condition for people who really struggle and THEY DONT DEMOLISH THE BUILDING. They renovate the house, fix heating, get the water running, get rid of mold, etc. and then make nice, normal looking decor. My jaw absolutely dropped when I saw this show demolishing houses and then building literal mansions. Just wtf I don’t really know the fate of the families on our show but there’s no way it’s worse than this
I remember being amazed as a kid at how the crews could get these houses built up in 1-2 weeks. As a construction worker now, I realize just how awful of a strategy that is. Each stage of the construction process, from foundation to framing to drywall and tile and so forth, needs time to settle under the new weights each material are subject to. A house built in this kind of timeframe is all but guaranteed to have at least tens of thousands of dollars in repairs in the future, as many materials will start to crack and fall apart under the house’s own weight.
OMG I’ve told all my friends about this. There was a family on my street that had this done. Literally by the end of that year they were out. Broken/faulty piping and electrical issues were the least issues. But apparently, they couldn’t afford the improvements and when trying to sell, the realtors wouldn’t allow them to add the upgrades to the price. The family lost it to foreclosure before they had enough to get another place to live. I DESPISE this show and am ashamed my dad and I watched it near every week
I worked on s3 ep7 “The Teas Family” and it really opened my eyes, the show literally did nothing, all the materials and labor where donated, and everyone worked 24 hours a day for a week to get it done. The only thing the “Stars” did was what you saw them do on camera, they would walk in with the cameras, do their bit and then leave. The work was so shoddy, can you imagine literally 10-15 tradespeople in each room crawling all over each other to get this done? There is absolutely no way anyone could build those houses in a week and do good work. So many good people came to help that you couldn’t find a hotel room up to two hours away. F that show, they couldve actually done so much good with all the people that it brought together, but they just used those people for ratings.
I watched one of these houses get built. Two workers were working on a dresser, or something similar. A camera crew told them to stop, which you could tell the workers didnt expect by their reactions. One of the hosts walked off of an RV glued to her phone. They filmed her pretending she was the one working on it. Then once they got their shot she went back to the RV and they gave the worker their tools back like ‘here you go, now get back to work’. She was there for maybe a minute. I wasnt close enough to hear what was said, but the workers reactions said it all
There’s one particular episode that has always stayed with me. It was a family that lived in a low income neighborhood on a street lined with modest bungalows. The EHM team built them a mansion with a European style fountain in the front yard. It was ridiculous and the house stuck out like a sore thumb. 🙄
I had a friend and neighbor who got this done. On almost everything the contractors just did what was necessary for things to look good for the show then walked away. They left lights and appliances unwired, tile floors unfinished, molding and baseboards that were never fastened to the walls. Then, of course, the show was over, they had been paid and had no interest in coming back to complete the work. They also left a 50yd dumpster behind full of thousands of dollars of art supplies and tools mixed with trash and unused construction materials!
Not this show, but a UK version, I remember perusal as a kid and being horrified. They destroyed this historical house with all original fixtures and fittings. The lady who owned the house, didn’t know it was happening. The concept of the show was that it was a surprise, and they’d do all the renovations over a weekend, while the nominated person was distracted by friends and family by a weekend away. When she saw what they had done to her home, she burst into tears. They tried to play it off as happy tears, but she never said she was happy. She just looked horrified and cried. Worst part is, she was the one who got penalized by the council for unapproved changes to a historical building.
Extreme house flipper came to my little town and they built the castle for a family who lost their father and son. It was a huge thing for the town and the family as we are a tight community. But only a few years later the family couldn’t afford there house and had to go threw that struggle once again :/ it’s still so sad whenever it gets mentioned.
I remember perusal this show, thinking about the themed rooms and wondering how totally insane it would be as a child to have to grow up in a room like that. Kids get over things. Not everything is a lifelong obsession. When a room is based on cars, or planes, or god help you that Reptile enclosure (imagine the smell!) – not only will you probably grow out of it, but nobody else will ever grow into it. This show was a nightmare thought up by boardroom execs with no attachment to actual reality.
