HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. — There are many ways to describe Howey Mansion, but to truly appreciate its majesty you have to tour this historic 20-room home.
With a tour of the home, you can enjoy the view of the courtyards from the second story master bedroom or walk down the secret stairway to the converted wine cellar beneath its 8,000 square feet.
Citrus grower WIlliam J. Howey, founder of Howey-In-The-Hills, built the mansion in the mid-1920s and sold it to its present owner Marvel Zona through a reverse mortgage, which was essentially paying Zona to live in her dream home.
But her lawyer told Eyewitness News the elderly woman was eventually swindled into taking out a 30-year mortgage that she couldn't afford.
"Her income was under $1,000 per month and they sold her on this $1.2 million dollar mortgage that took her payments to upwards of $3,000", explained Zona's lawyer, Linda Littlefield.
Now Zona's home is on the verge of foreclosure and she lives in a nursing home.
The estate sale was organized to raise enough money to pay for her to live in the nursing home until her Medicaid kicks in in 6 months.
People showed up from all over central Florida with money to spend.
"I saw a couple of things so I called my husband and told him to get a U-Haul and come on down", said shopper Vicky Pope.
Everything but the artwork was up for grabs and the house is still on the market for $2.5 million.
WFTV
