A woman bought her grandmother’s hoarder house for $20,000 to save it from being taken by the state — and now she’s taking viewers along the journey of what she’s been discovering inside. Speaking to Realtor.com, Brandy Hagewood of Indiana said that she purchased the house after her grandmother, Marian, moved to a nursing home in 2022.
She is currently in the process of cleaning out and renovating the space to transform it into a home for her family.
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Brandy was raised in her grandmother’s home and couldn’t stand to lose it. She and her fiancé made a joint decision to purchase it after Marian moved out. Marian passed away in August 2023, and in early 2024, the family began cleaning the space out, according to Realtor.com.
“My mother was an addict who wasn’t around to raise me, so my grandma helped fill the role of ‘Mom’ to me. She was my best friend,” the granddaughter shared. “I was raised in my grandma’s home, and it was a wonderful place to grow up. We had pet pigs, rabbits, raccoons, and all kinds of pets. Most of my happy memories are from that home.”
But the task of transforming the house has been a costly one — something Brandy wasn’t expecting. She started a GoFundMe to help with remodeling costs after being left without funds due to the costs of purchasing and cleaning the home.
“She had lived on the property for 50 years and desperately wanted it to stay in the family,” the GoFundMe explained, before revealing that Brandy was laid off. “I’m at the point where I have a whole room of trash bags in the house that needs to be tossed in a dumpster. However, renting a dumpster ranges anywhere from $600-$1200. I currently cannot afford this. Donations will go towards getting a dumpster, and helping with cleaning expenses. Anything extra will go towards remodel and bills.”
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Brandy is sharing the process on her YouTube channel. “She wasn’t always a hoarder, so it used to be a beautiful, clean home,” the granddaughter said. “She was the most giving person I’ve ever known,” noting her grandmother had lived on the property most of her life and truly loved it. But it was after Marian’s husband died in 2010 that the hoarding began, Brandy revealed.
“We tried multiple times to help clean out the home, but it would end up the exact same way,” she said. “During COVID, her health started to decline and she had to have amputations, so she bought a tiny home and put it on the property as the ‘big house’ had become unlivable.”
While the granddaughter has made her way through some of the rooms, she still has a lot to do. “I still have to finish the kitchen, laundry room, and garage,” she said. “I want to get it emptied so I can evaluate damages. It’s taken a while because my partner works a lot of overtime to help keep us afloat, and I have three children.”
The end goal is to move into the home with her family. “I’m hoping the home itself is salvageable and we can just remodel,” she said. “If not, we will have to rebuild on the property. I’ll have to sell our current home for the funds and stay with family to do it either way.”
Brandy now realizes how she can use her platform to raise awareness about hoarding and mental health. “I want to help people know they aren’t alone,” she said. “And if the TikTok keeps taking off, I’d like to help [others] clean their homes out for free. Because it’s such a hard cycle to break, and if I can help even just one family, it will be worth it.”