Duuuude my family almost got on the show after our house got destroyed by a tornado. My aunt gave us an application but my dad (who’s a builder) refused and built us a house himself. I was so sad because that was my favorite show to watch and i wanted to be on it lolol Now I’m kinda glad we dodged that bullet
I find it so interesting to examine these early 2000’s reality shows. I watched these shows growing up and during my teen years, and it’s crazy how normal it seemed back then, but on retrospect it’s downright dystopian. I would love to see more articles covering the ethical issues of this era of exploitation in reality TV.
We helped with one of these builds in Utah, mostly offsite. I didn’t know about the stuff in this article, I watched for a couple hours onsite and I can tell you first hand that we all couldn’t believe that the cities and counties had allowed this to be built like it had been. There were no inspections on almost anything. They were throwing walls up on concrete that was still being finished and hadn’t even dried. They had drywall going up as the electric was being roughed in, and a lot of it didn’t get stapled. There was tons of missing insulation, and everything was trying to dry as it was enclosed. They were painting over wet joint compound. We saw under engineered joists and had been told it was okay because they got approval. Most of the framing was built in sections offsite and moved into place for speed, but when assembled onsite people were using 2″ nails in places that should have had 3-1/2″ 16 penny nails. Plates weren’t getting bolted to the concrete in places. People were using the wrong materials all over. There was missing flashing, and vapor barrier. Everything was going up crooked and half assed because everyone was stepping over each other. I actually felt bad for the recipients because they weren’t aware that they were getting junk. I had a bad feeling about all of it. What horrible people those neighbors are to judge these families like that. People are so envious and selfish. Most the people getting houses didn’t even ask for them, and were already in tough positions.
This is why I think Habitat for Humanity is a much better alternative. Not only does HH assess what the family can and can’t do financially with home ownership, those living in the house have to spend time actually helping to build the home so that ownership for them goes beyond just having the title.
As someone who lived down the street from a house they did it’s really sad what happened. The mom had cancer and passed away 2 years after the home was built. Then the father started to get ill as well the kids grew up and were off to college. That house ended having to sold because it was too expensive to live in. Across the street was a double wide the neighbor hood they built that house in wasnt that wealthy…
I remember being a young teen and perusal this just thinking “if they’re struggling to pay the bills as is, how can they afford the bills now for a big house like this?” As I got older I wondered about how they’d afford the taxes and those things, like they didn’t consider the family income at all. So sad for the families.
EHM did one of these homes in my area. One of the contractors told me that things were slapped together so fast that the building/electrical inspectors barely had a chance to look at anything. Within a few weeks, the house starting having lots of problems. It caused so many problems that the couple ended up getting divorced and selling it.
I love that people volunteer their time and services to help their community that’s struggling… then when the family struggles harder and is forced to sell the community is mad that they “wasted”their time/money volunteering? Narcissistic Bastards. It’s like if you prayed for someone’s cancer to be cured, they die, and then you are mad at them because you wasted prayer on them.
I remember I started taking construction classes in school when this show was popular and I went from a fan to really worried for the families. These families were barely scraping by and now they’re giving a home with higher maintenance and living costs. There was no way the construction was well done. I just started seeing all the faults in their builds and couldn’t see why the show was still on.
The Marine (Dan) in the beginning of the article was my room mate when we worked together in the Corps. We were stationed at Camp Johnson in MotorT together, where he met his wife and mother of his kids. I got out of the Marines several months before he went overseas and was impacted by the IED that destroyed his Hummer. I lost touch with him over the years and didn’t know he had fallen on hard times and was going to be on the show until I was traveling for work and saw him pop-up on a tv in the hotel lobby. He looked exactly the same as he did when we worked together, down to the hair cut. Bottom Line, Dan is an amazing guy and I hope he’s doing well.
I watched this show as a kid and I would fantasize about what my dream bedroom would look like, but I was too young to even consider the ramifications of it all. I feel like everyone who grew up in the 2000s looks back at all these reality shows we were constantly exposed to as young children that were normal at the time, and most of the time they’re just kind of stupid and it’s all in good fun to go back and watch them, but hearing about what these families went through after the fact was the first time I got genuinely angry looking back.
