If you plan on visiting a model home in the near future this book is an absolute must. Learn before you buy.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY HADD.
Due to the fact that these are stories from time past, some of the links may no longer be active.
Monday, December 08, 2003. PA: Consumer Protection Lawsuit The Pennsylvania's Attorney General's office filed suit against Michael D. Robinson and Mike Robinson Builders. Robinson is a Modular home builder.
Monday, December 08, 2003. NY: Contractor files bankruptcy Wedgwood Builders is in a heap of trouble. Since The Record first reported early this year on the battle between the Troy contractor and a Capital District customer over shoddy and unfinished work on a house, the company, which has built modular homes around the area, has managed to dig itself in pretty deep.
Monday, December 08, 2003. NY: Wedgewood Builders Files for Bankruptcy, former General Manager Creates New Home Building Company Here is a sample of what is in the bankruptcy documents: close to 100 estimated creditors who are owed as much as $10,000,000. Companies like CR Drywall in Vorheesville are owed $75,000. C & S Building Material in Latham is owed more than $33,000. Broughton excavation of Castleton is owed more than $68,000. The list goes on and on. While all of this has been going on, there is a new development. News10 has learned that one of Wedgwoodâs owners has already started a new home building company. And who will his new customers be? Heâs already fishing in familiar waters.
Monday, December 08, 2003. MN--NATIONAL interest: Supreme Court decision could be historic In the City of Austin versus Carriage Homes Inc. and developer Arkell case, the theory of holding a responsible corporate officer liable for violation of a public welfare statute -- if upheld by the highest court -- would change everything.
Saturday, December 06, 2003. NY: Home Buyer's Beware: New Homes Have Problems Too "It's a lovely home, it's just unfortunate it's not structurally sound,"
Friday, December 05, 2003. Colorado: Petitioners seek overturn of Rippy bill The Colorado Public Interest Research Group, or CoPIRG, has joined others in pushing an initiative aimed at battling what it calls ãa harmful bill · that strips homeowners of their rights to recover construction defects.ä
Friday, December 05, 2003. NATIONAL: Freddie Mac Promotes Consumer Choice With New Subprime Mortgage Arbitration PolicyFreddie Mac announced today that effective August 1, 2004, it would no longer invest in subprime mortgages originated on or after that date that contain mandatory arbitration clauses. Freddie Mac is the first among secondary mortgage investors to adopt such a stance on subprime mortgages with mandatory arbitration clauses. This policy is aligned with the corporation's existing prohibition on the use of mandatory arbitration for prime market mortgage investments.
Friday, December 05, 2003. TX: Foundation repair industry on solid ground The International Association of Foundation Drilling estimates that the residential foundation repair industry is now a $10 billion to $15 billion a year business.....Mitchell and Witherspoon are critical of the homebuilding industry's widespread use of shallow foundation slabs. Including piers would only up the cost by about 7 percent. It's much more expensive, they say, to put in the piers after the house begins to pull apart. Mitchell said he approached several high-volume homebuilders and offered to put piers in for between $2,000 to $3,000 per house. The piers, he added, would come with a lifetime warranty. "They weren't interested. I got told, 'Our slabs are engineered.'" he said. "I said, 'It's not working."
Friday, December 05, 2003. NY: Local Modular Home Contractor Plans to File Bankruptcy Bankruptcy spells defeat. Defeat for Wedgewood Builders, but more importantly defeat for many families who have put money down for homes that they don't have. Defeat for the dozens of contractors, electricians, plumbers, painters and a major building supply company who are out hundreds of thousands of dollars. When Wedgewood Builders declares bankruptcy, they're not going down alone. [Home owner who provided this link stated one of Wedgewood's owners is now going to keep on building under a new corporation, Cambridge Custom Homes.]
Thursday, December 04, 2003. TX: City Hall witness says he's guilty A developer who built a bribery case against two city councilmen by wearing a wire, delivering wads of cash and betraying his friends was rewarded for his undercover work Monday with a plea deal that leaves room for him to avoid being sent to prison for his own crimes.
Thursday, December 04, 2003. FL: Seminole Suspends Local Home Builder [a different article from the one below]The county effectively put Cosmopolitan Homes out of business for a year and threatened to make that five years if repairs aren't made according to building code, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.
Thursday, December 04, 2003. FL: Seminole Suspends Home Builder A home builder accused of shoddy work will not be allowed to construct new houses in Seminole County for a year.
Thursday, December 04, 2003. Washington State: Insurance Premiums Hammer Construction Neither Newman nor Mahrt could say how many lawsuits were filed against Washington contractors, how much these suits have driven up premiums as a whole or how much insurers have paid in settlements. Insurers don't collect industrywide statistics on claims, Newman said. [The concept of build it right and honor the warranty still evades many contractors, and the home buyer is blamed for the rising insurance rates.--HADD]
Tuesday, December 02, 2003. California: Chased out by mold. A young couple flee their new home, fearing that is where their son's illnesses originated. The Hamres' legal struggle began then, with Ryan stationed hundreds of miles away in Miramar, providing support for the war in Iraq.Every night, Suzanne talked to him on the phone about Tyler's health and their financial problems. Ryan felt outraged. And helpless. "This is the issue that really sticks in my craw," Graves said. "The easiest thing (Jack Wilson Construction) could have done from the beginning was to find a suitable place for the Hamres to live, and they didn't do that."
Monday, December 01, 2003. Texas: Lawsuits filed against 2 area builders. Obra Homes, Armadillo Construction are accused of contractual problems with homebuyers There are two lawsuits pending in Cameron County courts against Obra and Armadillo Construction Inc. alleging that contracts used to sell thousands of homes across Texas since 2000 ÷ most of which were built in the Rio Grande Valley ÷ have kept buyers in the dark about a state law that guards their rights in cases of faulty construction. [The notice about the Residential Construction Liability Act became law in 1999. The clause must be on the contract right above the signature line.]
Sunday, November 30, 2003. New Jersey: SCI pledges reforms: Little comfort for angry homeowners Residents sit for two days of State hearings.
Saturday, November 29, 2003. California: New Home Imperfections Demand Quality Follow-Up by Broderick Perkins In California, lawsuits over building defects scared off insurers and so decimated the multifamily housing construction industry the state was forced to pass a new law effective in 2003 that regulates how defect claims must proceed. And swelling grass roots movements are brandishing a Homeowners Bill of Rights that effectively says "We are mad as hell and we aren't going to take it anymore." Why not simply build it right?
Saturday, November 29, 2003. Texas: New regulations hit foundation repairers Foundation repair company owners are livid about the surprise news that their industry now is under the authority of the Texas Residential Construction Commission. The commission was created in the last legislative session with the intent of regulating homebuilders and home remodelers. But it was only after the commission began meeting in September that foundation repair contractors learned the commission oversees them, even though the law never specifically mentions them.
Friday, November 28, 2003. FL: Legislators Consider Changes To New-Home Laws "The bill that I'm putting out to the Legislature this year will ask the Florida Building Commission to look at this on a real, micro level, and see at the local level, if you will, and see what changes and corrections might need to be made to improve the actual quality," Constantine said.
Friday, November 28, 2003. Tim Carter Colum, national: Cold rooms sign of a bad builder Yes, and there was a full solar eclipse last week as well. Jeeesh! The phony answers and excuses some builders offer up to cover mistakes seem to be as plentiful as grains of sand on a beach.
Friday, November 28, 2003. OH: Builder guilty, but still free The Easter ham hadn't been served when Bill Erpenbeck pleaded guilty in April to one count of bank fraud for leading a scheme that robbed more than 200 homebuyers of $33 million. As families gather around their Thanksgiving turkeys, Erpenbeck and two other convicted felons who participated in the bank fraud are still free, awaiting sentencing in U.S. District Court. And by all indications, all three will be free to enjoy Christmas and New Year's as well.
Wednesday, November 26, 2003. FL: Avoid Problems When Buying New Home The garage door screams when closing. The toilets aren't bolted to the floor. The builder promises to make repairs after closing. You believe him. If you don't close tomorrow, you have no place to live. [HADD recommends doing more research than this article suggests. See our Buyers Guide.]
Wednesday, November 26, 2003. FL: How to get New Home Problems Fixed [Note: HADD's Buyers Guide recommends more than this especially with regard to research.] "Tip No. 1: Hire a certified home inspector to monitor construction...Tip No.2: Do not use the home builder's lender...Tip No. 3: Before you sign up with a home builder, do your homework. Drive to the neighborhood. knock on five houses. Ask "How did the builder treat you?" "If a person is unhappy with their builder they are not afraid to let people know about it," Check with the Better Business Bureau. Snoop online, and finally, make sure you understand the contract. Legally, the builder owns the house until the day you close on it. Don't fall in love with it until it's yours."
