Help Amber and Ben Save their Home
Help Amber and Ben...SAVE THEIR HOME!
Hi, my name is Christan, I’m a friend of Amber’s. The unfolding of the last few months has put the Rhodes family in an unjust and unexpected crisis with the risk of losing their home.
Nearly two years ago, the Rhodes family embarked on a journey to make a home for their family. After searching, Amber found an abandoned, dilapidated, older home in much need of repair.
She found out the house was badly damaged by previous tenants and then abandoned for a year. So she located the name of the owner to see if he would consider a rent-to-own agreement. He agreed to meet them at the house.
Once inside, Amber and Ben looked past the rotting kitchen floor, cracked windows, peeling paint, floors covered in decades of dingy floor wax, the dark and grimy interior, unsafe stairway...and saw that this was a house into which they could pour their heart and soul. This was going to be their new home.
They made an agreement with the owner to rent-to-own for a fair price. He agreed to replace the kitchen floor, front door, and paint the outside of the house. They agreed to restore the rest of the house. At that time, the housing market was not yet booming and the owner saw an opportunity to have his property repaired.
For over three months, they spent thousands of dollars in supplies and hundreds of hours of sweat equity. With an army of family and friends, they cleaned, hauled away decades of garbage and an old hot tub, cleared away broken glass and dirty hypodermic needles, cleared brush and weeds and repaired broken windows, sanded and painted.
Ben spent untold hours, day and night, stripping the floors of layers of build up, and polished them back to their original glory. They replaced all light fixtures and every surface was cleaned, stripped, and freshly painted. A banister was built for safety, the plumbing was repaired, and little by little the home began to shine and fill with love.
Finally they moved in! Their home was now cozy and beautiful, under Amber’s vision and artistic hand.
The closing date was pushed back, due to issues with the owner not fulfilling his obligation to paint the outside of the home and the underwriter getting sick with COVID. The owner had agreed to let them rent until closing.
Right before the closing date, the owner suddenly turned on a dime. He told them to move out in 30 days...OR...pay a much higher price than agreed upon. The new price was astronomical and impossible.
The housing market is now booming and we’re sure the owner knows he can profit from their hard work.
Amber will be giving birth to their 5th child this fall. The timing is beyond heartbreaking.
The Rhodes have retained a lawyer: this is matter of injustice. We are asking their friends and family to stand with them in love and support.
Please help them KEEP THEIR HOME by assisting with their legal fees. Their 5 little children desperately need security and a home. They can not afford all the court fees and legal bills, but if all of us who love Amber, Ben, and their precious family can give even a small gift, we can help them save their home!
