By JO-MARIE BAKER
Tauranga widow June Kontze, who faced financial ruin after investing in Blue Chip's failed property scheme, will now be able to move into her dream home after a local development firm came to her rescue.
Grasshopper Properties, which owns Bridgewater lifestyle village at The Lakes, will give Mrs Kontze a $200,000 interest-free loan so that she is still able to move into the home she and her husband signed up for before his death.
Because of Blue Chip's failure, she has been left with a $190,000 mortgage and had little hope of being able to pay for her Bridgewater house.
But after reading about her plight in the Bay of Plenty Times on Wednesday, Grasshopper Properties decided to act.
"We're very happy to be able to offer June this opportunity," said Bridgewater Village project manager Michele Berry.
"To have June in our village ... it's the only place she wants to be and we're delighted to have her."
Ms Berry said the interest-free loan would be for the term of her residence at the village and Mrs Kontze would still have title to her new house.
The news was a major turnaround in Mrs Kontze's fortunes.
Her husband died just last month and she has had a heart attack from the stress and grief of losing him and their Blue Chip investment.
Someone agreed to buy her family home in Maungatapu on Wednesday, but with the mortgage hanging over her head she would not have had enough equity to pay for her new Bridgewater residence without Grasshopper Properties' offer.
"It means everything to me. I could see no future but now I'm out of the woods. I can re-pay the mortgage and still have a home to go to," she said.
"We still have some way to go but it's a managable distance. I'm extremely grateful."
Mrs Kontze yesterday inspected her new kitchen and plans to move in by May.