public schools aren't getting the job done. paul: thank you all, this is it for this week's show, thank you for watching, i'm paul gigot, hope to see you right here next >> i'm bob massi. for 32 years, i've been practicing law and living in las vegas. i help people with all sorts of real-estate problems, from trying to save their homes to closing major deals. eight years ago, 6,000 people a month moved here, looking for employment and affordable homes. little did anyone know that we would become ground zero for the american real-estate crisis. now, it's a different story. the american dream is back. we're gonna meet real people who faced the same problems as millions across america, and we'll dive deep into a city on the rebound because las vegas was a microcosm of america, and now vegas is back. [ woman vocalizing ]

>> thanks for joining us. i'm bob massi, the property man. las vegas was the epicenter of the housing bust, and nowhere was that more evident than a place called ascaya. this massive mountain development came to a halt, but it is back in a major way, and it's a place you really need to see to believe. ♪ i'm standing at one the most amazing developments i've ever seen. i mean, it is truly majestic. the mountain was purchased in 1989 by a man with a vision -- dr. henry cheng. >> yes. he had vision. what he did is he came here. he built all these lots. >> it takes a staggering amount of work to get these mountaintop lots ready for homes. >> you've got water. you have electricity. you have gas. >> but the developer took the time to do it right, before

listing them for sale. >> typically, what happens is the developer will do maybe a few lots or wait for reservations and, with those funds, create the next phase. in this situation, everything's done. the lots are graded. utilities are in. the developer's invested hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money. >> $250 million in development in all the groundwork, design, everything over a 5-year period. >> they say that ascaya is a greek word meaning "one who chisels boulders," and it is easy to see why. >> i've got approximately 32 miles of boulder walls in here. >> finally, all the boulders were in place, and the lots were ready. then the recession hit. >> that 5-year period ended right around 2008, and, obviously, at that time, it was not the right time to release a new community. so they made the decision to go ahead and pull the community off the market. >> he realized what was happening to the economy, and he just said, "shut it down." >> they didn't want this to be a ghost town, with one or two homes built in here. >> right. when many real-estate developers were running for the hills, the

folks behind ascaya were just sitting tight for years. >> he kept making sure that the landscaping was taken care of. they kept looking for what type of architecture they were looking for. everything was continuing. >> and we waited, and we waited. and then the signs from an international and a national and a local level all pointed to "now is the time." >> now here we are in 2015, and ascaya is up and running again. the vision he had more than two decades ago is now a reality. >> yay! >> there we go! [ applause ] >> the first two lots just broke ground, with 311 more to follow. the designs for the custom-built homes that will go there -- well, they're just as stunning as the land that will surround them. >> clients can come in, meet with their builder and architect, and design the home right on site. that is one of the hardest things in selling a lot, is that you have to also build the dream for the client so that they want

to design and they have an idea of what they want to build. ♪ you get a little bit of everything. you've got the buyers that are coming here as their second home to the family with three kids that are moving here for a permanent residence. >> what's amazing is the nature part of this and the brilliance of the design. >> they wanted to make sure that the design incorporated views for every homeowner as they would throughout the community. the way that the lot is positioned -- that's to maximize the view for each homeowner, who can still maintain a great view of the strip. approximately 80% of our lots have incredible city views. the other 20% are interior lots that still maintain those incredible canyon views that you saw coming up. >> the area around ascaya is a protected preserve, so the homes will always be surrounded by this natural beauty. >> the feeling that somebody gets when they walk in to ascaya is indescribable. you see it from a plane. you see it on a postcard. but you don't understand, truly, what you have until you drive up in and see the magnitude of the

layers, of the boulders, of the mountains, and you're immersed in what this project really is. it's this feeling of zen. but, at the same time, you look out and you've got the strip at your doorstep. you have this feeling of this energy that's all around you, where if you love nature and appreciate it, you will come in here and feel at peace and, at the same time, look out and see what las vegas has to offer. >> when we come back, the first home being built in ascaya will not just be beautiful, but it will also be energy-neutral -- no electric bill, no heating or cooling bill -- and we're gonna show you why. [ woman vocalizing ]

