The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition series has without a doubt helped change people’s lives. Between 2003 and 2012 the show was airing successfully, however, it eventually came to its end. As the show is preparing for a comeback in 2020, we can’t help but look back to some of their most memorable cases.
The Nickless family was one of them. Arlene Nickless, the matriarch, was fortunate enough to be selected by the team to get her house remodeled with the help of over 100 volunteers. Their episode aired on TV more than a decade ago, but life has surely not been as kind to them since then.
Tragedy Followed By A Happy Ending
The Nickless, were a happy family of five until they were struck by tragedy. Three beautiful sons and their parents were living happily in their 3,200 square foot house. Tim, the father, was a hero. He was working as a nurse, devoted to saving people’s lives.
He sadly passed away and left his family struggling to get over his death. As time went by, it became more and more difficult for any of them to cope with their loss. Their story, however, made it clear to the production how much exactly they needed their help, and eventually, the ABC producers showed up at their house.
Beautiful House, Not-So-Beautiful Taxes
After their house was taken care of, no one could have prepared them for what was to follow. Over the years, the country’s economic situation resulted in a noticeable increase in taxes. Arlene started hitting bumps along the way, and affording the house became an incredibly difficult task.
In 2017, her mortgage debt caught up to her, and the house had to be auctioned. As her very well-deserved dream house was being stripped away from her hands, Arlene could not help but fight to keep it. However, at the time the taxes that came with it were already triple in size.
All That Was Left Were The Moving Boxes
Over 552,800 people were left homeless in 2018. Unfortunately, the Nickless family were no strangers to that. As the deadline came closer for them to evacuate, they put all hands on deck, packaging all their belongings. Despite their efforts to keep it, they were hit hard by reality in May 2017.
According to Arlene, they might’ve been able to take away her family’s home, but they will never be able to strip her of the beautiful memories she created there. She couldn’t do anything other than to keep on packaging, trying to save whatever she could from the place she once used to call home.
So Many Happy Memories
Even though years have gone by, Arlene remembers the day the camera crew came to her house as clear as day. After all, it was the very miracle for which she had prayed after her husband’s passing away. Once Ty Pennington and the crew approached her, the hope she could finally start hoping for a better future again.
Although there are only happy and thankful feelings surrounding her days at the show, it’s safe to say that having to let all of that go came with its toll. Sometimes the things we wish for can be taken away, and there is nothing left to feel happy about when that happens.
Extreme Makeover: Criticism Edition
Over the years that the show had been airing, many people couldn’t help but notice the number of families that were left struggling after their lavish home-makeovers. As if some financial situations weren’t hard enough, the families were left with deluxe houses to take care of, and no funds.
The Nickless family was not the first to experience this problem, and certainly not the last. However, Arlene, even after her home was taken away from her, had nothing but good things to say about the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show. On the contrary, Arlene gave part of the blame to her mortgage servicer.
The Money-Related Problems Were Always There
According to Arlene, many things are to blame for her losing the house, but that does not include the ABC show. Once the makeover of her property was finished, she had to pay $30,000 for her annual mortgage. Over time, however, that price skyrocketed to $113,000.
Having almost triple the expenses for the home alone, it was natural for them to be struggling to make ends meet. As if that all wasn’t enough, in 2010 she was also involved in an accident, that kept her back financially. By 2016, her annual expenses were too much for her to handle as a single mother of three.
Fairwell Tim
As we’ve already somehow gone through, Arlene’s family situation wasn’t always like that. As a matter of fact, she was once proud to call Tim her husband. They had spent over a decade by each other’s side until he fell ill by Hepatitis C, a disease that he contracted at work.
Tim was a nurse, and the story has it that he got infected by it accidentally by a needle in his workplace. After battling with it for years, Tim’s struggle was finally over. He passed away in January 2008, just nine months before the Extreme Makeover crew showed up on Arlene’s doorstep.
With A Little Help From My Friends
A passing is never an easy thing to deal with, more so when we’re talking about a loved one. When Tim died, Arlene was left to cope alone. Not just that, but she also had to put in a strong face for her three sons. Without her husband’s support, the struggle Arlene was facing was hitting her hard.
Thankfully with the faith that the show put into her, she was able to catch a break. As if the entire production company was not enough, more than one thousand people showed up at her house willing to do whatever possible to help them through their tough situation.
Re-Built From Scratch
From an old 19th century farmhouse, the house was easily converted into a 3,200 square-foot dream house for the Nickless family to enjoy. Equipped with four bedrooms, it had everything the family needed and more. Although the task wasn’t an easy thing to undertake, the love and support her close ones showed made it all possible
A complete restoration like that can last up to months. But with the help of over 1,000 pairs of hands, the task was able to be fulfilled in a matter of five days. Once the house was finished, Arlene and her sons returned to witness a miracle come to life.
Little Dreams Coming True
One of the things that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition became famous for was the personalized touches they gave to each and every family they worked with. For the Nickless children, they decided to make their dreams come true, decorating each and every bedroom to their own personal styles.
