'Rehab Addict Rescue' star Nicole Curtis scammed in house deal, Detroit Mayor says
The HGTV star purchased a blighted home in 2017 that actually is owned by a land bank
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Rehab Addict Rescue" star Nicole Curtis was purportedly scammed into purchasing a blighted home in Detroit, Mich.
The 44-year-old TV star was apparently blindsided when she learned a home she purchased for $17,000 wasn't a legal sale.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan discussed Curtis' situation on Monday, stressing that the TV star had, in fact, been "scammed," Fox 5 reports.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I feel bad for Nicole," Mayor Mike Duggan said Monday. "It appears she was scammed. It appears she paid somebody who didn’t own the house and paid them to buy it. But the land bank can’t legally just give her the property."
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Nicole Curtis was 'scammed' into purchasing a home from an owner it didn't belong to, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan revealed. (Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
According to the report, Curtis purchased the blighted property back in 2017 for $17,000. The renovation expert has since made repairs to it, totaling $60,000.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She reportedly filed a lawsuit last week after it came to her attention that the Detroit Land Bank Authority holds the title to the house and listed it on the market for $40,000.
Curtis is seeking to either keep the property or be reimbursed for the money she's spent on it.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duggan noted that the land bank has already been named as the owner. He's hoping the outcome will somehow work out in Curtis' favor, noting that the bank "can't turn the property over without getting value."
In her new series, 'Rehab Addict Rescue,' Nicole Curtis helps homeowners restore crumbling historic homes to their former glory. (discovery+)
The report claims Curtis' company, Detroit Renovations LLC, did not know the land bank had gained control of the home. The previous owners issued a quitclaim deed to Detroit Renovations back in 2017.
Curtis, a resident of Detroit, said it would be a shame for the land bank to benefit from the hard work she's put into it.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I didn’t become so successful in business by being somebody who backs down," she said.
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Curtis previously ended her show "Rehab Addict" in 2018. She returned to TV with a brand new series titled "Rehab Addict Rescue" in January, where she helps homeowners restore crumbling historic homes to their former glory.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Earlier this year, Curtis spoke to Fox News about her two-year break from television and what motivated her to return to renovating homes on-air.
"The old houses are still very soothing for me. It's my niche, it's my passion, it's where I feel accomplished. I feel proud of my work because I've spent so many years, you know, getting to know everything I need to know without any help," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's also humbling because every house is different and I go in there and I'm like, we're going to get this done. And I think that that's the aspect that always draws me back into these crazy projects," she added.