>> welcome back. i'm bob massi, the property man. how would you like to never pay another electricity bill again? your home could actually generate more electricity than it uses. it's called "net zero," and the folks at blue heron design and

build some really beautiful homes this way. ♪ tyler jones -- he's the founder and owner of blue heron. he's involved every step of the way. so, tyler, this is one that's under construction here, and, in this case, which is probably unusual, you're the developer, you're the contractor, you're the architect completely, right? >> yes. blue heron's really unique in that regard. we're full-service, and that whole integrated service is what really sets us apart, and it helps us to achieve this level of technology, 'cause there's a lot of planning that goes into developing net-zero homes. >> one of the most critical things is sealing the house completely so that no air leaks in or out. that involves using spray-on insulation and choosing the right windows and doors. >> the insulation in a typical home stops when it reaches the ceiling, and then the attic space is ventilated, so all of your mechanical -- your heating and cooling ductwork goes through this space that is not

part of the building envelope. so, what we do is called the cocoon system. we're gonna bring that insulation all the way up to the roof line, and then we'll use a closed cell foam on the roof so the entire building envelope is insulated. that way, all of our heating and cooling systems are within this insulated cocoon, and that is a big deal for the efficiency of the overall home. we let people pick and choose how energy-efficient they want their home to be. >> so, you give them options? >> yes. so, we give them all kinds of options, and it's really just about education, because, you know, some things are simple. you talk about a cocoon system. that's something that everybody should be doing. it doesn't cost any more money. it's just a best practice. and there's no reason to not do it in every home. >> let's go see one of these completed homes. i can't wait to see it. >> sounds great. ♪ >> from the outside, blue heron "net-zero" homes may look like any other high-end desert contemporary design. but inside the walls of these innovative and cutting-edge properties, you're introduced to

a whole new world, where energy efficiency is meant to be not only affordable but also luxurious. tell us about the courtyard and why you designed it this way. >> yeah. the courtyard's a big part of what we do. so, what we want to have is great connections to the outdoors -- a lot of glass to bring in this indirect natural sunlight into the home so we don't have to use a lot of lights during the day, but we want to keep the sunlight off the glass so we're not letting that heat into the home when it's trying to cool it in the summertime. >> it's really neat -- all this water here, a little waterfall and places to sit and a television. >> this is the main integrated living space. want to have all the living space kind of in one casual space you don't have to have all these subdivided rooms all over the house that people never use. the orientation is key, so, facing north, we can really have as much glass as we want, because we're not gonna have any direct sunlight coming through the glass. >> mm-hmm. >> the choice of glass that you choose -- the window and door system -- is huge, as well. really high-efficiency glass, really well-put-together window. kitchen's over here to my right.

you can see all of the low-energy appliances, all energy star plumbing fixtures, as well, so everything down to the efficiency in the appliances has got to be done properly. >> this is not a matter of just putting some solar panels on the roof, although that certainly is a big energy saver. the entire design and construction process is focused on saving energy while maintaining luxury. >> you know, everybody's lived in a home that is not energy-efficient. you know, we can continue to build homes that way, or we can do something that's better. >> let's go take a walk upstairs and see what it looks like. ♪ there's almost windows all around this home. >> yes, there is, and there's one key footnote to that, which is if you look at the wall behind me, which is the west-facing wall, there's actually no windows whatsoever. so, that western sunlight, when the sun's going down, we're gonna keep all that heat out of the building envelope. >> what are you giving up insofar as cost? is it that much more expensive than building just your regular home, which, obviously, is not

as efficient as this? >> we talk about passive solar design. that's just actually how we create the architecture to be efficient in the first place. so, we use a lot of these heavy overhangs, we use these courtyards, and it's all part of that vegas modern strategy of having all this indoor/outdoor relationship but not letting the heat through. that costs nothing. other things do. probably the biggest thing is the solar panels themselves -- significant cost to that. of course, you're gonna get that back over a series of years as you live in the home, saving energy. >> do they take longer to build than an average home the same size? >> the green building technology -- to put in the high-efficiency water heater or hvac system definitely doesn't take any longer than it would to use a conventional system. >> the water heater issue is very interesting to me, because you've explained how you literally get instant hot water. >> yeah. this is a tankless hot-water heater. there's two of them that run this entire house, and it's basically on-demand hot water, so when you turn on the faucet, it's gonna run cold water through a pipe. it's gonna run a flame on top of that. it's gonna heat it up instantly