Wednesday, November 26, 2003. FL: Facing suits, member of review panel quits Peter Henn, a Boca Raton lawyer and real estate developer named Friday to the Scripps Funding Corp. by state House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, said he feared a former employee's sexual harassment claim against him and lawsuits accusing his prior company of shoddy construction work would "cause a distraction."
Wednesday, November 26, 2003. FL: Developer's lawyer quits Scripps Funding board WEST PALM BEACH -- Boca Raton development lawyer Peter Henn agreed Wednesday night to withdraw from the board overseeing The Scripps Research Institute's move into Palm Beach County after House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, the man who appointed him Friday, learned of shoddy-construction lawsuits and a sexual harassment claim against Henn in Indian River County...A third couple, Patrick and Yemin McDougal, sued in October, alleging poor workmanship and bad management, as well as building code violations on their $1.1 million home. Their suit describes a collapsing wall and ceiling, flooded air handlers, mold, ant and roach infestations and not enough hurricane strap-fasteners to hold the roof.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003. NJ: SHODDY HOME CONSTRUCTION Let's hope these sensible recommendations, suggested last week, are included in the final report: stronger criminal penalties; better protections for consumers (the homeowners warrantee program overseen by the state Department of Community Affairs is said to be sorely lacking); more training and resources for municipalities; and a central registry of complaints so consumers will know which developers have a history of shoddy building.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003. FL, National Interest: How To Get Problems In New Homes Fixed Put all complaints in writing and send them certified mail. Hire a certified home inspector to make sure you understand the scope of your problems. Notify the division president if there is one. Most reputable companies have a system in place to repair problems.
Monday, November 24, 2003. National.: [Home Repair second on list of consumer complainst.] Car buying leaves bad taste in consumers' mouths Home repair slights included companies going out of business and reopening under other names, failure to complete work and not complying with local codes
Monday, November 24, 2003. National.: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2003-11-24-complaints_x.htm< /a>Home repair slights included companies going out of business and reopening under other names, failure to complete work and not complying with local codes
Monday, November 24, 2003. NJ: Failing Inspection Roofs failed and ceilings fell in because they were never attached to their supports. New developments were pocked with sinkholes. Flooding in one Newark complex got bad enough to float a refrigerator. And material that was supposed to contain fires was too poorly installed and too full of holes to do the job. Information from Our Advertisers Yet all of these dwellings passed inspection. That is what makes these tales true horror stories.
Sunday, November 23, 2003. Texas: [Texas Doctors as dumb as Texas homeowners] Carlos Guerra: Doctors now learning what average homeowners know well Texas Watch, he said, also is investigating doctors' complaints of lower premiums being offered for lesser coverage or higher deductibles, insurance company proposals familiar to many homeowners. "Let's face it," Lambe concluded, "we have been restricting the rights of consumers because that is a lot easier to do that than it is to take on the multimillion-dollar insurance lobby and hold the insurance companies accountable."
Saturday, November 22, 2003. MI: Builder pleads guilty to felony fraud charge Wilson took money from four prospective homeowners -- three in St. Clair Shores and one in Clinton Township -- nearly three years ago to build homes for them, but failed to complete them. He also was accused of writing a $53,000 bad check to Metropolitan Title in Sterling Heights.
Friday, November 21, 2003. WA: New Home Owners Blast Washington Homes Builders Many of the residents are now concerned that as their one-year home warranties run out, so will their right to make claims on problems not yet repaired. While the situations vary, residents say that solutions have been slow in coming from Washington Homes, which is part of the national building company, K. Hovnanian.
Friday, November 21, 2003. FL, [happens in other states too.]: Costly Home Problems may start in Attic We found design flaws and not enough insulation in new homes throughout Central Florida. Those problems can cost you hundreds of dollars a year in wasted electricity.
Friday, November 21, 2003. Colorado: [Right to Repair law fails to keep promises. Again] Builders see little change from reform A new law touted by home builders as a fix for skyrocketing insurance premiums hasn't made liability insurance for residential builders any cheaper or more available since it was passed during the 2003 Legislative session.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. NJ: Slipshod building is rife, panel told; Shoddy home construction is widespread throughout New Jersey, with lax oversight, bureaucratic indifference, and corrupt municipal inspectors contributing to a "consumer crisis," a state panel in Trenton said Tuesday. The findings came as the State Commission of Investigation opened a series of hearings aimed at drawing attention to the problem and producing tighter construction regulations.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. PA: AG: Businessman ripped off customers Attorney General Mike Fisher on Friday announced that a lawsuit has been filed against a Wayne County modular home builder accused of accepting substantial payments for work he failed to start, complete or performed in a shoddy manner.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. CA: Home builder sentenced for fraud Fresno home builder Edward Gray was sentenced to 54 months in prison Wednesday for a fraud and money-laundering scheme that cheated investors out of more than $5 million.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. TX: Man negotiates plea bargain in bribery scandal A local home builder indicted in the San Antonio City Hall corruption and bribery scandal is currently negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. FL: Former Tampa Housing Chief Indicted The 40-page, 60-count indictment outlines allegations of how the defendants allegedly used federal housing funds awarded to the city to award contracts to a builder and a non-profit group which in turn provided favors to help LaBrake and McCarter build a a luxury home on South Tampa.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. NJ investigation: Witnesses: Home inspections mired in corruption Along with graft, according to some of the witnesses, developers often go out of business only to reopen soon with no debts under another name. The bankruptcies leave homeowners to cover defaulted loans, liens on the home and personally oversee the end of construction.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. NJ: Panel Says Inspections Don't Protect Home Buyers During two days of public hearings in Trenton, the State Commission of Investigation revealed the results of a yearlong inquiry. Those findings suggest that the municipal inspectors responsible for examining new homes were often ill qualified, overworked or biased toward politically powerful developers who plied them with gratuities like sports tickets, parties or golf outings.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. NJ: Claims of shoddy work plague Society Hill condos in Newark Society Hill was supposed to be one of the jewels in a Newark renaissance, offering a slice of suburbia in a gritty city. Shortly after the condominiums came on the market in 1988, then-U.S. Housing Secretary Jack Kemp called them "a remarkable example of the best in affordable, inner-city housing." But for many, the dream of home ownership crumbled to a nightmare because of shoddy work by the builder, K. Hovnanian, state officials and a homeowner said yesterday at a hearing held by the State Commission of Investigation in Trenton.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. NJ, National interest: SCI details builders' gifts to inspectors Public employees -- including municipal code officials and inspectors -- have been illegally accepting gifts of meals, liquor, parties and golf outings from builders and developers seeking favors, according to testimony at a second day of hearings by the State Commission of Investigation.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. NJ: Witnesses: Builders often bribe inspectors According to Karen Guhl, SCI special agent, investigators looked at more than 50 government entities and authorities wielding regulatory control over builders. They found officials routinely accepted gifts in exchange for so-called "windshield inspections," a quick drive past construction sites that ended in approvals without a true inspection.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. Texas. Insurance: New insurance rule, same unfair credit scoring. Consumers can have no confidence in Montemayor's claim of a rigorous analysis of insurer data. Despite being requested to do so, Montemayor has refused to collect the data necessary for an independent analysis of the relationship between credit scores and insurance losses, and he has refused to establish standards for demonstrating proof. His rigorous analysis will rely upon numbers provided by insurers with no opportunity for independently checking the veracity of those numbers. And Montemayor also refused to require insurers to utilize statistical measures that isolate the impact of credit scoring apart from other rating factors. This refusal is particularly troublesome since a University of Texas credit scoring study showed that credit is a proxy for other factors used by insurers. What was Montemayor's reason for refusing this basic consumer safeguard? Because such an analysis is too difficult for some, if not most, insurers.