Not only are these houses were incredibly impractical, and costly to maintain, they are very highly and flashy customised so very difficult to sell. Not to mention 1 week to build using so many volunteers, no matter how well meaning those volunteers may have been and how skilled they are, builds with such speed and that many ongoing work at once in same space inevitably have things that don’t set right.
This analysis makes an excellent point: People who have never owned a house are much less likely to understand the full economic impact of owning one; especially a gigantic, expensive one. They literally take advantage of people’s desperation for ratings. Lesson: Whenever you experience a major life event, get professional financial and legal advice because, most people are blindsided by realities they never even considered. The entertainment industry is built on taking advantage of people. There is nothing “charitable” about any of this.
We had a disabled dads ( he had a terrible car accident) home done in my town and they actually did an amazing job redoing the house to make it accessible for him in his wheelchair. It was early on in the show, perhaps it got worse, but I’ve been in the home and it still looks ok and the dad is walking again!
It’s not just this show, it’s shows like trading spaces and these miracle makeover shows. My parents did three episodes in our house when I was a teen, tournament style where “America votes” to see who goes to the next round and the winner gets their mortgage paid off. They made it to the finals and lost because the other couple had a movie set builder who did outrageous stuff. Well looks good on camera but after a week of filming the stucco on the walls was falling, lights were taped on and not actually installed under kitchen cabinets etc… then the tax bill comes for all the “free stuff” you get. It was a joke… I don’t recommend anyone do these reality shows.
I knew one of the families that was on early on in the show. Their story was very challenging disabilities in 3 of the 4 family members, and their rebuild was almost entirely focused on accessibility, and the house wasn’t too crazy since all but the able son’s room was pretty normal just with added accommodations, and it was still there last time I checked. Shame it got too crazy.
I donated material and worked on the Beach family house in Kemah, TX. Most of the volunteers had no idea what they were doing and had never worked in construction. To build a huge house like that in a week was terrible. Everything was rushed and slapped together. They installed WAAAAY too much lighting to make everything look good on camera without bringing in TV lights. There were all kinds of problems with the house over the next few yars in addition to the huge cost of just living in it. The Beaches sold the house and now it is a drug treatment cener for “high net worth individuals.”
I used to watch this show when I was younger and even though I enjoyed it, I always wondered what happened afterwards. Now I know and my heart goes out to the families. What makes things even worse was that the peak of the show was before the Housing Bubble burst around 2008-2009. Even families that didn’t have extreme makeovers were losing their homes due to mortgages being too high (mine included) which was devastating so I can’t even begin to understand how the families felt when they had to leave their dream homes if you can even call them that. The examples Patrick gave in the article are the families that spoke out. I’m sure the rest of them went through hell but kept quiet to avoid the backlash other families got. It’s just…reality TV is built on spectacle. It always has been so sometimes people forget that there are real people with consequences that happen to them when the cameras turn off. Extreme Home Makeover is another example of that.
My dad was a tax lawyer who managed the taxes for one of the families who’s house was redone on this show locally, and seeing how badly the family got hosed by ABC + how much in terms of tax expenses they were left holding the bag for, he stopped being a fan of the show. Evidently they absolutely trashed the home to make it look like an utter sty before they sent the family off on vacation too. Like came in with a truck full of garbage backs to scatter around the hallways
I always wondered how the families that were already struggling financialy were going to pay for the upkeep of those over the top houses. Now I know… I also wondered how good the construction and finish could be when building a house so fast and with several builinding crews working together that never worked together before. That is why I only watched a handful of episodes of this show because I had a feeling it was all about ratings and the new home owners weren’t better off in the long run. They were probably super happy in the first few weeks or months… until the reality hit of how much it would cost to live in a mansion and when they started to realise how many corners were cut to build it so fast.
I remember perusal this show, and being amazed, being so touch by the stories and was just so happy!! Such a shame, that some of us really brought into the bs! Literally I couldn’t imagine how many families were into debt after and it makes me angry! Makes me angry that Ty still enjoying life now and has that new home makeover app game.