One included LEGO-like furniture, the other one had a blueprint theme and the third one came with its very own airplane-bed! The smiles on their little faces must have lasted for days, if not months. Clearly, not just Arlene got a break, but her three wonderful and loving sons as well.
Good Timing, Bad Pricing
As we’ve already gone through, part of the criticism that the show alone has received over the years has been that their makeovers cause a substantial rise in the houses’ mortgages. However, that was not the case with the Nickless family. The production company and the banks involved did everything possible to maintain it affordable.
They managed to keep their annual mortgage from $140K to just $30K. Despite their efforts to keep the prices down, unfortunately, they could not affect the taxes as well. The makeover happened in 2008 when they only had to pay $2K, but by the end of 2009, their taxes were raised to $7.5K.
All The Expenses Piling Up
By the time Arlene had to let go of the house, in 2017, the expenses seemed like a mountain. Not only had the prices tripled over the years, but their economic situation had also worsened by a lot. It was simple, the family did not have enough money to pay off all the debts.
Arlene knew that she had to find a solution otherwise they could be facing homelessness, much like so other families throughout the States. Especially with having three children to take care of, it eventually became easier for her to let go of her house than to come up with the funds needed to keep it.
It Became Hard To Keep Track
As if the taxing skyrocketing wasn’t enough for Arlene’s pocket, merely two years after the home makeover, she got into an accident while driving. The incident burnt a huge hole in her wallet. The expenses were just too many for her to handle. She has always been a fighter though and didn’t give up.
As time went by, it became more and more difficult for Arlene to keep track. With a pile of overdue bills stacking up, be that medical, mortgages or taxes, her finances had surely looked better. Not just that, but she also had three mouths to feed on top of hers.
Never-Ending Nightmare
As Arlene was forced to bite more than she could chew, her mortgage company thankfully came up with an offer. They would pay off whatever she owed as long as she was able to come up with $15K on time. Arlene naturally rushed to her bank to get a loan, but she could never anticipate what would follow.
By 2011, the mortgage company changed hands. The company that was now handling her case, unfortunately, was not so eager to help her. According to Arlene, she could hardly find anyone to communicate with about her case. Not just that, but she also now had a loan to take care of.
Was She Being Scammed?
Not only was Arlene not getting enough money into the household, but also the debt was now piling up more than ever. To her surprise, when she tried communicating with her new mortgage company, they couldn’t even connect her to any English-speaker. With a quick search online, she realized there was something dodgy going on.
The company is now being investigated upon. As she couldn’t get into any mortgage affordability programs after the house’s makeover, Arlene had but one choice. She stopped paying the company altogether, not even were the expenses incredibly high, but the company also did not seem at all decent.
Cease And Desist Order
As it later turned out, the company she was dealing with had a large history of improper handling with its borrowers. The company started being investigated by the State of Michigan, and a cease and desist order was quickly filed against them. Arlene, nevertheless, had to keep collaborating with them.
They tried coming up with solutions for payment, but it was becoming more and more obvious to her. It would be incredibly difficult for her to be able to keep their dream house. The very house in which she once dreamt of raising her children alongside her deceased husband, Tim.
Is There A Way To Compromise?
Her mortgage had switched hands back in 2011. Since that very moment, according to the company, Arlene had not made any payments whatsoever. By the time Arlene’s story became public once again, she needed to pay off about $275K in order to fix her problems.
She and the company were now in good terms, however, and were trying to come up with solutions. She was given a proposal, to be paying $1,650 every month until her debt was paid off, but that number was clearly too big for Arlene, who also had to worry about her three sons and their needs.
Saying Goodbye to Tim's Legacy
Arlene is a fighter, so she never stopped looking for solutions. The thing she wanted most in the world, was for her family to keep their home. The house was Tim’s legacy and the place when her sons grew up. It was suggested that she sought help from non-profit organizations
Unfortunately, as it turned out, Arlene simply didn’t have the funds needed to keep it. Even the best non-profit wouldn’t be able to save her in her current economic situation. She had to keep an open mind, and that would mean letting go of the dreamhouse. It went on an auction for $176K.
Is The Show To Blame?
Upon hearing Arlene’s story, many people came to the conclusion that the show was partly to blame. It was not the first time that people had to leave their expensively renovated houses behind after the show’s deluxe makeovers. However, Arlene seems to disagree with that claim.
No matter what, she only thinks fondly of the show and its production. Although a formal reply from the production was never issued, mortgage service companies have noticed them using expense-cutting techniques that make the houses less expensive, to begin with. They were cutting back on their projects in order to avoid such mistakes.
The Two Sides Of The Coin
After doing but a small search, one can find that the Nickless family was certainly not the first nor the last family to lose its makeover home to oversized taxes. Just some examples include other families that appeared on the show, like the similar case of Debbie Oatman, the Higgins, and the Harvey families.