until you're done asking for hot water. >> the perception is this place is gonna cost a fortune to air-condition it, but yet this net-zero concept works even with units like this. >> exactly. these are high-efficiency units. these are kind of the top-of-the-line units you can use for hvac. there's no excuse to not use this technology. it exists, so it has to be this way. there's no other way around it. >> up next, if you're 62 or older, the federal government just made some changes that could make things a lot tougher for you. we'll tell you why after this short break. [ woman vocalizing ] ...for that, and just a second, we also have the mendez mediation. brian is going to take the lead just follow his- hello. uh, no i need it right now. yeah... success is a numbers game.

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♪ >> welcome back. i'm bob massi, the property man. the federal government just made some major changes to one of the misunderstood items in real estate, the reverse mortgage. i'm gonna go speak with some

folks who just went through the process and explain how the new rules could affect anyone over 62 years of age. >> senior citizens today are having a very difficult time because either they don't have a pension or they're up to their eyeballs in debt. the reverse mortgage is an opportunity they have to allow them to have financial freedom in their senior years. >> a reverse mortgage is simply a loan from the bank based on part of the equity in your home. it's available only to homeowners 62 or older, and it must be your primary residence. >> the advantage that the seniors have for that is that there is no mortgage payment. >> in fact, with many reverse mortgages, the bank makes monthly payments to you instead of the other way around. i wanted to see how reverse mortgages really work for actual folks, so i hit the streets to talk to a few homeowners. i'm gonna go meet with josh shein. he is a reverse-mortgage expert, and he's gonna introduce me to two families. hey, josh. what's up, buddy? >> hey, bob. good to see you. how are you? >> let's go meet these families we're talking about. >> that sounds great.

we're gonna meet two families today who have reverse mortgages, both different circumstances. first family we're gonna meet -- bob and marge. they did a lot of retirement planning, put a lot of money away, saved a lot. >> why did you both consider to do a reverse mortgage? >> we were going to be starting to tap in to our long-term stock investment, and, in looking at it, we said, "wait a minute. that's got time to grow yet, but we have a tremendous amount of equity in our property. why not take advantage of that?" >> they made sure that when they gave us the reverse mortgage, it would never take all of the equity so that, at the end of our 10-year term, there will be a lot of equity left in the house. >> it makes life a lot more pleasant for us because, "a," we don't have a mortgage payment anymore... >> right. >> and, "b," we have tax-free income coming in, and we're leaving our stock-brokerage accounts alone to grow. >> was it an expensive transaction for you? >> the only thing out of pocket, i think, was just the appraisal,

which was about $350. >> there seem to be a lot of people now realizing that a reverse mortgage is not we're losing the house, it's we're using the house to have financial security. >> from when you applied for the reverse mortgage, how long did it take to get it finalized, closed, and get your first check? >> i think it was 27 days. >> from start to finish? >> start to finish. >> you did hit the jackpot. >> yeah, we did. that's what we thought. >> just a few blocks away from bob and marge is another couple who got a reverse mortgage but, in this case, for a completely different reason. chuck and izola were tired of paying their traditional mortgage every month, and, suddenly, they needed to scrape up some extra cash. >> i needed some money for medical, things like that, around the house. >> you had some medical costs, medical expenses, and you thought, "this is a good way to get it without having a payment." >> yes. >> what did you understand your responsibilities were going to be? >> keep the insurance and pay the taxes, and that was it. >> how long did it take you,

actually, to finally get funded on the reverse mortgage. >> maybe 30 days. >> now, you said there was a second time you did a reverse mortgage. >> yes. i wanted to improve the house and get a new automobile. i went on a cruise last year. hadn't been on one in a while. and i got a little money in the bank now. >> would you encourage people to consider a reverse mortgage? >> hey, anytime i don't have a house note... >> [ chuckles ] >> ...it's a no-brainer. >> probably the biggest misconception about reverse mortgages is that the banks end up getting your home. that simply is not true. >> homeowners automatically assume you're giving up your home, you're giving up the deed to your home, ownership to your home. that's the biggest misconception. a reverse mortgage, when it really boils down to it, is just a loan. you're borrowing money. the difference is you're not making a payment on it regularly, as you do on a traditional loan, so that balance of the loan grows over time. you do independent counseling by a third party. that counseling will make sure you're educated on all the different options and make sure you know what you're getting into. >> in recent years, there were a