In my home town a local family “won” one of these and their entire home was redone to assist with their child who was in a wheel chair, only for them to have to sell it a few years later. They had the same issue with property taxes. It was that moment in time, and eventually owning a home, that got me thinking “Why do property taxes INCREASE if you own the house, made changes, and paid for said changes? It’d be one thing to sell it and new owners have to handle the “new” property taxes from the upgrades. But forcing the current owners who made or paid for renovations to pay more for improving their own properties? That’s insane.” Property tax is just another “normalized” weird thing.
I used to watch it as a kid and even then, even though I loved the show I would still spend the whole episode wondering how the family was supposed to pay the bills when it’s all over . If even my 8 years old self could think about it, it makes me think the producers thought about it too, they just did not care
After our house flooded in 2008 people were offering to apply us to the show. My dad said that we couldn’t afford it (we also had the radio station generator to worry about as the place was originally a radio station). Lost the place in the end after trying to fix and rebuild ourselves. I can’t imagine what they would have done to the property. It’s sad that they couldn’t just upgrade the home to be new materials, up to code etc only but then that wouldn’t be good tv.
I remember when “Extreme Makeover” first aired years ago and saying “Yes, it’s a dream come true, but how will they be able to afford to maintain it if they’re already financially struggling?” I had assumed “the dream home” these families ended up with would be mortgage free…if it wasn’t, they certainly weren’t doing that family any favors. Just goes to show you that nothing in this World is really “free”….there’s always a catch…ALWAYS.
We had an extreme makeover home built in my city back when this show was on the air. The family that received it definitely deserved it, but they couldn’t afford the huge property tax increase after the new home was reappraised and the property taxes increased by a factor of 10. They had to sell their home and move out of it less than 2 years after receiving it. Many of the neighbors in that area also had to sell their homes because the extreme makeover house increased the value of the surrounding homes so much, the property tax amount skyrocketed for the entire neighborhood.
I remember when tv show like this started airing in Poland. Everyone, me included was like “damn it’s not even close to the one from the states” Then everybody realized that you need to pay the bills and it’s actually a much better deal than getting a house similar to the one from the original show. Beside new house people would get new smartphones, insurance for the house etc. Seeing this show was always really fun
Wow I remember perusal this show as a Child and was amazed at the remade homes with their out of this world crazy room renovations. But I never realized how all the good will could turn things from bad to worse for the families involved. I still remember one family with a child that couldn’t walk and was in a standing wheel chair, so the new house the family got had a built in elevator. Can only imagine how much money that was needed for maintenance and electricity bills. Hope that family was able to keep going after everything that happened.
OMG this is so true!! I swear on everything I love I had two neighbors I wish I remembered their names that lived right across the street from me. It was around 2003 and the two girls were on this show but it was so weird because they had a nice house makeover on TV but they were literally living across from me in some apartments in the hood. I remember telling them on the bus that I saw them on TV and they said they didn’t want to talk about it. I haven’t thought about them in decades I hope they’re doing well
I knew that there was a dark side to this television show right from the start, but I didn’t know what. It just seemed like this television show came in and invaded those people’s lives without regard for what these families really wanted. Plus, the new houses were far beyond what the families needed to live.
I watched this show as a kid, of course being totally amazed by these tacky creations. As an adult, I started working for architects and engineering offices. It took months to get a new house permitted, let alone construction and the final inspection to get a CO. I wonder how much clout Disney needed to get these done so fast.
I remember perusal this when I was a kid and it was my favourite show ever. I was like 8-10’ish and didn’t understand any of the financial consequences or future headaches. All I saw was a family who got a free vacation and a wonderful castle designed specifically for them. Now when I think back on this show I can’t stop thinking about the taxes, the community hating me for raising their taxes as well, the ridiculous levels of maintenance, and how difficult it’s going to be to sell a 10+ room home with several of the rooms being specifically designed with built-in dinosaur beds and air plane cabinets. Who is going to buy that!? Many of these homes are borderline unsalable. It’s like trying to sell a shirt or mug that has a person’s name printed on it. Who is going to buy your used shirt that says “I love my mother Cindy Larson”?