Thursday, November 20, 2003. Florida: Inspections law may undergo some tinkering. ( Randy Braden, area president of David Weekley Homes, said the Houston-based company has told the city of Orlando it plans to hire private inspectors for the houses it's building in the Baldwin Park community northeast of downtow
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NJ: Agency: N.J. home checkups corrupt The inspection of new homes in New Jersey is riddled with corruption and is an often shoddy process that puts homeowners in danger and costs them millions of dollars, according to the State Commission of Investigation.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. FL: Mold Problem Frustrates Sanford Homeowner It's the hidden mold that worries homeowners. They also wonder how homes so new can leak so frequently. Out of 400 homes inspected, more than 45 had active leaks somewhere in the home.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NJ: Builder gets more jail time to learn a lesson When developer Eric Charles was sentenced to nine years in prison in early 2001 for accepting $320,000 to build homes on Cedar Grove property he did not even own, he assured the judge his victims would get back every penny. But the prison sentence was not enough to put an end to his scheming.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. FL: Building Commission Considers Inspection Changes There's new momentum to change state law to make sure homes are constructed and inspected properly.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NJ: New Home Warranties Show Cracks During a Trenton hearing yesterday that featured homeowner horror stories and a building inspector who conceded his office had made serious mistakes, the SCI laid out a brutal assessment of new construction in the state's sprawling suburbs.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. OH: Woman Devastated By Erpenbeck Fraud Wins Class Action Suit Eighty-six year old Louise Schulte clearly remembers learning two years ago there were problems with the title to her condominium at Sherwood Lakes in Boone County.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NJ, Investigation, National interest: N.J. home inspection process needs repairs For nearly seven hours yesterday, the State Commission of Investigation heard homeowners' horror stories: Faulty wiring and broken support trusses. Inspections supposedly done on parts of a home that do not exist. Gaping sinkholes and collapsed sewer lines. A lack of government oversight and no recourse for people who have put hundreds of thousands of dollars into flawed homes.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NJ: Building inspections under scrutiny at hearing Another crack in New Jersey's ethical armor appeared Tuesday when a blue ribbon state panel highlighted crooked behavior and shabby habits in the building of new homes statewide.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NJ: House-of-cards construction "Builders large and small, their bottom lines increasingly defined by speed and volume rather than quality and craftsmanship, are churning out second-rate structures assembled by unsupervised subcontractors using unskilled, untrained laborers," said SCI Chairman Francis Schiller.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NJ: Too many dream homes turning into nightmares, hearing told TRENTON -- Unscrupulous developers and corrupt local officials have turned the American dream into a horror story, homeowners and state officials said Tuesday
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NJ: New home inspections called corrupt, dangerous TRENTON - Inspection of new homes in New Jersey is riddled with corruption and is an often shoddy process that puts homeowners in danger and costs them millions of dollars, according to the State Commission of Investigation.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. OK.: Lawmakers study Texas insurance regulations on mold problem ãIn a perfect world, none of this would have to be happening because people that build houses wrong would correct the mistake before anyone was affected,ä Schnackel said. ãBut we donât live in a perfect world and unfortunately, when people wonât regulate themselves in an ethical way, then the law usually ends up getting changed.ä She said enforcement of existing building codes may be key to reducing mold problems. ãI think the building code inspection is really lacking and I know that is at least in part because they donât have enough people to inspect every single house,ä Schnackel said. ãHowever, there are so many houses going up that have code violations that itâs hard to believe that theyâre really even making the effort. When I see a whole development that all has the same code violation ö and I can see it ö I have to wonder why nobody caught that.ä
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. WI: When A Contractor's Building Or Remodeling Project Goes Awry, Consumers Are Left Asking: What Can We Do Now? The Reeds were among the unhappy homeowners who testified on behalf of a bill that would require all new Wisconsin homes to be inspected while they're under construction. The bill, which was supported by the construction industry, passed both houses of the Legislature, and is sitting on the desk of Gov. Jim Doyle, who is expected to sign it.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. FL--National interest: Zoning Changes May Bring Flooding Problems "Why do we, as politicians and elected officials, every time a developer comes in with a zoning change, we grant it? We have to quit doing that," Northey said.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. NY: Fungus Among Us Experts cite several reasons for the increase, including underqualified contractors who don't know how to avoid water leaks during construction; the growing use of new building materials that are susceptible to mold; and airtight buildings with dirty ventilation systems.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. National: Consumer group promises alternative to industry-restricted policies Policyholders of America, an outspoken consumer group, is stepping up its attack on the nation's insurance industry with the launch of its own line of insurance products÷ones that won't factor consumers' credit scores or past claims histories into underwriting formulas. The insurance is expected to become available late next year.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003. New Jersey.: Witnesses say home inspectors often incompetent, overworked TRENTON -- The inspection of new homes in New Jersey is riddled with corruption and is an often shoddy process that puts homeowners in danger and costs them millions of dollars, according to the State Commission of Investigation.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003. California: Schwarzenegger Halts Pending Regulations Lobbyists for California homebuilders applauded the governor's order Monday."The ones he asked to have reviewed are the ones that may be affecting the performance of business in California, and affecting the health and strength of the California economy," said Tim Coyle, vice president for governmental affairs for the California Building Industry Association. "It's the pebbles, not the boulder," added Coyle, attributing California's "hostile business climate" to a steady buildup of small state regulations. Coyle declined comment on which regulations homebuilders want dropped. But the industry, which aims to build 187,000 homes and apartments in California this year, often expresses dissatisfaction with environmental rules.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003. Texas. David Weekley.: 03-0309 IN RE: WEEKLEY HOMES, L.P. In the Texas Supreme Court concerning arbitration.Includes an Amicus Brief by Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003. FL: Osceola Homeowner Sues Builder, Still Loses The original developers were run out of town, and homeowners claim county inspectors missed key mistakes that could have caused their homes to collapse..."[I] never collected. It's in bankruptcy. He went bankrupt after the judgment," Young said.
Monday, November 17, 2003. New Jersey.: Media Advisory. NJ HADD Representative to testify at new home construction defect hearing. Tracey Kelly, President HADD NJ, will testify at a hearing on abuse of new home construction and inspections. This hearing is being conducted by the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation.
Monday, November 17, 2003. Texas: What's the score? Star Telegram Opinion And you should keep an eye on what Montemayor decides in coming months regarding the extent to which insurers can use credit scoring. That could affect your insurance bill, up or down, for many moons.
Monday, November 17, 2003. New Jersey: SCI hearings aim to shield homeowners SCI officials said their ongoing 18-month investigation has focused on a cross section of the state's major builders and smaller, fly-by-night builders that disappeared after projects were completed, leaving homeowners with little recourse. Their investigation, which delved into at least four counties -- Essex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic -- also uncovered laziness, incompetence and corruption in the code-enforcement system, the officials said.
Sunday, November 16, 2003. FL: Senator Wants to see Homes Better Built Dismayed by the shoddy workmanship of Central Florida's home builders, state Sen. Lee Constantine said he will push in next year's Legislature for tougher construction standards for new homes.
Sunday, November 16, 2003. NJ [not same case as below]: Saga of house is unfinished story The couple alleged the men never meant to finish the house but planned instead to file for bankruptcy so they could sell the house at a more desirable price because the property had appreciated in value. A judge agreed there was enough evidence to justify such an investigation, but aside from that first victory in court, the Corbos said they have seen little justice.
Sunday, November 16, 2003. NJ: No easy fix for builder's default "The builder default thing is a real problem," he said. "It's amazing what people have been through, and there is no remedy in place. It's very easy for someone to register as a builder. If you bail out of the business, pocket the money and file for bankruptcy, down the road you can file under a different name and keep on going."
Sunday, November 16, 2003. NY: Home Building Nightmare: New Scotland Man Says Builders Force Him to Mortgage his Future The house was a mess, his wife was about to deliver their third child and Jim Daniels had to get a roof over their head. "we were supposed to be in the house by end of September 2002," says Jim Daniels.
Sunday, November 16, 2003. FL: Pembroke Pines man arrested in Miami-dade building department scandal State and county officials made the fifth arrest Thursday in a growing scandal at Miami-Dade's Building Department, in which numerous new and remodelled homes received fraudulent county approvals even though they had never been inspected.
Saturday, November 15, 2003. FL: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7254804.htmState and county officials made the fifth arrest Thursday in a growing scandal at Miami-Dade's Building Department, in which numerous new and remodelled homes received fraudulent county approvals even though they had never been inspected.
Saturday, November 15, 2003. FL: Osceola settles claim but keeps deal quiet Deyne Matzinger cashed a $5,000 check from the taxpayers of Osceola County because county building inspectors overlooked critical flaws in her home. But she is not allowed to talk about it. Here's why: County officials fear that if the word gets out, they could be inundated with requests for money from people in similar circumstances.
Friday, November 14, 2003. TX: Did Farmers Insurance Keep Secrets From the State? An internal Farmers Insurance Group memo, obtained by the Chronicle, suggests the insurance company tried to keep "troublesome" claim files away from state officials investigating the business practices of Farmers and other industry giants for more than a year -- possibly avoiding state scrutiny into how claims were being handled.
Friday, November 14, 2003. MN: Builder faces jail time in case headed for Supreme Court In case that could have broad implications in the construction industry, Stillwaterbuilder John Arkell will argue before the Minnesota Supreme Court today that he shouldnât have to serve jail time for a building code violation. But officials will argue that the misdemeanor was serious enough to endanger the public welfare in Austin.
Friday, November 14, 2003. NY: SPOREY DETAILS: 120 SQ. FEET OF MOLD IN BIANCA'S ROOM City inspectors found that the mold condition in Bianca Jagger's Park Avenue apartment is "immediately hazardous" to human health, and that there's a ton of it - 120 square feet in just one room.