lot of defaults on reverse mortgages, but how could that happen if the people aren't required to make any payments? >> essentially, since there's no payment being made, the only default that can come up is if you don't pay your taxes or your insurance or you move out of the home. >> so, federal government -- well, they made some major changes to the reverse-mortgage rules. the new rules make it tougher to default by making sure borrowers can pay their taxes, their insurance, and their hoa dues. >> the changes that were recently set in place require the borrower to show to have an ability to make those payments for as long as they're gonna remain in the home, or, similar to the escrow on a traditional loan, have the money set aside to make sure the payments get made. >> can it end up excluding those people that need an extra $500, $600 a month and now that potential could be taken away from them because they don't have a cash reserve or a large portfolio? >> well, it's gonna depend on how much equity they have in their home. a certain amount of the money can be set aside for the taxes and insurance. an additional amount of money can be set aside and given to the borrower in a lump sum for

home repairs, for the travel, or maybe to buy something if they wish. >> what do you do in a situation where one of the two spouses is 62 or older -- okay? -- they get the reverse mortgage under their name, and they pass and now they don't meet that requirement? >> in the past, there was an issue where they could have been forced out of the house, forced to sell the house. the rules changed that, so it protects the borrower, the younger homeowner, staying in the house. >> so, the last of the reverse-mortgage people -- they die. what then has to be done by the beneficiaries who inherit the house? >> they could simply sell the home. that's the easiest way to pay off the balance due on the reverse mortgage. and they would certainly keep whatever equity, whatever money's left, when they sell that home. a lot of other families want to refinance the home and keep it. so, the nice thing about a reverse mortgage -- it's fha-insured. it's a non-recourse loan. the borrower is never responsible, nor is the family, nor are the heirs, so no one is ever accountable for any harm or ding to their credit or any bill coming due in the mail at any

time. that's the important thing. >> after the break, we've got an update on a couple we met a few weeks ago. they were stuck in what was called a zombie foreclosure -- one they thought was long dead but just keeps coming back. wait until you hear how it turned out. [ woman vocalizing ] why bother mastering something? because when you want to create an entirely new feeling, the difference between excellence and mastery, is all the difference in the world.

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we perform over 50,000 operations a year in places like this. for the past 15 years, chubb has identified ways that we can strengthen our safety measures. and today, our hospitals have some of the best patient safety records in the country. now, we're constructing new buildings that will define the future of piedmont and chubb is here, insuring our expansion. two million patients a year depend on us. and we depend on chubb. ♪ >> welcome back. i'm bob massi, the property man. a few weeks ago, we met with mark and yessenia.

they were stuck in what i call a zombie foreclosure -- one that just won't die. they thought their home was foreclosed on, so they moved out and worked on repairing their credit. years later, they found out the bank never foreclosed and they were still on the hook. i told them what they needed to do to put this thing in the grave once and for all. let's check in and see how things actually turned out. i put you in touch with a realtor. i know it was frustrating, because you're still jumping through hoops with lenders. >> yeah. >> tell us what happened. >> once we finished with you the first time, we got ahold of the real-estate agent. the next process was to put the house up for short sale. >> right. >> so, i went through the short-sale process, and it got a little frustrating halfway through because the second was sold to another lender, and then, of course, the housing market was starting to go up a bit, so they started changing the price on the house. >> the numbers. sure. >> and the initial buyer came in and was ready to pay everything the bank wanted, but the bank thought they'd get $10,000 more for the price of the real estate going up in that area, so they upped the price, the buyer backed out, we waited for

another buyer, so we had to start the process over, i think, about three different times because the lender selling the mortgage out to different companies. >> yeah, and that's what happens. when you're in the middle of a short sale and new servicers come in, it's like you're starting all over again, so they want the same paperwork you provided somebody else. and then i understand -- weren't there some liens against the property, too, that caused a problem? >> there were. there were some liens from the trash company, water company... >> hoa, probably. >> ...and the hoa, of course, so... >> but, finally, it was resolved. you got the house short-sold. now everything's out of your name, and you can now move on. you're in a new place, and life is better. >> oh, life is great right now. yeah. the house sold in october of last year, in 2014, so now the clock's on and we're ready to rebuilt, start over. >> it is a frustrating process. nothing happens quick when it comes to dealing with lenders, but at least we got the problem resolved, and that's -- and thanks for the opportunity to try to work with you and get it done. >> thanks for helping us. appreciate it. thanks, bob. >> thank you. that's it for today. be sure to send me your questions or property stories at...