I rent my home, it’s beautiful, my landlord is kind and very understanding, great livable prices, I’m so lucky to be in that situation and the idea of someone buying this house, tearing it down, and then building something shitty and tasteless and leave me with the bills makes me want to hurl. I can’t imagine that kind of stress. G-d bless these families
This show used to air locally every Sunday night in the 2000s. I always thought how cool it would be to get a brand new house in exchange for an old house but now, as a grown adult, i see the problems they realistically bring. At the time i thought destroying and old house and building a new one in its place in 7 days with the amenities was crazy amd now they confirmed im right
the same happened with the lower (very much lower) budget editions in france. in some poor areas, you just can’t have nice things in display in your garden because it will trigger your neighbours’ envy. and in some areas, they’re especially envious and petty. some families ended up having their cars degraded. some had to move out because the makeover was poorly achieved and things started to crumble on their own.
I know about this first hand. I live outside a small town in the middle of kansas and several years ago a tornado came through and trashed half the town. There was a military family who’s home got destroyed and they were put on this show. The problem wasn’t that they didn’t need the help it was the fact that there were other families who needed it too but this family was arrogant and not really liked by the community and they eventually sold the house and no one else could afford it so I think it ended up being torn down anyway
I know of a family this happened to in a city just outside Wichita, Kansas. There was initially a lot of backlash from the community, but when the family explained everything, showing receipts, things seemed to calm down a bit and they were eventually able to sell it. This was a long time ago, but I seem to remember there being a clause in the contract that kept the family from selling for a certain period of time, perhaps I am misremembering. Great article!
This is like what happened to the Cars from “Pimp My Ride”. A lot of them became a headache or literally caught fire. As for this show, it’s sad seeing that what we saw as a good deed on TV turned out to be a nightmare for many families. I ran into Ty Pennington at a Soccer Game in Atlanta. I was shocked!
I have worked with kids ages 04 to 13 and SOME of the kids say they want to become a surgeon and actually follow through with it. Most of them have several obsessions and some of those become their actual focuspoint, others stay hobbies or they forget about them. I wanted to be a horse when I grew up. I am so glad I did not tell them, they would’ve build me a stable.
I knew it! When I first saw this show, I was first like “Aaaw they’re helping” But then I started thinking. All the houses became HUGE (I’m not a fan of big houses) I was thinking of all the cleaning you now had to do, the maintenance, what if the kids don’t like their rooms anymore? Like a full-on treehouse room is fun for little kids, but that little kid will become a teenager very soon. Sooner than you think The show then gave me an icky feeling, like “This can’t be good”
I remember perusal this growing up and I thought exactly some of those things as mentioned in this article. Insane size of the new home, rooms that insanely decorated and much more. I was naive to think that many of the new costs, the show would take care of but oh …was I wrong. I feel so sorry for the families 😢
Great article. I never knew all this. That’s pretty disgusting that streaming services don’t feature the families who ended up selling. To me, this show was because of the housing bubble, growing from about 2002 to now. Everybody was always talking about houses, buying, renovating, flipping, making more money, etc.
We used to watch this. We also flipped houses for 15 years and rented them out. One thing we realized was that there was no way families would be able to, not only afford the houses going foward, but deal with the repairs/maintenance that come with a new build anyways. Anyone that understood construction and renovation knew this show was a scam.
The community response to the families selling off the homes reminds me of that Simpsons episode when Ned Flanders lost his temper at Homer’s botched job at rebuilding his home (that he trashed). No matter how “charitable” one dresses up the reasons fot pitching in, there’s always that small part of expecting recompense and gratitude regardless of the family’s circumstances. And that comes out in full force when the family’s appear to squander their “gift”.
