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Arizona Court says homeowners can sue builders |
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Wednesday, 20 August 2008 |
Court: Homeowners Can Sue Builders
Arizona homeowners don't have to buy directly from builders to sue them for defective work, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday in a case with implications for consumers and businesses alike. "Innocent buyers of defectively constructed homes should not be denied redress on the implied warranty simply because of the form of the business deal chosen by the builder and vendor," Justice Andrew Hurwitz wrote in the unanimous ruling. |
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Single-family housing permits fall to 26-year low |
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Tuesday, 19 August 2008 |
Housing starts plunge 11%, payback for temporary NYC surge in June
Housing starts fell 11% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 965,000 in July, close to the 960,000 expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. It's the lowest level in 17 years. June's starts were revised higher to a 1.084 million annual pace. Housing starts are down 29.6% in the past year.For single-family homes only, permits fell 5.2% to a 584,000 pace, the lowest since August 1982. Single-family permits have plunged 41.4% in the past year. The number of permits for single-family homes in the West region fell 10.8% to the lowest level in at least 20 years. |
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Georgia Finally Initiates Licensing Requirements for Home Builders |
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Thursday, 14 August 2008 |
Certification hardly felt in struggling building industry
For years, Georgia had the most welcoming home-building industry in the Southeast: Anyone with a hammer qualified to construct a multiton, multistory house. And almost anyone did. Accountants. Pilots. Weekend hobbyists. But after years of initial industry opposition, Georgia this summer began requiring that builders be licensed, just like cosmetologists, hearing aid dealers and auctioneers... "It sounds promising," said Janet Ahmad, president of Home Owners for Better Building, a nonprofit based in San Antonio that pushes for industry regulation. The real test, she said, is how well the state enforces the law, which the Legislature first approved in 2004 but later tweaked and delayed implementation of until this summer. |
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Builder Babble and Bad Concrete |
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Thursday, 07 August 2008 |
That's the way the concrete crumbles
I am shocked at the babble of this obviously unprofessional builder. Greg Hansen of Trade West insults the intelligence of readers and shows his incompetence in an attempt to avoid responsibility, to misinform the public and his customers. Hansonâs statement is nonsense; âConcrete is always a builder's and a homeowner's nightmare because it is so hard to understand," Hansen said. "Concrete is very complicated. Typically on exterior concrete, because it is exposed to the weather and elements that are beyond our control, it is not warranted at all." Concrete is hard to undunderstand â very omplicated??? Letâs get real, concrete is not rocket science. Ancient civilizations used the same basic components to mix concrete that still exist today. These are new houses. Clearly the builder and/or the concrete supplier decide to cut corners to increase profits and now use ludicrous excuses to try to avoid responsibility. This story needs a follow-up. |
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Danger: Radioactive Granite Countertops with High Levels of Uranium Really Hot Item |
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Friday, 01 August 2008 |
Whatâs Lurking in Your Countertop?â
Reports of granite emitting high levels of radon and radiation are increasing... But with increasing regularity in recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency has been receiving calls from radon inspectors as well as from concerned homeowners about granite countertops with radiation measurements several times above background levels. âWeâve been hearing from people all over the country concerned about high readings,â said Lou Witt, a program analyst with the agencyâs Indoor Environments Division... There is no known safe level of radon or radiation.â Moreover, he said, scientists agree that âany exposure increases your health risk.â A granite countertop that emits an extremely high level of radiation, as a small number of commercially available samples have in recent tests, could conceivably expose body parts that were in close proximity to it for two hours a day to a localized dose of 100 millirem over just a few months. |
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Attorney General Takes Action |
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Friday, 25 July 2008 |
Attorney General Seeking $500,000 From Old Saybrook Home Builder
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is suing modular home builder Bowden Development and company owner Lloyd L. Bowden of Old Saybrook over the alleged shoddy construction of "uninhabitable and unsafe" homes sold between 2004 and 2006. Blumenthal said he is seeking $500,000 in reimbursements for homeowners who had to correct problems with homes built by Bowden."The failings included cracked walls, unsecure foundations, water damage, cut corners, missed deadlines, and often additional unauthorized charges and abandoned construction, particularly when consumers complained," Blumenthal said. |
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Dallas Attorney Slams Homebuilders |
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008 |
Houston Chronicle Letter to Editor: Homebuilders worse
I have never seen a piece of garbage in print as bad as "The cost of crooked lawyers" Outlook article. I used to be a defense attorney and worked at the most prominent homebuilder defense firm in Texas, and homebuilders rip off consumers more than any trial lawyer in history. There were times when builders built a horrible house with a bad foundation and then they'd claim "Texas soils shift," when it was actually a badly poured foundation. As the walls of the house would crack and fall, the homeowners' lives in ruin because their dream home was destroyed, the attorneys I worked with and the builders would laugh, knowing that Texas law allows a homeowner no real recourse. Since 1989, when a plaintiff's attorney went on 60 Minutes and bragged he had the Texas Supreme Court bought and paid for, there has been nearly 20 years of "tort reform" lobbyists in Texas. While the targets are trial attorneys over and over again, when has the Chronicle ever really done serious front-page journalism on the real people harmed, the people who are injured? AARON A. HERBERT, attorney, Dallas |
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Homebuilders Sink to New Lows |
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Saturday, 12 July 2008 |
Homebuilders (PHM, KBH, LEN) Taking A Beating On Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Worries
Today, Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) is trading down over 3% to $8.76. Pulte has fallen over 15% in the past two weeks. KB Homes (NYSE: KBH) is down over 4% and trading at $15.04. KB Homes has fallen 20% over the past two weeks. Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) is trading down 5% to $10.34. Lennar has fallen close to 30% over the past two weeks.
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008 |
Craig's New House
Typical unfinished home; leaks caused by unfinished and loose plumbing, unsecured tube and plumbing not installed properly, dents, unfinished drywall and paint. You Tube Video... |
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NAHB Hires Powerful Lobbyist for Taxpayer Handouts |
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Saturday, 28 June 2008 |
Home Builders Hire Some Jumbo Lobbying Help
The National Association of Home Builders is bringing out the big guns for its lobbying battle on the housing bill. The association has hired former Republican Rep. Michael Oxley of Ohio and his lobbying firm, Baker and Hostetler, according to recently filed lobbying reports. It also has contracted with two other lobbying firms over the past month. In signing on with three new firms, the association doubled its roster of outside lobbying representatives to six. The association also has a stable of in-house lobbyists representing its agenda on Capitol Hill. |
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Tom Hanks stuck with Defective House |
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Thursday, 26 June 2008 |
Tom Hanks loses $2 million battle over Sun Valley home
Superstar Tom Hanks may not be accustomed to being told "no," but that's exactly what a Blaine County judge told him and his actress wife, Rita Wilson. The Hollywood couple's been fighting with a local contractor over construction of their Ketchum home and guest cottages in 2002. Hanks claims the work was defective, but four years ago a judge ruled against him and ordered that the builder be paid $2 million. |
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