Signs of Public Housing Neglect
The story of board and care homes in Dallas is a tale of neglect and indifference. Though good homes exist, more have cropped up over the last two decades that are little better than flophouses for people with mental illness. Every level of government has some responsibility for overseeing these facilities. But until recently, they have shared little information or made much effort to try to ensure minimal standards. The Dallas Morning News spent much of the last year examining conditions in the homes and what officials in local, state and federal government are and aren't doing about them.
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Home builder sent to jail for fraud
The president of Cobalt Homes, Brian Brady, is in the Salt Lake County Jail serving a 90 day sentence for defrauding homeowners and subcontractors...Brady pleaded guilty to four third-degree felony counts of communications fraud.

US home construction sinks to new record low
Construction of new homes plunged last month to the lowest level on records going back nearly 50 years as U.S. builders slashed production while Wall Street nosedived. Embattled homebuilders, who enjoyed a five-year boom, are now building new homes and apartments at a record-low pace, according to government data released Wednesday. New building permits, a barometer of future activity, also plummeted to the lowest pace on record... The results were the lowest on government records dating back to January 1959...And on Wall Street on Wednesday, shares in homebuilders took another beating as investors reacted to the government data. Shares of Lennar, D.R. Horton, Centex, KB Home and Beazer all tumbled 10 percent or more.

WNCT Part 2: Inspector Investigation at 11:00 p.m.
In Part 2 of our I-Team Investigation we explain what home inspectors can and can’t do when it comes to guaranteeing your home and what everyone needs to know about the process. Shon Wicker was hired to re-inspect the Hinrichs’ home a year after they moved in. He says, “There’s no doubt that the problems were pre-existing prior to the sale, the short time they owned the property was simply not enough time for that damage to have occurred. It was there and it was covered up.”

Arizona Voters Reject Homeowners Bill of Rights
If it had passed, the proposition would have given "homeowners the ability to get defective homes fixed, and have their homes when built match what they were led to expect and to better understand financing and insurance schemes that are offered to them," proposition text noted.  Related article: Home Lemon Law

‘Governor Handout’ Trashes the Bailout
As the planet struggles to comprehend—and contain—the global meltdown of credit markets, Texans face the added burden of trying to understand their governor’s bewildering position on the crisis... With the $700 billion bailout hanging in the balance in Washington on October 1, the Texas governor who heads the Republican Governors Association issued a joint statement with the head of the Democratic Governors Association urging Congress to “leave partisanship at the door and pass an economic recovery package.” When local media reported this endorsement, however, Governor Rick Perry issued a statement that said, “In a free market economy, government should not be in the business of using taxpayer dollars to bail out corporate America.” Hitting a rare populist stride, Governor Perry added, “We’re certainly not interested in Washington bailing out a bunch of irresponsible mortgage brokers in an industry that has too often been run on greed.”....Trumpeting what he called the “crowning jewel” of the Texas Enterprise Fund at a 2004 press conference, Governor Perry awarded $20 million in taxpayer money to Countrywide Financial to create 7,500 Texas jobs over six years...  Read Texans for Public Justice full report

3 Are Accused of Collecting $1 Million From Buyers for Houses That Were Never Constructed
They promised to deliver brick-front colonials in a sparkling new subdivision in Upper Marlboro, homes on as much as an acre of land for as little as $370,000. Instead, the home builders and the mortgage broker pocketed payments from 11 buyers and left them empty-handed, Glenn F. Ivey, state's attorney for Prince George's County, said yesterday. The builders and broker are accused of collecting about $1 million for homes that were never built in what was to be the Kings Grant subdivision. "We felt these defendants were trying to steal the American Dream," Ivey said as he announced charges against the three. "And we want to get the message out that we will prosecute."

Texas houses - Story of three little pigs and the big bad wolf named Ike!
"Texas Building Codes are non-existent or have been significantly weakened by the powerful building industry lobby.  Builders are not licensed and for the most part the workforce is untrained to build homes properly. Judging from the devastation of hurricane Ike, clearly the codes were not adequately enforced," says Janet Ahmad.

MoneyNews: Homebuilders: We Need A Tax Credit Pronto!
U.S. homebuilders will be asking Congress to pass a $15,000 tax credit for all home buyers, double the current assistance offered now to just first-time buyers. The industry has taken $19 billion in losses since 2006. Builders believe the credit will help reignite interest in homes after multiple quarters of declining home values...“Once Congress passes this bailout plan, we will talk to them about a second stimulus package and an enhanced tax credit.''