Costly Mold: Loudoun couple awarded $4.75M for mold injuries
A Loudoun County Circuit Court jury has returned verdicts totaling $4.75 million for a couple who contended that mold in their $900,000 home sickened them and rendered their house unlivable...The trial before Judge Thomas D. Horne began on Dec. 15, and the jury returned its verdicts early on the afternoon of Dec. 23 after beginning its deliberations late the previous afternoon. It awarded Wendy Meng $2.276 million and Paul Meng $500,000 for negligence and awarded the couple $1.474 million for constructive fraud and $500,000 for violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Builders get creative amid industry skid
Home builder face a struggle of Darwinian proportions in 2009 that experts say will shape the industry into a smaller, but smarter, animal.The pool of Valley home builders is expected to shrink considerably this year, as the prolonged flood of foreclosures pushes even more builders out of the business....Reader comment: I agree, the Toll's, Pulte's, Ryland's and KB's need to go under and subdividsions be designed and part of an incorporated city, without HOA's.....Small builders will again be the mainstay of home building, where responsibility and pride again are part of a home.

Smoke and Mirrors of the Homebuilding Industry and its Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC)
Texas is the birth place of tort reform, the “builders right-to-repair”, which came about in the 90 's  It was the brain child of David Weekley (Texans for Law Suit Reform),  Bob Perry, and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Their aim was to broadly limit liability for defectively built homes by limiting builder warranty responsibility and limit their liability under the Deceptive Trade Practice (DTPA). In 2006, the State Comptrollers office called for the abolishment of TRCC when it found that 86% of homeowners who confirmed defects in their homes through TRCC did not get their homes repaired. Recently, the Sunset Commission Staff Review found that 88% of homeowners were left with legal disputes and called for the abolishment of TRCC. Read more...

Homebuilders TRCC -Tom Archer President, Homeowners of Texas Inc.
The editorial states that the Sunset Advisory Commission "voted to give the construction commission greater authority to revoke or suspend a builder's license." The term "license" is a misnomer because Texas, unlike 28 other states, does not require homebuilders to be licensed. Unfortunately, Texas only requires builders to be "registered" with the Texas Residential Construction Commission. Consequently, unqualified and unscrupulous homebuilders frequently enter the profession because the TRCC requires only that a registered builder to be 18 years old, a "trustworthy" Texas resident and legally able to work in the United States. Texans who buy a used car have far more consumer protections than Texans who buy a new home. As recommended by the Sunset Commission staff, the TRCC should be abolished to protect the public. In addition, all construction trades should be licensed and held financially and legally accountable to Texas homeowners.

Homeowner protection needed
The Texas Sunset Commission missed the boat when it failed to support the elimination of the Texas Residential Construction Commission. It is long past time for the Legislature to create a real agency to protect the Texas public as most other states have done. The honest, qualified and reputable builders have nothing to lose by supporting the creation of a real regulatory agency.

Luz of Georgetown TX - DisposableKBHome.com
There is severe structural damage to our the home we bought. The home was built by KB Home and it is now splitting. Our story is here:www.disposablekbhome.com Hopefully, some of you will listen and stay away from this corrupt and inept company. We had to move out! So now we have 2 house payments and a house we can't sell, because of this repeat offender, who buys its way out every single time.
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KB Home continues to retrench in S.A. market
KB Home announced it would add smaller, lower-priced homes in two of its newest neighborhoods, Sundance Trails and Sundance Ridge near Loop 1604 and Potranco Road. The decision sparked ongoing protests from existing homeowners in that community. Then last month Craig Westmoreland, who had been president of the KB Home San Antonio division since 2003, was replaced by Ken Langston, who had been president of the KB Home Austin division.

Drees, others file suit over HUD ruling
HUD announced early in 2008 its plans to amend its Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act for the first time in 30 years. The final rule, announced in November and effective Jan. 16, aims to protect consumers from high settlement costs by requiring more disclosures. It also improves and standardizes the good-faith estimate, a list provided by a lender that details the fees expected to be associated with a loan’s closing. Moreover, the rule prohibits the ability of builders to require the use of affiliated businesses in order for consumers to earn incentives or discounts with the purchase of their home.

Homeowners burdened by homebuilder's money woes
As hard times fall on a Dallas-based homebuilding company, homeowners are also feeling the weight of the problem. Michael Garver moved into his new Sotherby home two months ago. Within the past two weeks, letters started arriving in the mail from subcontractors threatening to put liens on his house and demanding thousands of dollars.

Builders with unsold homes get little leniency from bankers
In his 35 years as a home builder, Bobby Lunceford earned plenty of accolades. Kennesaw Citizen of the Year in 2000, home builder of the year in 2003 and outstanding Georgian, according to a resolution approved by state lawmakers in 2004. None of that mattered, however, when Lunceford tried to work with five banks to save his business, Bob Lunceford Properties, after home sales plummeted. He asked the banks to suspend loan payments until his homes sold, at which time the loans would be paid off. Instead, “the instant we ran out of money all but one bank began foreclosure proceedings,” Lunceford, 56, recalled. He and his wife, Becky, lost their home, their cars, their life savings and their business, and now live in a rented house.