Friday, November 14, 2003. NJ: HOME CONSTRUCTION/ INSPECTION ABUSES The SCI has established a special e-mail address to report information regarding political corruption, organized crime and waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. All contacts are strictly confidential.
Friday, November 14, 2003. NJ, National interest: State crime panel targeting home construction TRENTON - The State Commission of Investigation will turn its focus toward the home-construction industry next week with two days of public hearings into abuses in new-home construction and inspections in New Jersey.
Friday, November 14, 2003. North Carolina: Cornelius neighborhood sees prices rise, tax values plunge The FBI and real estate experts say that legitimate same-day home flips for such high profits are extremely rare. And if documents are falsified to get a loan, that's a federal crime.
Friday, November 14, 2003. North Carolina: Mortgage Fraud Sweeps Charlotte The schemes involve hundreds of home sales, at prices from less than $100,000 to more than $1 million.
Friday, November 14, 2003. New Jersey: New Jersey to hold hearings on Home Construction/Inspection Abuses (PDF)The New Jersey Commission of Investigation will hold public hearings on wide spread Home Construction and Inspection abuses. The hearings will begin Tuesday November 18 and Weds November 19 at 9:30 in Committee Room 4 on the first floor of the Statehouse Annex. Please see http://www.state.nj.us/sci/ncirelease.pdf for details of this special event.
Thursday, November 13, 2003. New Jersey: SCI construction probe/ public hearings to begin The State Commission of Investigation will hold public hearings on the wide spread abuses in the construction and inspection process in new homes.
Thursday, November 13, 2003. FL, National interest: Building Investigation Prompts Changes For Realtors "Today, I guess I'll have to start recommending more home inspections for new homes," a Realtor said.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003. Texas Insurance: Should state reopen Farmers Insurance investigation Hunter says the state should reopen that investigation, but that may not happen because last year the state settled an unrelated lawsuit with Farmers and the Defenders discovered, buried in that settlement, a promise by the state to drop several investigations, including those involving the claim files.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003. FL, National Interest: Investigation Compares 2 Local Inspectors Romboli signed off on an inspection, giving the go-ahead to pour a slab, the concrete that runs under the whole house and serves as the floor. He OK'd the inspection without ever walking on the property...He's the same inspector we found had time to joke around with builders and workers for more than an hour. He's the same inspector who's the easiest on builders, a man who passes 99 percent of all inspections he conducts, while the average pass rate for the 17 building inspectors in Lake County is only 87 percent.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003. FL, National interest: Delays, fixes but finally they move in Of eight families who allowed the Orlando Sentinel to follow the construction of their houses this year -- from the clearing of the lot to the final walk-through -- five are now getting settled in their new homes. One remains dissatisfied; two are still waiting for construction to finish.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003. KY: Last of 32 liens may be released Ed Monohan, an attorney for 32 cash buyers of Erpenbeck homes and condominiums, said all the banks have agreed to release liens they placed on his clients' homes. Erpenbeck never repaid $5.5 million in loans the homebuilder used to construct the homes.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003. FL, National interest: Investigation Recreates Local Inspector's Day "All the rules in the world are great but if they're not actually getting done, if it isn't happening, then the consumer isn't protected," Stock said. [Keep in mind, when reading this article, that MOST inspection dept's are protected from being held accountable by "sovereign immunity."--HADD]
Tuesday, November 11, 2003. Texas Insurance: Insurance Commission Screws Consumers Again. New rules skip insurer rate caps."We told [department officials] months ago that they needed to have a collar" on insurers' use of credit history, said Powers. "Everyone told them weeks and weeks ago -- not to mention that the Legislature said they needed to set a collar. The fact that they're not doing that is just wrong."
Tuesday, November 11, 2003. FLORIDA--National Interest: Attentive Buyers Can Thwart Flaws The Sentinel/WESH survey found cost mattered little when it came to quality. The cheapest house ($69,000) and the most expensive ($1.9 million) each had leaky windows and cracking.
Tuesday, November 11, 2003. FLORIDA--National Interest: Inspectors Spend Little Time on Homes It's a building inspector's job to enforce minimum building-safety rules, making sure your newly constructed home doesn't leak, blow away or deteriorate too quickly.
Monday, November 10, 2003. FL: Under your home For Linda Heiser, a North Florida homeowner, the only thing more shocking than finding a landfill under her living room was learning she wasn't alone.
Monday, November 10, 2003. NY [same story as in most states]: Build today, gone tomorrow such strong demand can dampen builders' incentive to ensure their clients' satisfaction. This has given rise to the common practice of building, marketing and selling homes under a corporation name, and then dissolving the corporation once the clients take control of their homes. In some cases, builders work under so many different corporate names, it's difficult to keep track of who is building what.
Monday, November 10, 2003. FL, NATIONAL interest: Builders' clout keeps regulations weak It doesn't hurt, either, that the builders gave more than $453,700 to candidates for governor, the Legislature and the state Cabinet during the 2002 election cycle, according to the Institute on Money in State Politics. The money went to 163 candidates, as well as the Republican and Democratic parties. Construction services, building materials and equipment suppliers gave an additional $1.7 million, the institute said.
Monday, November 10, 2003. FL, National interest: Code, inspections let flaws through [This is not just happening in FL--HADD]With too much to do and too little time to do it, inspectors can -- and do -- miss code violations.
Monday, November 10, 2003. FL, National interest: Politics May Play Role In Some Building Problems It's no wonder builders have friends in the State Capitol. Last year, Florida home builders spent more than $1.2 million on candidates, parties and causes, one-third of it to Bush's re-election.
Friday, November 07, 2003. Texas (and Nationwide): Did Farmers Insurance mishandle mold claims? So what are they talking about? Farmers Insurance and routine damage claims the company received from homeowners, many of them because of mold. But it turns out the Defenders have discovered documents, internal Farmers documents, that now show Farmers may have botched many of these claims in Texas and even nationwide, during the so-called mold crisis, possibly jeopardizing their customers' health, their homes and their finances.
Friday, November 07, 2003. CALIFORNIA: HADD California Homeowners- Your Legal Rights. When consumers buy a new home or contract for additions and/or remodeling of an existing home: They have the right to safe and sound, quality construction. Regardless, substandard new-home construction and remodeling is a growing national problem. Protect yourself!
Thursday, November 06, 2003. FL--National interest: Subcontractors Could Determine Quality Of New Homes "We found out that we didn't have a ventilation system ..."
Wednesday, November 05, 2003. Wisconsin: State Passes Home Construction Bill MADISON, Wis. -- The state Legislature passed a bill Thursday that expands building code inspection to all new homes.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003. Indiana, of national interest: Mold problem caused by building code violations, official says "Homes need to be built to building code," he said. "When it isn't this can be the result."
Wednesday, November 05, 2003. FL--National Interest: Neighbors Organize To Discuss Building Problems After inspecting one house, neighbors organized a meeting with us to discuss the problems they are having with their builder.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003. Texas. KB Home: KB Home suit awaits state court action In 1995, KB Home informally asked the FTC if it could change its warranty to use binding arbitration. The FTC refused but noted that KB Home could request a modification. KB Home made no formal request but arbitrarily instituted binding arbitration clauses. When the FTC got complaints, staff investigated and confirmed the practice. In December 1999, the FTC warned KB Home and demanded it cease. KB Home ignored the FTC's pressure until February 2001 when it made verbal assurances it would stop. Kovacic told Judge Ellison that KB Home attorney Shaunessy erred when he said the FTC "failed to act when they have knowledge of what was going on," and "was currently choosing not to act." Shaunessy retracted that statement after being warned to do so by the FTC, Kovacic said.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003. FL, National interest:Mexican migrants carve path of hope to Orlando No one questions their work ethic, but their paucity of skills and frequent lack of supervision have resulted in often-shoddy new homes. A yearlong investigation by the Orlando Sentinel and WESH-NewsChannel 2 found widespread problems in homes built during 2001. The flaws range from leaky windows, block walls riddled with stairstep cracks and mold to wavy rooflines, bowed interior walls and cabinets without shelf supports.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003. FL, National interest: Investigation Finds Problems In DeBary Neighborhood DEBARY, Fla. -- You might expected to have a few minor problems with a new home -- maybe a loose outlet or some trim work that isn't finished, but a wall without concrete between the blocks?
Tuesday, November 04, 2003. FLorida--NATIONAL interest: Top builders downplay homes' flaws "There's a lot of shortcuts going on out there," said Richard Taylor, a veteran framing subcontractor who said he stopped working for tract builders because the pay was too low and the pace too fast.
Tuesday, November 04, 2003. Florida--NATIONAL interest: Investigation: 80 Percent Of New Homes Have Problems Our team inspected more than 400 new homes and found problems with almost every one.