and check out our website at... i'm bob massi. i'll see you next week. [ woman vocalizing ] >> i'm bob massi. for 34 years, i've been practicing law and living in las vegas, the center of the recent real-estate crisis. lives were destroyed from coast to coast as the economy tanked. now, well, it's a different story. the american dream is back. and nowhere is that more clear than the sunshine state of florida. so we headed from the strip to the beach to show you how to live the american dream. i'm gonna meet real people who are facing serious problems, take you behind the gates of properties you have to see to believe and give you the tips that everyone needs to navigate the new landscape because information is power. and the property man has got you covered. [ woman vocalizing ]

thanks for joining us. i'm bob massi. every minute of every day, somebody is getting scammed out of their money. nobody knows that more than pam bondi, attorney general of florida. it's her job to protect consumers against fraud. and there is plenty to keep her busy. when the housing bubble burst, foreclosures exploded. but as millions lost their homes, they were often taken advantage of, sometimes even by the big banks themselves. in 2012, 49 states announced a historic settlement with the five largest mortgage servicers. >> in many cases, they didn't even verify that these foreclosures were actually legitimate. some of the people they hired to process foreclosures used fake signatures on fake documents. >> the five largest lenders, of course, were involved. and florida received nearly $10 billion in relief. >> but even with some homeowners getting relief, scam artists are still out there.

>> these unscrupulous brokers were promising people that they could either get them cash payment for their foreclosure or get them loan modifications. it's very tough to decipher the good, legitimate companies who are trying to help people and the unscrupulous ones. >> what should the legitimate rescue, if you will, really look like for a consumer? >> a legitimate rescue broker will never ask for a fee up front, unless it's a law firm. and as you know, of course, an attorney can take a retainer. but they must put it in an escrow account. >> right. >> always ask for a copy of the loan modification agreement, the acknowledgment letter and either the approval or denial letter. when they tell you that they can guarantee you a loan modification. you've seen that, haven't you? >> run away. run away.

>> a loan mod, or that they will automatically stop the foreclosure process. and, you know, these cases are so disgusting to me because these are people who are already in distress. and they are preying on the vulnerable. >> don't respond to unsolicited calls, e-mails or letters from companies you don't know anything about. and don't be fooled by the official-sounding names and addresses that make you think that you're being contacted by a government agency. this letter from nations housing modification center has an official-looking seal and a capitol hill address. so where is 611 pennsylvania avenue? this ups store. and here is the nhmc offices, mailbox number 393. it's no longer their office. the founders went to prison for fraud, but not before 300 desperate homeowners fell for these letters and sent in between $2,000 and $3,000 each in up-front money. >> they will tell you, "don't contact your lender." that should be red flag number

one, get outta there. contact your attorney general's office or, if it's an attorney involved, contact the -- the bar association to make sure they're in good standing. >> and it's not just mortgage scams that are pulling people in. here in florida, one of the biggest types of fraud involves vacation rental properties. >> these con artists are getting more and more sophisticated, as we both know. >> these are greedy people. you know, they sell the sizzle, as they say. >> they sure do. >> they sell the sizzle. >> that's right. >> what should a consumer ask to say, "hang up the phone. get away from this." >> well, you know, bob, how they scam consumers is they go on legitimate sites and hijack the photographs and post them as being rentals. so what you do, you contact the owner and say, "i wanna see additional pictures." and the owner or the legitimate company who claims to be renting the property will have additional pictures that they can immediately send you. >> i see. >> someone who's hijacked photographs online

