The Real Housewives of Orange County's Real Struggles to Remain Real Homeowners in OC

By Matt Coker Mon., Aug. 30 2010 at 10:41 AM

Categories: OC Media, Shmortgage Board, TV

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What's the deal with cast members of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County and their struggles to remain homeowners in the real Orange County?

Newport Beach's Alexis Bellino is the latest to come up with trouble making her mortgage and facing foreclosure.

It's enough to make your waterproof mascara run . . . all the way to your friendly neighborhood loan modification company.

Photo by Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly

Lynne Curtin (left) was evicted, Tamra Barney (center) saw her home sold for less than she paid for it and Alexis Bellino is fighting to save her home.

Jim and Alexis Bellino, who joined the cast last season, recently defaulted on a $4.6 million loan for their Circle Drive home. They failed to pay $83,856.92 as of April 26 on their home loan, and faced the threat of foreclosure, plus having their home sold at public auction to the highest bidder, according to documents obtained by the Orange County Register. The Bellinos, who managed to modify their Chase Bank loan before an auction scheduled last Wednesday, have not had to move out of the 4,200-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-bathroom house.

After facing eviction four times, Frank and Lynne Curtin were finally bounced from their Laguna Beach home. In fact, the family tragedy worked its way into the Real Housewives plotline in Season 5. One must suffer for their drama, after all.

Simon and Tamra Barney, whose divorce was announced in January, lost their home in a short sale for less than they paid for it.

Bravo

Plumpy ex-Playmate Jeana Keough

And Jeana Keough, an original member of the cast who left the show shortly after her marriage to former Major League pitching ace and repeat DUI offender Matt Keough blew up, defaulted on her home loan, faced foreclosure and finally worked out a loan-mod agreement with her lender.

Indeed, the housing woes faced by cast members may be the most real thing about The Real Housewives of Orange County, whose sixth season is filming now. According to the Register's housing guru Jonathan Lansner, home sales are down 68 percent in the real Orange County.

Which means, at the risk of confusing my TV remote, there are a lot of desperate housewives out there.

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