Tuesday, November 04, 2003. Florida: BUILDING HOMES: BUILDING PROBLEMS Top builders downplay homes' flaws (May require free registration) Although the number of problems per house varied by company, the types of faults were universal from builder to builder. In other words, homes by Lennar or Ryland had the same problems -- such as major cracking or sloppy interior drywall or mold -- as Centex homes; there were simply fewer instances of these faults.
Monday, November 03, 2003. TX : Development brings a flood of concerns; Residents who live along Vogel Creek, which has a history of frequent flooding, are expressing concern about a Habitat for Humanity development under construction nearby.
Monday, November 03, 2003. FL: Creditors confront builder in court When Strickland asked how he could declare bankruptcy after collecting $400,000 in gross income in 2003, Ludwig offered a vague explanation, blaming mortgage companies and subcontractors for his troubles.
Monday, November 03, 2003. FL: Panel that oversees construction wary of overhauling rules Broward County isn't likely to overhaul the way it oversees home construction despite a study, commissioned by the county, that found some new models didn't meet hurricane standards.
Monday, November 03, 2003. Texas: Low-key Houston builder state's top political donor DALLAS -- A Houston home builder who avoids fund-raisers and publicity has donated more than $5.2 million to state candidates and causes since January 2000, making him the state's most prolific giver over that time, a newspaper reported Sunday.
Monday, November 03, 2003. FL--National interest: Homes often are rush jobs, critics assert The faster they lay block or drive nails or run air-conditioning ducts, the more money they make. Production is key, critics say, not quality.
Saturday, November 01, 2003. Texas: Money talks in the great state of Texas Bob Perry, who isn't related to the governor, succeeded in winning enactment last spring of a new law creating a review process for consumer complaints against builders that is designed to reduce lawsuits against companies such as his. And, last month, the governor appointed a top executive of Bob Perry's firm to a commission that will create standards for putting the law into effect.
Friday, October 31, 2003. Texas: Plea may bolster City Hall bribery case Home builder Peter Estevez is negotiating a plea to fraud charges, and the deal could make the businessman a stronger witness in the government's bribery case against two former city councilmen.
Friday, October 31, 2003. Florida: Region's new homes flawed Yearlong investigation finds almost 80 percent of 406 new Central Florida homes full of problems. (REQUIRES FREE REGISTERATION)
Thursday, October 30, 2003. Florida: Building Investigation Uncovers Big Problems. Part I. The builders who built these homes refused to be interviewed for this investigation. We even sat down with their public relations firms and showed them our findings. They spoke with the builders and returned this response: "There is no way they (the builders) want to participate," and "they (the builders) don't see what the problem is."
Thursday, October 30, 2003. Florida: Home Investigation Begins Tonight We'll show you county inspectors who rubber-stamp work without careful examination, builders who fight tooth-and-nail against making even the simplest repairs then never delivering, and a system approved by state lawmakers that makes it terribly difficult for homeowners to get any kind of relief.
Wednesday, October 29, 2003. Florida: Orlando Sentinel and WESH-TV Launch Investigative Series on New-Home ConstructionThe series will air on WESH-TV for 20 consecutive weekdays -- from Thursday, Oct. 30 through Wednesday, Nov. 26 -- during the station's 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. newscasts. The Orlando Sentinel's comprehensive, eight-part series begins Friday, October 31 and continues Sunday, Nov. 2 through Wednesday, Nov. 5 and Sunday, Nov. 9 through Tuesday, Nov. 11. Coverage on the Web features video, a searchable database of home problems by builder, photos, photo galleries and the entire newspaper series -- and is accessible on both OrlandoSentinel.com/buildingproblems and WESH.com.
Wednesday, October 29, 2003. Oklahoma: Contractor facing charges for embezzling couple's money Charles Jewell, Healdton, was charged Friday in Carter County District Court with two counts of embezzlement by a contractor. The charges accuse Jewell of "fraudulently appropriating the sum of $28,539" from Bill and Donna Foreman and later taking another $2,208.75 from the couple. Conviction carries up to five years in prison on each count.
Wednesday, October 29, 2003. National: Senate Democrats Kill Lawsuit Reform "Defendant corporations don't want to be held liable for their misconduct, and if held responsible they want to pay less money, and that's what it comes down to," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "That's what this is all about. They want to protect themselves and limit their liability."
Wednesday, October 29, 2003. National: Attack on consumer reporting, First Amendment Unless the Supreme Court overrules the 9th Circuit, consumer reporting on products and health and safety issues will be severely chilled. The ultimate victims will be millions of consumers.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003. Georgia: Clark Howard's Advice on Home Warranties ATLANTA -- New home construction jumped to the second highest level of the year and many metro area homebuyers were likely offered warranties on their residences. Even so, there are no guarantees that homeowners won't end up paying for their own repairs during that first year.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003. Georgia: Survey nails local home builders Atlanta buyers have more complaints about their new houses -- an average of 14.39 problems per house -- than the typical U.S. home buyer, according to the 2003 New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Survey by J.D. Power and Associates. Atlanta buyers experience 1,439 problems per 100 homes, which tops the national average of 1,372 construction problems per 100 homes built, or 13.72 problems per house, according to the survey.
Monday, October 27, 2003. Texas. Insurance: Either-or choice for insurance commissioner Commissioner Jose Montemayor must show consumers in this state that the Texas Department of Insurance is not the Texas Department for Insurance Companies. Montemayor should either stand up for the consumers or step down as commissioner.
Sunday, October 26, 2003. National: The Seventh Ammendment takes a hit; A new study claims the ãAmerican Dreamä of home ownership is being built on a rotten foundation ÷ and itâs beginning to crumble. That foundation, say homeowner advocates who conducted the study, is a relatively new clause found in more and more new home contracts ÷ mandatory binding arbitration.
Sunday, October 26, 2003. National: Lobbyist questioned over Jeffords threat [An oldie but a goodie] A lobbyist for the Louisiana Home Builders Association was questioned by U.S. Capitol Police for allegedly making a death threat against Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt.
Sunday, October 26, 2003. National interest: Homebuilders asked for it No one buys a home looking for a lawsuit. If the builders want the lawyers to go away, they should build it right the first time.
Sunday, October 26, 2003. National: The McMansion Next Door The housing industry says that we want bigger and bigger houses. But I think theyâre not taking credit for their marketing skills. Last yearâs annual report for Pulte Homes, one of the nationâs biggest builders, contains an astonishing fact: if you adjust for inflation, houses of the same size and comparable features are the same price today as they were in the 1970s.
Thursday, October 23, 2003. Texas. Insurance: Law aims to protect consumers against 'credit scoring' "The tax cut George W. Bush gave me I paid to my insurance company," Houston resident John Cobarruvias said. "Thanks a bunch."
Thursday, October 23, 2003. National.: The Seventh Ammendment takes a hit; New study claims arbitration clause harms homeowners. Seventh Amendment: "In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. "
Tuesday, October 21, 2003. MN, National interest : Minnesota builder faces jail time over building code violation, pending state Supreme Court ruling. In an unusual case, the Minnesota Supreme Court will rule on whether general contractor John Arkell, president of Carriage Homes, will go to jail for violating the state's building code on the Southwinds project, a 38-unit condo development in Austin, Minn., near the Iowa border.
Monday, October 20, 2003. California: This website is about our Reynen and Bardis nightmare We have spent thousands of dollars on our own geotechnical and structural engineers. Our engineers reports state that Reynen and Bardis built our home incorrectly. Reynen and Bardis refuses to stand by their warrantee and have yet to fix our major structural issues.
Monday, October 20, 2003. Ohio. Ryland Homes : New homeowners bought lots of trouble back houses and will pay cleanup costs, likely to be in the millions. It says it was stunned, too. Ryland cites a written assurance from an environmental firm, hired by the land's previous owner and developer, that said the site was safe for development.
Sunday, October 19, 2003. Ohio. Ryland Homes : Ryland buys back homes, pays for cleanup Once the extent of problems was known and 20 families sued Ryland and others, Ryland agreed to buy back 28 homes. Settlement terms are confidential. But according to Butler County property records through Oct. 14, the company has purchased 11 homes for a total of $3.1 million.
Sunday, October 19, 2003. Florida. : New Website. My Nightmare Home. I purchased this home in good faith after being assured it was sound! Within months my daughter and I were swarmed by Termites and every year since in the spring its the same. The builder did nothing and still has done nothing his response was call your Insurance company that's what I paid for.