from legitimate companies won't be able to produce those. >> some of these people are victims of scams. they end up showing up actually at the location... >> oh, it's horrible. >> they put money down. and they say, "what are you talking about? doesn't even exist." >> that's why you should use a payment portal, if possible, because that money is deposited in an escrow account. >> okay. >> never pay by cashier's check. never wire money. always use a credit card, or many legitimate companies will let you use paypal, which is very safe. >> the best piece of advice, use an established realtor or, at the very least, a company that you can independently verify. never communicate only by e-mail. request a phone number to someone directly and ask a lot of questions. and up next, we've introduced you to some people battling with their homeowners association. now, the other side. one hoa struggled to deal with a problem property in their community. [ woman vocalizing ]

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♪ >> hi, i'm bob massi, the property man. we've talked in the past about homeowners associations and what their legal rights are when homeowners don't pay their dues. well, we're gonna talk about the other side of it. what is the impact and the decision that has to be made by an association if, in fact, they decide to foreclose on that property and have to maintain their home? we're in a beautiful development in florida. and in a minute, i'm gonna sit down and talk with marshall, who's trying to deal with a major hoa issue, that being that there's a house that was left vacant. and now they have to decide what are they gonna do for purposes of securing that house? marshall, how are you, sir? >> welcome. >> good you see you. >> nice seeing you. >> you know, before we sit down, i really wanna go look at this house that we're gonna be talking about in a few minutes so we have a good understanding of what's going on. >> terrific. let's go take a ride. >> thank you, sir. homeowners associations have legal rights and powers over properties. they can initiate foreclosures for monthly fees, their dues and their special assessments. >> i'm the neighborhood volunteer chair for our neighborhood. >> and that's selected by who?

is that just amongst homeowners themselves? >> right, the homeowners in the neighborhood. >> okay. >> basically have a group of volunteers that look out for everything. >> is this the home right here? >> yes, sir, right here. >> well, let's go see the house, and let's talk about what concerns you may have. >> terrific. >> so this is the house of concern. and the homeowners association has to make a decision. do they actually want to end up potentially owning this property? because if it goes to auction, and nobody bids on it, then you guys could end up owning it. >> that's correct. >> this home has been vacant since 2010. and as always happens, the home's exterior, well, it's getting pretty ragged. it's actually an eyesore for the neighborhood. >> most of the screens ended up blowing out. and because this represented a safety risk, the health department from the county came in and secured the pool area itself. so there was a lot of things growin' in there, an enormous amount of algae. >> now the hoa's put in a position because the lender's not doin' what they should do, and that is foreclose on the property. the homeowners association can decide to foreclose on the property themselves. and if nobody bids on that judgment, well, they take title to that property

subject to the bank lien. >> remediation on just the exterior is probably gonna end up being around $13,000. if we ended up having a move to go in and -- and rent the facility, we would have to remediate the interior portion of this home. since nobody's been in this home for in excess of 5 years, there's no tellin' what we're gonna end up finding. so the particular risk to the neighborhood is enormous. >> let's go sit down and talk about what you guys have been through and what options that there may be. the area is beautiful. but like any other, it was hit hard by the recession. >> and homeowners ended up leaving in, uh, january of 2010. it was, basically, almost impossible to locate them. >> do you have any idea why they haven't foreclosed on this property? >> i have no idea. >> it's probably because they don't want to pay the hoa dues. and they don't want to pay the insurance and they don't want to pay the taxes. >> that's probably correct. >> it's what we've called in the past a zombie foreclosure. >> neighbors ended up complaining to me all the time that the pool looked bad. the screens looked bad.

the roof had mold on it. >> although law's different in every state, hoas can usually only recover a portion of what is owed to them. in this case, they actually got a judgment in the amount of $34,000. so, essentially, the homeowners association has a business decision to make here. >> correct. if we remediate the home, uh, we're gonna end up spending probably the bulk of the homeowner's equity in the entire neighborhood. >> they could decide to lease the property at the market value to try to recover the cost. >> we've looked at that. but the expenses to do that, uh, still far -- far outweigh, you know, what we think the anticipated benefit would be. >> they gotta pay taxes. they gotta pay insurance. and guess what, guys, the bank, at any time -- they could wake up from their zombie and decide to foreclose on the property. >> we'd fix up the house, make it beautiful, uh, get a tenant in there. and that would not, basically, stop the bank to come in and go, "hey, we want our house now." >> you could exercise your lien rights as an hoa to foreclose on a property. >> right. >> so let's say that, uh,