When this show, and others like Monster House or While You Were Out, were big when I was a kid, I thought the homes and rooms looked cool, but my dad said something about them that stuck to me over the years. He basically said that they look cool at the time of the show’s recording, but those families and homeowners would get bored of the decor and themes really fast. Almost 20 years later and I often wondered what those houses might have looked like over time, and how the families had dealt with it
me and my family used to watch this show all the time years ago, and I vividly remember the exact moment the “magic” disappeared to me and I stopped enjoying it, and that was when one of my sisters saw the bedroom they were making for one of the kids of the family, (he really liked some cartoon or something like that, and this show loved to take one thing the kids liked and theme the ENTIRE room around that) and she said “ok but what’s that kid going to do when he grows up and finds other interests? his going to have to redo the entire room?”. I stopped to think about it for a moment and realized she was right, the moment that kid with the horse room or the tape room or the construction room grow up or become disinterested in the thing his bedroom is built around it’s going to be a pain in the ass. Since then that show felt like the Pimp my ride of houses.
I watched one of two episodes. Saw several unsafe things happening during demolition of the NYC apartment belonging to a couple NYFD firefighters who lost friends in 9/11. Knocking the ceiling fan off the ceiling with a sledge hammer, knocking down walls that probably had asbestos in it. And they never mentioned in either episode that to do this work you need permits and approved plans with the city. I could see people perusal saying I can do this and creating a dangerous situation in their own homes.
I’ve always wondered how things like this play out after it happens. For example: people gifting a less fortunate person a car – Does the person receiving the car now have to pay the insurance, monthly payment, etc on their brand new Tesla, or whatever car they’re given?? may be a dumb question but i’ve never been gifted a car lol
Very enlightening. To be honest I had thought that the “Extreme Makeover” would have investigate the potential of this happening BEFORE they designed the new home – the home should have been designed to meet the families monthly budget and NOT put an additional burden of higher power and tax costs to a family already in stressed situation. Have any of the families been able to sue EXTREME MAKEOVER”?
It’s funny because my family and I would watch this show religiously, every Sunday after AFV. And even as a kid I would always question the fact that if the families were already struggling to pay bills how the hell would they be able to pay for a bigger and more expensive house?? Great article as always
In Poland we have similar TV show called Our New Home but its on much smaller scale. They usually just renovate the homes, build new roof, make it warmer, put in new windows etc. I heard that they take more than a week (in TV they say it takes a week) and family just have longer vacation. I never heard anything bad about the show
I live in the town near Atlanta ga where they built a mini mansion for a family that couldn’t afford it. Within five years they lost the house due to it being so expensive, I don’t even know if anyone else moved in or not but it’s definitely a novelty house that sticks out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood it’s in 🙄🙄🙄
I’m glad you did a article on this. I use to watch this back in the day. I never understood them building elaborate houses for people who were usually struggling to pay bills. They show wasn’t paying their bills so it just didn’t seem to make sense. As for Rocket Money, I tried it recently and I didn’t like giving permission to all my accounts. It just didn’t sit right with me. One last note. All the neighbors and volunteers that helped and made a rude comment about the families can go to hell. The fact that they can’t understand why a struggling family can’t pay for a bigger house just means they are close minded assholes. To place blame on the families is disgusting and shameful. They didn’t squander. They didn’t ask for it. All these jealous bitches want a better house but don’t understand what it’s like to struggle. People want bigger and better but want it given to them. Shameful
9:54 The Harper family is actually the one in the wrong. If you look up their story, they were given that house, MORTGAGE FREE, and went out and got a collateral loan on the house to start a business that went nowhere. I can understand the frustration from the Mayor about giving the family a free home and then losing it because of their stupidity. The families were even told NOT to take loans out of their new homes for that reason specifically.
I saw one of these stories which featured a family with a wheelchair-bound child. A supposedly handicapped-accessible shower was badly done, and the child couldn’t reach the handle unless he was out of the chair …. yeah. And that was only one issue with the house that the family faced. The entire show was nothing but a self-congratulatory exercise, punctuated by Ty Pennington shouting into that bullhorn or choking up for the camera. While the intentions may have been nothing but good, it did not turn out well for a lot of folks involved.
