Homeowners from across Texas Rally at the TX State Capitol prior to the Hearings on Arbitration. Hearing Audio Available

Link: Consumer advocates hammer arbitration 

Texas Senate Committee on Jurisprudence

Beware of Binding Arbitration Clauses!
New KB Home buyers & All buyers of homes with FHA & VA insured loans

Contractor Scam: Woman Still Waiting on Dream Home
You do your research and check him out, but he still takes your money and runs…after giving him $14,000 for materials, she says he disappeared...

Group protests against home builder over fee
Assessment leads to protest
Berea- Residents of a Ryan Homes subdivision notched up their protest against the builder Wednesday, when more than 75 of them demonstrated at a new Ryan development in Berea. The demonstrators, many of them owners of Ryan homes in the Westfield Park subdivision in Olmsted Township, accused the builder of failing to disclose costly assessments...

Perry’s gifts get noticed
Houston builder donated $9 million to Republicans in 2004 elections
As the largest political donor in Texas elections, Houston home builder Bob Perry and the pro-business measures he advocates get noticed in Austin. After he pumped $3.8 million into the 2002 Texas elections, the Legislature approved several policy proposals that Perry supported…President Bush is trying to breathe new life into what his supporters call tort reform - limits on damage awards in lawsuits. Perry has promoted the issue.

Letters: Let's build higher standards
Can't stop now
By Carol Becka
Frisco residents fully understand that if nothing is done "now" …to provide protection from home builders' careless and inferior construction of new homes, all Frisco residents will ultimately pay the price in lost property values and increased taxes to subsidize the city for lost revenue from devalued homes...

Whom do you believe?
By Andrew Ellender
Home buyers expect the truth from home builders. We certainly did… Who would oppose a new-home disclosure besides someone who wants to hide the truth? I believe an informed consent requirement would be a welcome addition in any city… Bonding also makes sense for the home building industry… Dr. Becka does not want what happened to his family and others, like mine, to happen to anyone else…

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV…The fact is new car warranties, which commonly last three years, are a lot better than home warranties in Texas. After a year, Legacy and most other big builders said an owner's gripes are not their problem… And in addition to lasting just a year, warranties don't cover much. .."These warranties are limited so much that they don't resemble a warranty, but they become a disclaimer for the builder," said Janet Ahmad of Homeowners for Better Building. "(They're) not a protection for the homebuyer..."                                                                                                   

12/21/04 WFAA Ch8 Legecy homeowners upset with Warranty 
12/1/04 Report Video: Byron Harris reports                                   

           Texas Homeowners with defective homes ask for consumer protection and this is what they got

A Homeowner’s Nightmare: No Protection from Money Pits. The Legislature passed in 2003 HB730, which greatly restricts the rights of homeowners to get their builder to fix major construction problems. Under this new law, homeowners no longer have common law rights to an implied warranty of good and workmanlike construction, nor can they sue for Deceptive Trade Practices. These important rights, once taken for granted, have been replaced by a very limited state-mandated warranty that covers few defects. In addition, a homeowner can’t go to court without first going through a lengthy, bureaucratic process and paying for expensive inspection fees. In short, fewer homeowners’ rights, lots more bureaucracy.

Homebuilders are among the state’s biggest donors. They gave over $5.2 million in our 2002 state elections. The biggest donor in Texas, Bob Perry of Perry Homes, alone gave over $3.8 million. Perry Homes’ general counsel was appointed to the board of the new Residential Construction Commission, which will enforce the new home construction law.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- 
A well-known builder of luxury homes in Charlotte has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for defrauding banks and launderingmoney.

Builder Fraud
Related Article: The Charlotte Observer
Fallout from several cases of mortgage fraud
Property valuations drop, losses on loans and convictions mount 
The FBI says mortgage fraud has been on the rise nationally the past three years. In Washington, concerns over mortgage fraud prompted the Federal Housing Administration this year to stop insuring loans on homes that have been resold within 90 days. Charlotte Observer

Do homeowners have a chance when they take on their builders?
 No – Builders control the system and residents pay 
 -- Remember, homebuilders are not licensed in Texas. In fact, unlike any other profession, knowledge seems to be optional. There is no requirement to show proof of professional building skills, knowledge of current building codes or to show any historical proof of financial responsibility or proof of a current bank account.

As the leader of Take Back Your Rights, the group that led the drive for an election on building controls, I'd like to respond to – and correct – a misconception... Builders should look upon this as nothing more than extra insurance and the cost of doing business in Frisco, a city whose residents care so deeply about quality home construction that they called for an election to ensure construction excellence.

Mortgage Shock

VIDEO - Round Rock residents struggle with mortgages

Several homes in Round Rock's Chandler Creek subdivision are up for sale. Families are moving out because they can't afford the house payments. KB Homes developed and financed the property… It's a common practice used to get homeowners in quickly and at a low cost.

Picketing in San Antonio.  Maurice & Brenda Evans picket at Roundd Rock's Chandler Creek & Rock Hollow subdivisions