that a homeowner owes $10,000. i could come in as an investor and look at this property and say, "wait a second, i could buy this home at a foreclosure sale by the hoa for 10,000 and get title of that property." but myself as the investor has to look at it and say, "well, wait a second -- they have a mortgage on that property. so there's some legal issues there." >> right. >> if nobody bids on the judgment they have, they could end up owning that property again. what does that mean? that means, once again, the homeowners association is on the hook for all the expenses of the house. you wanna do something that's going to wake up the zombie. and that may be even to the point where, maybe, your lawyers will say, "you know what? we're just gonna file a lawsuit and say, 'judge, you know what? could you ask these people to, basically, foreclose on this property? because it is impeding our ability to take care of our neighborhood.'" get has proactive as possible to get the bank off their butt to say, "let's exercise our rights." when we come back, i'm gonna tell you about this house and

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♪ >> hi, i'm bob massi, the property man. i'm standing in front of a special home that was built for a special american. let me tell you about jesse murphree, a great american hero. >> jesse is one of the most kindhearted kids i've ever met and always has been. >> deployed in 2007, jesse and his unit found himself in the korengal valley in afghanistan, one of the most dangerous places to be. >> it was most certainly a very active and dangerous valley. >> sebastian junger documented the harrowing ordeal that jesse's platoon went through in the award-winning documentaries "restrepo" and "korengal." >> it truly is, i guess you'd

say, hell, to be quite honest. >> jesse's mission was to be the gunner on the third gun truck that would be over-watching a number of, uh, paratroopers that were gonna be clearing a village. >> my buddy started to step out of the truck and... >> a command-detonated ied blew up jesse's vehicle. >> before we knew it, i mean, we were mid-sentence. i was wakin' up on the bottom of a mountain. i would have to yell up for help in between the -- the gun bursts because i was completely immobile. um, my legs were shredded. >> his paratrooper, uh -- uh, platoon mates fought to him, secured him, performed life-saving measures. >> as they carried me to the bird, the last thing i saw was kind of like the mountains. and i went -- i went dark. >> back home, jesse's mother got the horrifying phone call. >> they shared with me that he had been hurt and was, um... they were patching me through to the surgeon. and, uh, he explained jesse's injuries and that he was gonna try

and save his life for me. >> i woke up a week and a half later at walter reed. and then that's when, uh, you start tryin' to piece together what just happened and stuff. and that was the first time i found out that my legs were gone. immediately, you could see the fear in his eyes and -- and the recognition of what was truly happening. >> jesse's recovery went on and on. he had 65 surgeries. as things would happen during his recovery, jesse connected with a childhood friend, ashley. >> she was there for me through everything. >> they would end up getting married in 2013. but the surgeries kept coming. life, well, it wasn't easy. then jesse, through his friends, heard about an organization called building homes for heroes. this great organization is building homes for disabled veterans all over the country, providing them an opportunity to be able to own a home free of mortgage so that they know

that they're safe, and their families are protected. it was started by a long island businessman, andy pujol. >> i said to some friends, "why don't we build one home for a severely injured warrior? and, if nothing else, we'll leave a legacy for our children." >> but andy didn't stop at one home. and so far, they have gifted more than 100 homes to veterans. >> we're on target for 50 homes in 2016. and, uh, we have high hopes of doing the same in 2017. >> as jesse recovered, building homes for heroes board members visited him in the hospital and invited him to come to new york for a fundraising dinner. the event was featured by fox's own sean hannity. >> take a look at this. >> we have a special surprise tonight. there's a young man here in the audience who just finished his 58th, 59th, and 60th surgery and left the va hospital because he wanted to be here tonight. jesse and ashley,