Sunday, October 19, 2003. NATIONAL : Robert Bruss: Here are five vital terms for home purchase offer 5. Consider a mediation and/or arbitration clause. Most printed home purchase forms provided by real estate agents include a mediation and/or arbitration clause. Smart home buyers consider these clauses very carefully. A mediation clause in the contract means if a dispute arises between the seller and buyer after the sale closes, the parties agree to submit the problem to mediation before suing in court. An expert mediator can often get the parties to agree to a reasonable settlement, usually at minimal cost during a one-day mediation. But a binding arbitration clause means the buyer and seller agree to submit any dispute which might arise to the decision of an arbitrator who will hear the evidence and make a binding decision. Agreeing in advance to arbitration means giving up the right to a court jury trial, court rules of evidence, and the right to appeal, even if the arbitrator's decision is contrary to law. Agreeing to mediation of future disputes before filing a lawsuit is usually cost and time effective. However, smart home buyers don't give up their legal rights when buying a home by agreeing in advance to binding arbitration.
Sunday, October 19, 2003. NATIONAL : Arbitration being forced on consumers These binding arbitration clauses have been standard in credit-card and stock brokerage contracts for years, but they are migrating into the fine print of everyday consumer services, including cable TV, cell phones, online retailers, gyms, auto financing firms, travel agencies, summer camps and doctors. [From HADD--and home builders and warranty companies...]
Sunday, October 19, 2003. New jersey : Prosecutor, SCI probe inspections in 3 towns The Monmouth County prosecutors office and the State Commission of Investigation are engaged in parralel investigations.
Friday, October 17, 2003. N.J. : Developer Joe Barry and Janiszewski 'bag man' Byrne charged NEWARK - One of Hudson County's most prominent waterfront real estate developers, Joseph Barry, has been indicted on charges he paid nearly $140,000 in bribes to then-County Executive Robert Janiszewski in exchange for $8.8 million in federal and state loans and grants.
Friday, October 17, 2003. R.I. : CONTRACTOR CHARLES BOISCLAIR FACES FELONY CHARGE The felony charge stems from a complaint by Richmond resident Maryann Huntington, who said she was "devastated" after hiring Boisclair to finish her basement. The man, she said, left her basement in shambles after taking $6,710 in checks and charging roughly $12,949 to her credit card at Home Depot. The entire job was billed to cost $7,600, but the complaint says Boisclair made out with a total of $19,659, never finishing the job.
Thursday, October 16, 2003. New jersey: Developer accused of paying bribe <Kelly16vil@aol.com> A Newark developer.
Thursday, October 16, 2003. MI: Macomb Township homeowners complain about builder Maiani, the homeowners said, built homes in timely fashion but ignored requests to perform repairs in a reasonable time.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003. Florida: Builder Loses Right to Build Homes in Charlotte County A Florida homebuilder has indefinitely lost the right to build any more homes in Charlotte County. The Charlotte County Contractors Licensing Board voted to remove permitting privileges for Richard Hawkes, the owner and contractor for Holiday Builders.
Monday, October 13, 2003. National.: Court Ordered Notice Program Begins to Owners of Homes and Other Structures in Class Action Lawsuit About Louisiana-Pacific's Nature Guard(R) ShinglesMODESTO, Calif., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- A notice program began today, as ordered by the Superior Court of California, County of Stanislaus, to owners of homes and other structures about a class action lawsuit and upcoming trial against Louisiana-Pacific Corporation ("L-P"). The lawsuit is about the durability of Nature Guard¨ roofing shingles. Notices will appear in California, Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon editions of publications, and be mailed to those who are included with known addresses.
Monday, October 13, 2003. GA: Homebuilder loses slander lawsuit A lawsuit backfired on a Cherokee County homebuilder who sued a customer for complaining that work on his home was unfinished and shoddy.
Monday, October 13, 2003. Indiana: County wants Davis Homes to halt Residential builder Davis Homes faces a 60-day suspension on new construction in Johnson County for failing to complete the required inspection process on five houses.
Monday, October 13, 2003. NY: Frustration mounts, but is anyone listening? With residents questioning how a builder with a history of violations can pull permits for new construction or wondering why final certificates of occupancy are so hard to come by, the blame is heaped in every direction.
Sunday, October 12, 2003. National: Freddie Mac supporters are lining up The National Association of Realtors and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), two of Washingtonâs biggest campaign contributors, have come out against an administration proposal to shift oversight of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the Treasury Department.
Sunday, October 12, 2003. PA: Specter: Speed up state's fraud probe SCRANTON ÷ U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter says Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher's office still needs to move faster in combatting alleged Poconos real estate fraud.
Sunday, October 12, 2003. FL: Families' dreams in pieces Eric Ludwig touted himself as an experienced builder who could deliver dream homes inexpensively. But most clients got nothing for their money.
Friday, October 10, 2003. California. KB Home: Schwarzenegger Transition Team [includes chairman of KB Home] Eli Broad, Los Angeles, chairman of AIG SunAmerica, founder and chairman of KB Home and founder of the Broad Foundation.
Monday, October 06, 2003. AZ--National interest: Foreclosure rate on rise Valley-wide In the midst of the hottest housing market in Phoenix history, a record number of people are losing their homes to foreclosure.
Sunday, October 05, 2003. Kentucky: Scott needs more inspectors, homeowners say The chief inspector, Dennis Morris, said he and his staff of two have struggled to keep up with the housing growth and inspect all homes under construction in a timely manner. Another assistant building inspector will start work next week.
Sunday, October 05, 2003. KY: Building inspections are criticized The homeowners say building inspectors signed off on their houses when they should have caught problems and cracked down on the builders.
Saturday, October 04, 2003. MA: Agency under scrutiny, safety chief warns staff State Public Safety Commissioner Joseph S. Lalli yesterday held an "emergency meeting" of inspectors and staff, warning that state and federal investigators probing allegations of misconduct in the agency's licensing procedures are watching their every professional move.
Saturday, October 04, 2003. NV, National interest: Quality Assurance Program Fails to Deliver Quality Yet two years after their training program was instituted, the Teamsters have failed to find one subcontractor who has been certified...
Saturday, October 04, 2003. Home, sweet . . . mold: Spores can be a home torment Toxic mold can develop even in the desert in the middle of a five-year drought... "If there's a construction defect, oftentimes that is the underlying cause of how you get water intrusion and how you get mold."
Saturday, October 04, 2003. KY: Careless Home-Builder Ordinance "...homeowners in Georgetown and the surrounding area say they need help from the city to target builders and developers who are cutting corners while constructing homes. Also, homeowners say building inspectors with the city do not perform a thorough job during inspections..."
Friday, October 03, 2003. Wisconsin: Volunteers Help Fix Builder's Mess The Reeds wanted a modest retirement home in a tiny southwest Wisconsin village. What they got was an unfinished house they couldn't live in...Most of their construction loan was gone, and so was their builder.
Friday, October 03, 2003. NY: BUYING A PIECE OF HELL Since last year, scores of New York expats have joined lawsuits charging that 26 Pocono-area builders, realtors and appraisers pushed over 200 mostly first-time homebuyers into foreclosure and financial ruin by offering them inexpensive country homes, then ruthlessly bilking them with a complicated scam.
Thursday, October 02, 2003. Texas KB Home: Bylaws change, Mirasol top SAHA agenda KB built the 247 single-family homes at Mirasol. The homes came under scrutiny after some residents complained about poor workmanship, inferior materials and designs that omitted back doors and windows, making it difficult to observe children playing in the yards.
Wednesday, October 01, 2003. Texas: Slums are not shaped by God But here, where a homebuilder such as Bob Perry can give $580,000 to Gov. Rick Perry and then have a top executive of his company be named to a panel that will formulate hoops through which home buyers must jump before they sue over defects, construction regulations are a bit lax
Tuesday, September 30, 2003. Texas: Perry Homes executive named to commission Houston homeowner John Cobarruvias, who applied for the commission, said he had hoped that Perry would appoint a consumer advocate like himself. Cobarruvias, president of the Texas chapter of Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, said he's disappointed but not surprised at the appointments. "We expected them to stack this commission somehow, some way," said Cobarruvias. "I look at the makeup and just don't see us having a chance of doing anything in support of the consumers."
Monday, September 29, 2003. MO, National interest: CONSTRUCTION SITES IN KANSAS CITY & ST. LOUIS AREAS CITED FOR CLEAN WATER ACT VIOLATIONS EPA Region 7 is issuing administrative orders for violations of federal storm-water regulations at 12 construction sites in the Kansas City, Mo., and St. Louis areas.
Monday, September 29, 2003. MO: Jefferson County developer cited for drainage controls A St. Louis County home builder is facing fines from the federal government for violating storm water regulations at a Jefferson County construction site.
Monday, September 29, 2003. Kansas: Do research before hiring someone to fix your foundation Before phoning a handful of foundation repair companies for bids, homeowners who suspect their basements need substantial repair should hire a third-party structural engineer...Even after doing your homework it can be daunting finding the right company.