Growing up in the late 90s early 00s. I LOVED this show. There was even an episode in a close by town. Then adulthood hits! Crazy how this went south, but it makes sense building huge homes for people already barely making it😢 Sad what Hollywood and the general media, even “content creators” “YouTubers” do for views now and then !!
Not to mention that they built some of these elaborate, amazing homes in the middle of neighborhoods that weren’t as nice, or were really small. Imagine you live in an equally small, kind of run down home and suddenly your neighbors are getting a huge 6 bedroom mansion on your street…. I’m not thinking in a “why do they get that” way…. I’m thinking logistically
Clara Ward from my city of Erie, pa. In the summer of 2009, Ward received a new home which included expanded space for her Youth Development Center childcare program as part of the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” reality television show. In 2019 she became to sick to continue regular Youth Development Center programs but still lived there with her son until she unfortunately passed away Monday, August 26, 2019.
Dear LORD! We have a similar show in the UK called DIY: SOS which started as a team going in to finish off half done jobs in homes that weren’t completed due to various reasons. It morphed into something similar where the families chosen all had quite sad or difficult stories behind them. BUT The difference was that they rarely demolished the houses wholesale. The conversions were very sympathetic and manageable for the families unlike the gaffer tape bedroom (I….I mean….what!?!?!) The show is so well regarded here that even the Prince and Princess of Wales have appeared on it to help out.
The themed bedrooms are horrible because I remember being 3 and wanting to paint my bedroom purple because I was going through a “girl hate pink” phase. Hell knows what they would have done to my room on this show. Plus the reptile kid probably had so much responsibility foisted onto him because ABC latched onto one aspect of his personality and ran with it. me, having read about the baby sulcatta THAT KID IS DOOMED.
That’s extremely sad! I always thought that the show would do things in such a way as to make the extravagant homes financially feasible for these families since the point was supposed to be to lessen their burdens. I always loved that show, because I thought it was truly making a difference for these people.
If they were going to do this for struggling families specifically, they should have held crowdfunding efforts and put it in some kind of trust to only be used for bills. Like a setup to keep their expenses the same or lower than they were before they got the help, so they could maintain it. Or made contracts with utily companies to cover the costs using proceeds from the episode.
After working on this show for a season I can tell you is was chaos. Ty was absolutely horrible to work with and 90% of the show was a lie. Thank you for saying this. Now cover Fixer Upper with the Gaines. Most don’t realize that those homes are staged with $100k work of furnishings from the “Magnolia Family”. Then sending the owners a bill for the items that is unreasonable given the plot of the show which is : not paying full retail for a home that can be made over.
10:01 his remarks came from nowhere but a racist place. He saw a black family and assumed they were ignorant “blacks” who were poor with their money. He himself probably never even earned what he has, got a huge loan from daddy and inherited land stolen from natives and worked on by slaves. The boldness of some folks
I went to school with a girl who was on here. I was friends with her in middle school her name was Chantel and her father was sick. I saw on the show that they built them this big house and they had a ramp made for him because he was in a wheelchair. I always wondered if and how they were able to maintain that house. I’ve heard so much horror stories about Xtreme Makeover.
Also one thing you forgot to mention was in 2008-20010 the housing “bubble” burst and ppl everywhere owed sometimes double what the house was valued at. So many ppl couldn’t keep the home outta foreclosure. I worked for chase at that time and many couldn’t even refinance bc they had one or 2 late payments within the past 1-2years. Obama made the Harp to help but that wasn’t enough in most cases.
All the points you make are the exact same ones my family thought whenever we watched the show. Building a larger house than was there increases the utility & taxes expenses. And all the “fun & interesting” features make the home slightly unlivable. Features for increased mobility for people with disabilities is one thing, but a Jacuzzi in a bedroom–yeah. It was definitely an extension of the personal makeover for mom, in which how could she afford the $$$ & time to maintain the hair, clothing, and shoes? And Pimp my Ride, with a full BBQ in the trunk? (not so useful when just trying to pick up groceries)
About 15years ago when I first saw this show. I always wondered how these not so well off families were going to maintain these extra sized houses? It was like the Pimp My Ride or Make Over(make up) shows of the time. How will those poor souls maintain the extra stuff when they can hardly maintain the ones they had????