you know that home you're hoping for in tampa? from all of us to you, it's yours. [ cheers and applause ] >> it was very emotional. it was a huge weight that's being, like, lifted off your shoulders. >> jesse and ashley, wanted to be in tampa, florida. well, building homes for heroes and william ryan homes built them a beautiful home from the ground up. this home, just like all the homes built by building homes for heroes, is specifically designed to meet the injured soldier's needs. >> it's so important to have an open floor plan. it'll give jesse the freedom to maneuver all throughout the home. we want him to feel like he's in a normal home built for anyone. and, uh, you really can't see all these hidden features that we've done. >> but they're actually here. but they're subtle. >> they are all here. they're very subtle. we design all of our homes with the hallways being 48 inches wide. it gives him the freedom to roll through with a wheelchair. the greatest features that we gave him was the ability to,

uh, bathe and shower freely. this shower allows him to roll in and actually bathe. he has a seat here. he can sit comfortably. >> and i noticed, also, a beautiful backyard that has a swimming pool. >> we have some therapeutic jets that help him in his rehabilitation. we also have two water features in the pool which helps with the ringing in his ears. it's not only therapeutic, but it's also, you know, mentally therapeutic, as well. >> finally, that special day came when building homes for heroes gave jesse and ashley the key to this beautiful home. [ sirens wailing ] [ applause ] >> welcome to building homes for heroes' homecoming celebration for army corporal jesse murphree and his wife, ashley, and son, brody. [ cheers and applause ] >> we are really excited to start this new chapter of our life out here. so to all of our neighbors, everybody out here, thank you for having us.

thank you for being here. [ people cheering ] [ applause ] >> having a home is the place where you build stability. and jesse hasn't had that yet. what they're giving to -- to these soldiers and these families, to me, is a foundation to start a whole new life. >> the building homes for heroes family -- they have been so supportive of us, and they've really gotten us through this year. it is the best thing that's happened to us ever. how do you say thank you for something so big? >> even as we sit in here, i keep thinkin' that, like, it's just -- it's not clickin' yet that this is our house. >> we feel so undeserving. but we feel so blessed. >> up next, a massi memo with information you can't afford to miss. stick around. [ woman vocalizing ]

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♪ >> welcome back. i'm bob massi, the property man. and now it's time for the massi memo. at the start of the show, i sat down with florida attorney general pam bondi to talk about scams. scammers are always out there trying to separate you from your money. so what do you do? well, it all boils down to this. the best way to protect yourself is to step back and think before you pay anyone a dime

or sign anything. if anything sounds too good, please, run away. most scams sell the sizzle to pull you in and beware of the sizzle, the 4-day, 3-night dream vacation, expensive gifts. those type of things are the sizzles. anyone who asks for an up-front fee or wire transfers of any type in reference to purchasing real property, rental property or stocks, forget it. never buy any real estate by phone. it is important that you hire a competent realtor and check all credentials. and if a company promises to save your home from foreclosure, don't believe a word. many charge high fees for work you can do on your own. and some actually try to trick you into signing over the deed to the house. never sign anything you don't understand. and don't allow anyone to pressure you. research any company you might work with first. and check with the better business bureau and your state's attorney general's office. earlier, we spoke with marshall, whose hoa

is trying to decide what to do about a vacant property in the community. we'll follow marshall's story and update you when there's a resolution. most people, though, are on the other side trying to decide if they should buy in an hoa neighborhood. here's what you need to do. request all relevant information to review and know the rules before you buy. get the financial information. make sure they're solvent with hoa. ask if there's been any assessments in the past or any scheduled in the future, guys. and make sure you get a copy of the covenants, conditions and restrictions. these are the rules that you will live by in your community. see if you can get a past history of the minutes of the hoa. find out if there has been any construction defect litigation in the area where you're buying. and by the way, ask what the insurance covers as it relates to common areas, that being the walls and where your property is located. that's it for today. be sure to send me your questions or property stories at propertyman@foxnews.com.

and check out our website at foxnews.com/propertyman. i'm bob massi. i'll see you next week. [ woman vocalizing ] paul: welcome to the journal editorial report, i'm paul gigot, race for control of the u.s. congress is heating up with just over 2 weeks to go until election day. news fox news poll show democrats leading republicans by 7 points in the generic ballot with 49% of likely voters saying they'll back democratic candidate in their house district and 42% backing the republican. the number remains unchanged since september but my first guest says he sees evidence for october comeback for the gop, wall street journal karl rove served as senior adviser to president george w. bush.