Monday, September 29, 2003. New Jersey, NATIONAL interest: Court: Homeowners responsible for code violations Code enforcement officials cannot pursue builders who violate the state's construction code once a homeowner moves in, an appeals court said Monday. Rather, homeowners are responsible for code violations and must pursue remedies with the builders on their own. [This is actually how it works in more areas than just N.J.]
Monday, September 29, 2003. CA, National interest: Builders Shower Cash on Davis, Recall Candidates Builders and developers, perennially among the state's largest campaign contributors, have once again emerged as a force in the race to recall Gov. Gray Davis, showering the governor and his would-be successors with hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Monday, September 29, 2003. California: DEFECTS: Two Inland couples discover it's hard to win when government workers fail to catch construction violations. The California Contractors State License Board, after investigating the Comrases' case, is taking steps to remove Geldreich's license. The board said in its accusation that there was evidence of "52 trade standard violations and 22 deviations from the plans and specifications without authorization."
Monday, September 29, 2003. Texas: Big business spent big bucks on Prop. 12 ãNow that Proposition 12 passed, toxic polluters, insurance industries and manufacturers of dangerous products will be lining up at the Capitol to have arbitrary limits put on jury awards,ä Lambe said. ãWhat voters have just done is give politicians unchecked power to put any arbitrary, one-size-fits-all cap on noneconomic damages in any civil lawsuit, not just medical malpractice.ä Donors: Texas for Lawsuit Reform $300,000, Bob Perry (homebuilder) $100,000
Monday, September 29, 2003. Texas: On shaky ground. A new University of North Texas study shows that, in recent years, more and more homes here have been built on soil that's less than ideal for urban development
Monday, September 29, 2003. California. KB Home: Some urge buyers hire professional Jay Moss, division president for KB Homes, said his company will allow a private inspector on the building site before the drywalling and at the walk-through, but only when the visit is prearranged with the construction superintendent and when the home buyer is present.
Friday, September 26, 2003. Michigan: PAC gives Macomb's Marrocco clout ...a shift in Marrocco's influence from the local to the statewide level. Marrocco, who grossed more than $160,000 that night from builders and related professionals whose projects he regulates, was christening the "Anthony Marrocco Victory PAC."
Thursday, September 25, 2003. PA: Homeowners plan more protests PHDA wants the FBI to rejoin the investigation of alleged home-sales fraud that it left in 2001 after two weeks. Members also want state and county officials to more aggressively prosecute fraud allegations that include use of inflated appraisals, phantom financing and coercion.
Thursday, September 25, 2003. NATIONAL: What's Hiding in Home Contracts (CBS) When Mary Cohn tried to sue the company that built her home for producing a house filled with defects, she didn't exactly find a welcome mat at the courthouse.
Thursday, September 25, 2003. OH: Tapes: Bank tried to cover overdrafts Newly revealed tapes show that just weeks before the Erpenbeck Co. bank fraud investigation erupted into a public scandal in spring 2002, top executives at Peoples Bank of Northern Kentucky hatched a last-ditch effort to quietly cover numerous Bill Erpenbeck overdrafts without raising the suspicions of the bank's board of directors.
Thursday, September 25, 2003. Texas: On shaky ground. A new University of North Texas study shows that, in recent years, more and more homes here have been built on soil that's less than ideal for urban development. Williams' study concludes that concrete-slab foundations are particularly prone to crack or break when soil expands. But builders use them anyway to save money, he said.
Wednesday, September 24, 2003. Texas. Grand Homes.: Survey can help potential homeowners avoid heartache The builder, Grand Homes, has made some repairs over the past year. They did not return News 8's calls for a response concerning the condition of Misich's house or a response to the J.D. Power survey, which placed Grand Homes at the bottom of its customer satisfaction list.
Thursday, September 11, 2003. PA: Attorney Generals Office Continuing to take Claims The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office will continue to consider new consumer complaints in its Poconos real estate fraud investigation, including new allegations against the individuals and companies whom the state is already suing.
Thursday, September 11, 2003. Texas: Judge rules couple can't sue KB Home A state district judge Wednesday told a couple who lived in the KB Home Creekside subdivision they couldn't sue the homebuilder for not disclosing the couple was sold a house in a 100-year floodplain.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003. PA, National interest: Leaflet campaign unfairly stopped, homeowners association alleges The security force at A Pocono Country Place stopped activists from distributing leaflets about a Saturday forum on real estate fraud, according to the Pocono Homeowners Defense Association..."A huge number of the foreclosures are coming out of PCP," Wilson said. "So why wouldn't the board of directors want their homeowners to know about this forum?"..."We were not asking anyone to purchase anything," Wilson said.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003. PA, National interest: Realty fraud discussion Saturday at ESU Wilson hopes the officials sitting on the panel will assure the public that builders, appraisers and mortgage brokers accused of fraudulent home-sale practices will finally and swiftly be prosecuted, more than two years after the situation was exposed..."This thing is downright rotten," said Wilson. "I have never seen a cover-up so effective."
Monday, September 08, 2003. NATIONAL, From "Forbes.": Home Builders Raise Roof On CEO Pay The U.S. housing industry is showering its executives with huge pay packages just as economic signals are flashing that the industry is headed for a slowdown. Last year, the median total compensation awarded a housing sector chief executive was $6.2 million, up 33% over 2001. Not exactly chicken feed. Top executives pulled down anywhere from $10.5 million to $26 million apiece.
Monday, September 08, 2003. Florida: Pines man arrested in connection with shoddy construction in Miami-Dade The arrest of a Pembroke Pines resident after an investigation into building code violations should be the first of several, according to Miami-Dade County Inspector General Christopher Mazzella's office. According to Mazzella, investigators with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office and the Miami-Dade building and zoning departments found a "widespread scheme" by past and present county employees, building contractors and others to violate codes designed to protect the public from shoddy construction.
Monday, September 08, 2003. PA (story in Kansas City Star): Attorney General sues Poconos homebuilders, alleging deceptive tactics PHILADELPHIA - The Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit Thursday accusing a Poconos builder and executives at his company of using deceptive sales tactics to persuade dozens of first-time home buyers to purchase houses at inflated prices.
Thursday, September 04, 2003. Wisconsin: Creative Custom Homes Seeks Arbitrator for Dispute Creative Custom Homes says it will now use an arbitrator to handle its disputes with some homeowners.
Thursday, September 04, 2003. Wisconsin: Homeowners Seek Town's Help in Dispute With Homebuilder Several homeowners in the Fox Valley say their houses are falling apart, and they are not going to take it any more. Tuesday night they asked the Harrison town board to block construction by any home builder who hasn't fixed problems with existing homes.
Wednesday, September 03, 2003. National: Insiders are bailing on home-builder stocks Is the housing boom doomed?
Wednesday, September 03, 2003. Idaho: Idaho Contractor Waives Right Under AIA Contract to Contest Architect's Decision by Failing to Send Demand for Arbitration to AAA "...contract provided that the architect's decision was "final and binding on the parties subject to arbitration." Under the contract, either party could demand arbitration of the dispute by filing "notice of demand for arbitration· with the other party to the Agreement·, with the American Arbitration Association· and· with the architect."" [HADD president's comment: EVEN contractors who WANTED this right to cure law passed can't figure out how to use it correctly.]
Tuesday, September 02, 2003. CA: Fresno man admits to $5m federal fraud charges A Fresno home builder admitted Friday that he cheated investors out of more than $5 million by luring them into purchasing nonexistent securities.
Tuesday, September 02, 2003. California: Builder Is Indicted in Fraud Case An Orange County home builder was charged Wednesday with diverting $340,000 in construction funds for his own use and unlawfully selling homes at a development in Altadena that was left unfinished.
Tuesday, September 02, 2003. Texas: DOMESTIC DISPUTE. Supporters, detractors debate law's purpose, protections "This law does absolutely nothing to help consumers," said Cheryl Turner, a Dallas lawyer who represents homeowners in cases of severe home defects. "If you ask anyone who has been through a dispute, 2-to-1, they felt the law was stacked against them," she said. "There was not any need for this law."
Monday, September 01, 2003. Florida, National importance: Law Can Hold You Responsible For Builders' Mistakes OVIEDO, Fla. -- Action 9 uncovers an outrageous example of how Florida's contractor lien law holds you responsible for a builder's mistakes.