I was in high school in the mid-2000s when all of these reality shows started to really pop off. It was entertaining to me as a teenager in like 2006 but in hindsight these shows were simply outrageous and careless. Yes, at the end of the day the families signed contracts and kinda knew what they were getting into. But it’s still a shame that these multibillion dollar television companies don’t show a little more support post-production.
A family in my home town had their home re done on this show. They were neighbors of my moms co-worker and she said during the filming/building their street was an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE! Even after the show aired many people from the community wanted to go and see the house…Dunno what happened to the family, or the house. Ok just googled it. So! In 2009 they were facing foreclosure…but I guess as of 2019 they still own the home…🤷🏻♀️
In 2007, my city featured a family that seemed so bad off that I wondered how they could even survive. The matriarch was the secretary of a charter school that has ceased operations as of 2019 and, I think the patriarch is disabled. Every time someone that worked on the construction of the house drove a nail into the floor, the local ABC affiliate felt the need to interrupt programming to show you that a carpenter was just doing their job. The home was featured on ABC the weekend of the Superbowl that year and the house sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other homes in the neighborhood.
2 guys I went to school with Josh and Jeremiah were on this show. They were part of the big family that was all adopted or mostly all adopted. The parents passed from alcoholism. A few years after the show ended the family got rid of the two guys. Sad man. They even made their room the urban room so it kinda looked like a back alley
I remember as a kid wanting a new house from the show. I even started to fill out a form, but once my parents read the form they quickly changed their minds. As kids/teenagers we also changed our minds once the show got crazier and crazier. The rooms were so ugly after a while. An example is like the ugly fake tree in the middle of the kids room that took a huge chunk out of the room. Also I was not into pink as a kid and the designer for the girls rooms always picked pink and sparkles even when the girls told her they hate pink and sparkles (I remember a few girls looking so sad when they saw their rooms because girls were stereotyped so much). Once the stories came out about them all loosing their homes we were more glad we never finished the forms. It is sad that the community was like “Let us help them build the home, but once build have the property reevaluated in taxes increased three time as much”. My town would of had a field day. My mom painted her porch and got a letter saying the property was ‘randomly’ revaluated (literally less than two weeks after she painted just the porch) and the ‘value’ of the home went up by $50,000 increasing her taxes right away. I could only imagine how much it would have went up if we were on the show.
The community was upset at those families because that McMansion brought their property taxes up. Some of those huge houses cut off light from neighbors gardens, blocked light to their windows, and occasionally the crew would tear up landscaping that didn’t belong to them. Giving these families a house they couldn’t afford during the housing crisis is just cruel.
The problem with reselling some of these homes is that if the homes around are 3x as less and aren’t in the nicest neighborhoods or even just really middle class neighborhoods compared to the mansion itself, you won’t attract the buyers who can afford the mansion. And anyone who does want to buy it, will look for a steal and will compare it to the cheaper surrounding homes. Basically, selling and buying a home has just as much to do with the home itself, as well as the surrounding homes and community.
There are some success stories. That said, I did volunteer to help on one of these shows. One of the first things they had me do is bring gifts door to door to the neighbors. Small things like food. It was to placate them who probably were getting tired of all the banging day and night in order to finish the home on time. Most of the people I gave gifts to were nice. There were a few that wanted to argue with me. I told them they were barking up the wrong tree. If they wanted to argue, go around to the next street and do it in person. I was just a volunteer with no financial interest in the show. I didn’t end up volunteering for this again.
Did anyone consider that a poor family is still poor even after being given a fancy new house they can’t afford to maintain properly? Not to mention the fact that their property taxes just tripled because of the improvements. The neighbors already have been alienated because of the round-the-clock noise and not being able to park anywhere near their own houses during construction. And it’s always a mistake to decorate a child’s bedroom based on a current interest because children’s interests change with age: the kid is stuck with the Disney Princess bedroom even after a classmate informs her that Disney princesses are lame. Plus, would you really want to live in a house that was put up in a week by amateurs?