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HGTV ‘Rehab Addict’ star Nicole Curtis Sued Over Unfinished $2 House

By Georgia Makitalo
Published on: 20:56 PST, Mar 21, 2017

HGTV Rehab Addict star Nicole Curtis’s company Detroit Renovations is being sued by the city of Minneapolis over a $2 home and they want it back. They site that she was under contract to “substantially complete construction” on the home within a year of the 2012 purchase date. Now, five years later, the city of Minneapolis wants the dilapidated home back.

As Inquisitr previously reported, the television star purchased the home for a mere $2 and although the $2 does not even seem worth the cost of the paperwork alone, the city is suing her for failure to pay property taxes and insurance and for breach of contract that she “failed to redevelop the property.”

The home is located in the struggling north Minneapolis area, at 1522 Hillside Avenue North. According to the Startribune, court documents indicate that Curtis’ attorneys have filed that the 2015 taxes on the property have been paid. There is no mention in the press or by Curtis regarding any unpaid insurance.

On a previous occasion, Curtis had successfully rehabbed a Minneapolis home in another undesirable location, right off of a major freeway. Admitting that this renovation is not completed, the former Hooter’s waitress told the Startribune that she has been dealing with red tape through the entire process and nothing she has done has helped her move forward in successfully completing the renovation.

“I’m not there in Minneapolis for the most part. It’s been an uphill battle. I still have one project, and I’ve been trying to get a building permit, but the city is blocking it again. It turns into one thing after another, red tape. What is wrong with this situation? I’ve tried to be part of the community. I’m so frustrated right now.”

In addition to the legal hassles from the city of Minneapolis, Curtis has had liens by two different companies claiming that her company owes them $36,000.

She had also stated on her Facebook page that she had written “big checks” to complete the work. There is no mention who received the checks nor whether these presumed contractors have been sued for work not completed or are the companies that placed the liens.

“The long and short of it is I wrote done big checks to people we felt we could trust to get this done -and it didn’t. By the time we got caught up to speed -it was a hot mess and we were onto other projects and quite frankly, my family comes first.”

Will the home ever get remodeled? Curtis hints that the negative press surrounding this $2 home has made it a challenge with the press and with the network. She hints that the network is no longer interested in filming the renovation of this home, nor any home in the Minneapolis area, although the tagline of a $2 remodeled to fabulous would make great copy for any television program.

“I did an open house, raised money for a friend [who was battling cancer]. But it brought all this negative energy, so much negative press. What they don’t realize, I have to answer to the network, and when there’s negative stuff with Minneapolis, they say, ‘We don’t want to shoot there anymore.’ Minneapolis isn’t my hometown but I treated it that way. I tried to bring something positive to it…. I’d love to do houses there, but how many times can you get kicked in the teeth? Let’s go to another city.”

When Nicole held the cancer fundraiser at the home, neighbors of the still unfinished home came to see what was going on. Not only did they see, but they spoke to the press about their dissatisfaction at the lack of completion of this home. The neighbor across the street from the said home, Juliee Oden, expressed her frustration over the sad state of the property.

“Piles of rocks, foundation–everything was left as if time stood still and the earth stopped.”

While another neighbor, Jon Lundberg explained that they did not attend the fundraiser to disrupt the charitable event but “to point out the fact that this is a charade and a lie.”

The resilient television personality and author of Better Than New: Lessons I’ve Learned From Saving Old Homes (And How They Saved Me) explained that she wrote her book to inspire and motivate others and “[t]hat they have the power to do anything.”

“I love these book tours and speaking. I make it a party. Women come up to me, crying that they lost their job, they lost their first house, they haven’t made it and they feel like such a loser. I’m 40, and I’m just starting to hit my stride. Life is not easy for anyone. If they say it’s easy, they’re lying.”

Back in the fall, during Curtis’ book tour, she was asked by the Startibune what this house taught her.

“Persistence. Keep your head where you need it to be, when other people are trying to bring you down.”

Have you been following the saga of the $2 home? Do you think Rehab Addict star Nicole Curtis has been treated fairly or unfairly? Start the debate below!

[Featured Image by Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Cost Plus World Market]

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