All these families ended up losing their houses. In all the cases, the taxes were too high for them to follow. Most of the families who appear on the are not in the best economic situation, to begin with, and that was the show’s entire meaning. There are always two sides to a coin.
Bittersweet Feelings
According to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition production, it’s all about making a change and giving people a chance to turn their lives around. However, it’s clear that if the family isn’t physically prepared for that opportunity it would be like trying to poke a hole in the water.
In most cases, the families get by, by having to sell their newly-remodeled houses, however in cases like Arlene’s they almost faced bankruptcy. Downsizing is never a bad thing, especially if it's towards something more affordable, but having to be forced out of your new home, that’s never pleasant.
What's To Come?
Unfortunately, ever since their eviction, the public has not heard any news from the Nickless family. As their future became more uncertain than ever, we can’t help but think about what they could have done differently. No matter how one sees it, fate has been tough on them.
Only 3,000 people get infected with Hepatitis C within the States each year, Tim’s case was an extremely unlucky one. Now, on top of having no father, the family had to lose their home as well. Thankfully, Arlene’s always believed that she had to keep fighting, so it’s safe to say that they’ve been working towards solving their problems.
An Empty House, Filled With Memories
May 29, 2017, marked a new beginning for the Nickless family. That was the date when they were scheduled to leave the house once and for all. It was the house in which Arlene and Tim were once dreaming to have the next generations of the Nickless’ grow up.
As fate has been exceptionally cruel to them, Arlene had no choice but to evacuate. The only thing that was left inside it now, was anything they didn’t find the time to salvage. In 2017 according to statistics, more than 676,000 families had to foreclose their family homes.
Leave Without Saying Goodbye
Since they were leaving in such a rush, Arlene didn’t even have the time to get the best price on her house. Although this 3,200 square-foot home could clearly fetch enough money to at least pay off her debt, the family had to sell out as quickly as possible.
If not, they’d have to leave the house by force. Unfortunately, such situations are not unheard of these days. All that was left for them to do, was pack everything as quickly as possible and find a more affordable place in which to relocate. I was without a doubt, an end of an era for the Nickless family.
Public Request For Help
Thankfully we live at a time when people can find many ways to get help when needed. J. Ervin Bates was helping the family at the time with their financial planning, and he took it upon himself to host an online fundraiser in gofundme, hoping to help them clear out their debt.
Fate, however, was still nothing but cruel to them, as even though they managed to raise some funds, they never reached their goal. The fundraiser is still open to the day, despite years having gone by and people are still welcome to donate. Every single penny earned through it goes straight to the family.
Failure Despite Their Best Efforts
They were able to raise a couple of thousand dollars through Bates’ campaign, but that was not nearly enough for the sinkhole in which Arlene had fallen in. Unfortunately, their gofundme page did not make the money needed. In fact, today, despite their $150K goal, they’ve only gathered $2,715.
Despite all their efforts, it seems as though the Nickless family has now forever lost their home. There haven’t been any updates on the case since 2017. Arlene has even taken a step back from her social media accounts, and what’s happened of them is yet unknown.
Goodbye Eifert Road
They lost their father, they lost their home, but let’s just hope that they hadn’t lost their hope. If there’s one thing we’ve realized with their story is that Arlene has always put on a strong face in front of her three sons. Yes, fate has treated then exceptionally cruel, but she always kept her hopes up.
We can only hope that they’ve found a place to stay. As all of them have decided to stay away from underneath the spotlight, we can never know for sure. Their dream house was located in Eifert Home, Michigan, so it’s safe to say that they haven’t moved too far from there.
Ups And Downs Of Extreme Makeover
Despite all the criticism that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has received through cases like these, they’ve always put a great deal of thinking into which families they would help. When the show was still airing, there was always a gigantic queue of families waiting for their chance.
In fact, the production was putting a great effort into selecting the right family. In 2009, it was reported that one had slipped. They had renovated the house of a family who they thought had two daughters suffering from a rare immunodeficiency disease, when in fact they weren’t.
Try Not Going Overboard
On top of having people trying to falsely have them renovate their house, the production also had to make sure not to go overboard. There are many things to consider when undertaking such projects, like the family’s finances, needs, and dreams. No one said that making the show would be easy.
As we’ve already gone through, the Nickless family was not the first to face such issues after being helped by the show. In the past, most of the families were left with a huge tax increase on their hands, however, the production quickly came to realize that they’d have to take measures in order to stop that from happening.
Selling Isn't Always The Best Option
In many of the series’ episodes, they called upon the help of the loving neighbors in order to have the houses renovated in time. That was the case for the Nickless family as well. Just because they were happy to help, however, does not mean that that’s the case for everyone.
In some cases, when the family had to eventually sell their houses due to problems that we’ve already discussed, they also had to deal with the disappointment of their neighbors. There was one case in 2010 when the family sold their house to a person that eventually turned it into a rehabilitation center, and the neighborhood was extremely unsatisfied.