First rebuilt home to be sold Friday

AVON PARK - John Hawthorne was at the work site on Wednesday, and so was the family who was earning sweat equity by painting the interior so 903 W. Bell St. would become their new address.

It's a Habitat project, so volunteers were there as well. What was unusual was the number of contractors and subs.

Highlands County Habitat for Humanity is hiring local contractors, who are employing subcontractors for plumbing, air conditioning, flooring, drywall, stucco and cabinetry.

The local Habitat has received eight foreclosed properties in the past six months through Bank of America's Donation Program, and $480,000 has been awarded from the National Mortgage Settlement Funds. That $25 billion pool of money was created from the settlement of a federal lawsuit with Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citibank, J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo. Habitat Florida shared $20 million with Habitat Highlands, which got $480,000.

"I've done two houses already, and I've got one more coming up," said David Marley, who operates his own roofing company with a crew of five. "It was a big shot in the arm to me."

Unlike Mason's Ridge, where Highlands Habitat built its own subdivision in east Sebring, the donated houses are in Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid.

"We've got them coming from all over the county," Hawthorne said. Some need minimal work, others are stripped to the bones and rebuilt, the most dilapidated are tear-downs.

The same goes for roofs, Marley said. "We may tear the roof off down to the plywood and replace the water-damaged wood, and then put a metal roof on." Unlike asphalt singles, galvanized metal can last a lifetime.

As houses are completed, they'll be sold to families already on Habitat's waiting list.

"We're closing on one Friday, and one more is coming up," Hawthorne said. That's the Avon Park house.

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First rebuilt home to be sold Friday