Buena Park - Billboard House Advertises A Way Out Of The Housing Crisis Aol Real Estate

Scott Hostetler didn't bother to tell his family that he'd applied online to have their house in Buena Park , Calif., turned into an advertising billboard for the price of their monthly mortgage payment. He figured that it was like taking a chance on the lottery and who ever expects to win the lottery? Then, about three weeks ago, he got the call from Romeo Mendoza, head of the advertising company that made the offer, .

Mendoza delivered the shocking news: The Hostetlers' home had been selected out of some 38,000 applications to be the first to be branded with a very special custom paint job, a deal that would cover the monthly mortgage payment of $2,000 for at least three months and perhaps up to a year depending on when either the homeowners or the ad company wants to end the contract. At the end of that time, the company promised to restore the home's exterior to its original appearance.

Gallery: See the Billboard House in Buena Park , Calif.

Until then, though, it would display the bright orange and green colors of Brainiacs From Mars (formerly known as Adzookie ). The company signage in the photo above is just temporary; while Buena Park is OK with the paint job, city zoning laws prohibit permanent advertising signs on residences.

Hostetler and his wife, both of whom are deaf, have lived in the home for about 18 years. They both work for Goodwill Industries he's an information technology manager and she's a rehabilitation counselor. Their 17-year-old daughter (pictured with her parents) lives at home; they also have a son who is a freshman at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

The Hostetlers say that they plan to use the extra money sent directly to them monthly from Brainiacs to pay down some bills, replace Scott's old Chevrolet Suburban, and maybe go on vacation.

Getting Help Into the Hands of the People Who Need It Most

The idea for the Billboard House came to Mendoza, the company's chief executive, as he picked up his 7-year-old from school. Every day they would pass a sign that advertised a bank-owned property. And when he visited his mother in Las Vegas, there were areas so hard hit by the housing crisis that, he says, they seemed to him like ghost towns. Government can only do so much, he says, while corporations have the money, and this seemed to him like a promising way to get some of that into the hands of people who needed it the most.

More on AOL Find vacation homes for rent . Find Find out how to