Hoarders and the Houses They Live In

Photo Courtesy of AETV.com

I have a love/hate relationship with the show Hoarders on A&E Network (Mondays at 10pm). Its unfathomable to me how these people can live in their houses with the nasty condition they are in! I just saw an episode where the hoarding couple had 3 inches of rabbit poop all over the floor. Mounds of boxes, junk, papers, etc litter every room and I find myself yelling at the TV screen screen,’JUST THROW IT OUT ALREADY!!’ Despite my frustration and agitated state this show causes me to have, I can’t turn it off.

Working in real estate over 10 years, I have come across a few homes with hoarding.  I recall one 2 family home was appraising where the tenant had newspapers piled to the ceiling! There was a narrow, clear path from the front door to the sofa to the bathroom, and that was it! The tenant had no access to kitchen. The owner couldn’t refinance her home because I couldn’t complete the inspection for the lender due to all the clutter.

Came across another home, again in a 2 family home where the tenants had been there over 25 years. They had piles of junk everywhere. There was even a broken bicycle inside the bath tub among other debris. I don’t think they ever took baths! The clutter had overtaken their bedroom, they had to move their bed into the dining room.  The owner had inherited the house from his parents and didn’t have the heart to evict them.

I want to feel compassion for the hoarders, but I just can’t relate to it at all. I end up feeling worse for their families, neighbors, the therapists, and the 1-800-Got-Junk crew.

I will give the show this, it has inspired me to clean out my cluttered basement my wife has been nagging me to straighten up.