Friday, May 30, 2003. Texas : Texans about to lose full day in court, unless The Texas Legislature has taken its mandate to rollback excessive insurance rates by rolling back citizen rights instead. The Legislature has ignored its obligation to represent the interests of all Texas families and consumers -- and not just the self-interests of the insurance industry and Texans for Lawsuit Reform.Thursday, May 29, 2003. Wyoming: Gillette proposes competency test for builders The city's Board of Examiners is again proposing a competency test for building contractors to be licensed in Gillette.Thursday, May 29, 2003. Tennessee: Residents irate over leaky homes ãItâs an absolute bear to recover damages,ä Harrison said, ãWhat people donât understand is that itâs not from the day you discover the defect. Itâs from the time you take possession of the home. The truly insidious thing is if youâre house does not have weep holes and flashing the damage may not manifest itself during that four years.äThursday, May 29, 2003. Florida: Lawsuits alleging 'massive fraud' may jeopardize large residential project A series of lawsuits filed in federal and state courts in Pittsburgh could jeopardize a large residential project in Bonita Springs and throw a hurdle into the path of the extension of a major north-south road through the city.Thursday, May 29, 2003. Nevada: EDITORIAL: Home defect compromise Buyers of new homes, meantime, can help thin out after-the-sale problems by treating the "walk-through" and other acceptance procedures as something other than a mere formality. Those without construction expertise of their own are free to hire an independent consultant to help inspect the home before a purchase is finalized. A builder still awaiting his money can show amazing alacrity in dealing with flaws. And if he doesn't ... there'll always be another house going up a few blocks away.Thursday, May 29, 2003. Texas : Senat e sends builder bill to House At its inception, the bill had an industry-controlled membership that would set policy on all construction defect claims, regulate the dispute resolution process, choose third-party warranty companies and define building performance standardsThursday, May 29, 2003. Ohio: Lead Hazard. 'It was our dream house' The Butler County subdivision with houses ranging in price from $190,000 to $330,000 is officially contaminated. A Superfund site. This summer, Environmental Protection Agency workers in jumpsuits and masks will be tromping around yards where kids have been playing..... "This was our dream home," Robin Lumbert says. She and her husband, Ed, bought the house in Liberty Township after looking through a Ryland Homes model. They chose the second cul-de-sac. The first was too close to a pond. Robin worried one of her kids - ages 2, 4 and 61/2 - would wander into the water.Wednesday, May 28, 2003. Texas : Manufactured homes, Barrett Station ãWe the homeowners of the Arcadian Gardens Subdivision in Barrett Station, Crosby, Texas, due hereby submit this petition as a protest against Homeland Inc. and its affiliates,ä the petition states. ãWe are making a public stance to the placing of temporary dwellings such as manufactured homes, trailer houses and or mobile homes are in direct breech of the Deed Restrictions ... on record at the Harris County Clerkâs Office in Houston, Texas. Our signatures below states that we intend to pursue all measure of the law provided to stop this breech of our Homeowner Deed Restrictions from materializing.äTuesday, May 27, 2003. NV: Nevada Senate agrees to home defects changes The state Senate has agreed with compromise legislation requiring what builders call a "right to repair" before Nevada homeowners can sue for construction defects such as leaky roofs or cracked walls.Monday, May 26, 2003. texas: Where nature, development clash. "Go out to any new housing development in Frisco or Little Elm," said Dr. Louis Verner, a former ecologist for the state of Texas. "You'll find a moonscape. That stuff is going up so fast, people just aren't taking the time to think about ... what we're losing."Monday, May 26, 2003. Ohio: Builde r will buy back homes LIBERTY TWP. - In a rare and expensive move, one of the largest homebuilders in the nation is offering to buy back most of the homes in a lead-contaminated Butler County subdivision.Monday, May 26, 2003. Ohio: Ryland Homes Offers Buyout To Lexington Manor Residents (with video) Ryland Homes has agreed to buy back more than two dozen homes built on lead contaminated soil. "I think that anyone who looks at this from an objective perspective looks at the fact that the United States EPA has declared this a superfund sight, looks at the fact that workers are going to be coming through the neighborhood in chemical protective suits right next to where children should be playing would say that any reasonable home builder would come to the table and make a reasonable offer," Croskery said.Monday, May 26, 2003. Texas: Astros cry foul over park roof [NOTE: The new retractable roof of the Houston Astros has some kind of mold growing on the outside and the warranty does not cover it. I think they now know how homeowners feel] But an official with an organization that represents roof manufacturers said he hadn't heard of a warranty covering cleanliness. "No one has guaranteed that a roof will stay white," said David Roodvoets, technical director for SPRI Inc., a Waltham, Mass.-based organization of 17 roof manufacturers, many of which make the type of roof that tops Minute Maid Park.Thursday, May 22, 2003. California: K B Home project picketed Dispute over the use of non-union labor held up cement work Wednesday at the Seaside Highlands development.Wednesday, May 21, 2003. California: L awsuit targets KB Home project The lawsuit says KB Home representatives told the City Council on May 4, 1998, that the development would include a mix of affordable and higher-priced homes starting at below $200,000. The city paid the federal government $5.1 million for the 107-acre property in July 2002 and sold the land to KB. The lawsuit says KB paid a token amount of $1, though KB says the price was $6 million. Renneisen said that no matter which amount is correct, city taxpayers were shortchanged. The lawsuit says KB is in line to receive "approximately $115 million pure cash windfall."Wednesday, May 21, 2003. National: UPDATE: What Kind of Dirt Do They Have On You? The article "What Kind of Dirt Do They Have On You?" is no longer on the website of prohome.com. The article has somehow been deleted from the newsletter.Wednesday, May 21, 2003. National: What Kind of Dirt Do They Have On You? Before you dismiss HADD as yet another small group of nut cases, take a minute to stop and think about this: What if HADD becomes as big as MADD? What if HADD reaches the tipping point and becomes a real deal?Tuesday, May 20, 2003. Texas: No-shows halt special SAHA board meeting Problems at the Mirasol Homes public housing project have been a hot issue for more than a year. Commissioners hired an independent auditor to investigate construction issues there, and the auditor's report surfaced April 30, but SAHA refused to release it.Monday, May 19, 2003. Texas: Weekley Homes Comes on Home. When David Weekley Homes filed an appeal in Texasâ High Court last month, it was as if the builder had entered one of its own custom-built homes. Since David Weekleyâs brother Richard formed Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) to slash businessesâ legal liabilities, the Weekleys have crafted the court in their own anti-tort image. Current justices alone have taken $120,337 from TLRâs PAC ($88,337) and the Weekley family ($32,000).Saturday, May 17, 2003. Texas : KB Continued The TroubleShooters have documented some of the problems like cracks in walls and foundations, 20 homes bought-back by KB in the past 3 years, half a dozen lawsuits in Bexar County courts, and numerous complaints. On a recent Thursday night, more than 75 people from 8 different subdivisions packed one living room.Ê All had similar problems in their homes.Friday, May 16, 2003. MN: "Clock Ticking on Home Warranty Bill" (HADD is mentioned in article.) "With time running out at the Legislature, Twin Cities residential builders are pushing for a slimmed-down home-warranty measure that would offer greater protection from construction defect claims."Friday, May 16, 2003. NV: Panel told home defect bill against Nevada Constitution "The measure would establish a commission to hear claims of construction defects, decide whether there is a valid claim and mandate procedures for the builder to immediately fix any problems."Friday, May 16, 2003. NV: Panel told home defect bill against Nevada Constitution (Article did not say who would've made up panel.) "Bob Maddox is a lobbyist for the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association. He says the measure impedes people's guaranteed right to due process by the courts."Friday, May 16, 2003. WA: Residen ts, Builder, can't settle (story involves water intrusion) Gemini tried to compel homeowners into arbitration, but a Thurston County judge denied Gemini's motion. The judge described the arbitration process, as outlined in the warranty, as "so one-sided as to be grossly unfair."Friday, May 16, 2003. Ohio: Builde r removes pellets on curbs. EPA concerned lead would wash into drains, ponds. LIBERTY TWP. - At the direction of federal authorities, Ryland Homes dispatched workers Wednesday to its Lexington Manor subdivision - now a Superfund cleanup site - to remove lead pellets from street curbsFriday, May 16, 2003. Texas: Lawyer Says KB Contracts "Illegal" In the late 1970's KB, then Kaufman & Broad, was investigated by the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive trade practices. In a consent order with the FTC, the company agreed to provide all homeowners with a specific warranty that allows for non-binding arbitration. That is, if the homeowner isn't satisfied with the decision, he or she can sue.Friday, May 16, 2003. New Mexico: Homeow ners claim builder used insufficient foundations in subdivision From cracks in the floor to moving foundations, some residents on Albuquerqueâs West Side say their homes are falling apart. The residents blame the construction company and K.B. Homes. Nearly 130 houses could be affected.Friday, May 16, 2003. Texas: Arlington: Homes on ex-bomb range discussed "I hope your company does well, because I have a lawsuit, and I want KB to pay me," Del Williams said while waving her finger at Victor Toldeo, KB Home's vice president of legal affairs for Texas, who attended the forum but declined to comment, citing litigation.Thursday, May 15, 2003. Texas :