Confronting Phony Contractors
11 News goes undercover to catch phony electrical contractors.  Marie Johnson hired Jack Fry... An outside contractor discovered her AC was over sized and  installed backwards... I'd love to get a hold of him. View Video Undercover Report

Taking action against housing blight
Empty and even burned houses have become part of the landscape in the upscale neighborhood of Lake Ridge, spanning the cities of Cedar Hill and Grand Prairie in southwestern Dallas County. But the two cities are now taking action against the blight brought by foreclosures in this community where some homes are priced at more than $1 million.

Overworked, Sometimes Corrupt Inspectors Are Shortchanging Homeowners
A recent "Good Morning America" investigation finds that government building inspectors are often overworked and sometimes lazy, incompetent or corrupt..."I lost everything I ever had and I've lost everything I ever wanted to have and everything I ever tried to have -- before I even had it," Daniel said. "I never spent a night in this house." ...Daniel sued Wayne County, which settled for $94,000 without admitting liability. Wayne County wouldn't comment on the specifics of the case. The inspector told us the inspections we saw were quick because they were follow-ups, but he had no response when we revealed he was seen on tape doing the same thing over and over again. As for Daniel, she's still out tens of thousands of dollars.

Hundreds of Homeowners Report Crumbling Driveways
Flaking, chipping, or crumbling. There are many ways to describe what's happening to hundreds of driveways throughout Utah. The homeowners who are seeing these problems can't seem to get any help from their homebuilders. We also found out most cities don't require a permit for whomever is pouring a driveway, which means there's no way to know what subcontractor a homebuilder is using. And with no inspections, there's no way of knowing the quality of the concrete mix being used. "So again, it's just a problem we're stuck with," said Kevin Charles.

Builders offer to sweeten the deal
They tried offering "free" upgrades, giving away vacations and cars, "buying down" mortgage interest rates, paying closing costs and assorted other incentives. The Groves at Falling Leaf in Modesto's Village I community, for instance, has slashed prices up to $60,000 and are giving $20,000 in incentives... R. Horton is promoting "rock bottom pricing" at its Diablo Grande homes, with reductions and incentives worth up to $80,000.

Remodeled - A Damascus couple get heartache and a pile of fixtures instead of a master suite and studio
Half a year later, their money and their contractor have disappeared and they have learned a heartbreaking lesson. Although Oregon homeowners now have more access than ever to contractors' license and dispute histories, the state provides little remedy and no guarantees... An investigation by The Oregonian in 2005 revealed that weak state laws and passive enforcement by the state Construction Contractors Board have allowed unscrupulous or financially troubled contractors to remain in business and avoid paying penalties levied by the state agency.

Baron's aim was 5,500 homes on 1,200 site, Part 2
 In December, Las Vegas developer Jim Rhodes became the most influential developer in the East Valley of Phoenix by spending $58.6 million on more than 1,000 acres of state trust land in Apache Junction.What officials at the State Land Department didn't know was that Rhodes, 48, has admitted to illegally using his money to aid powerful politicians in Nevada; that he has repeatedly and successfully been sued over allegations of fraud, theft and self-dealing by his investment partners and others; and that he has a long history of complaints for shoddy workmanship...There was stiff opposition from the beginning, but Rhodes pressed ahead. He launched a glitzy television campaign to sell his plans to the public, and hired former Clark County, Nev., Commissioner Erin Kenny to sell them to the Clark County Commission.

Land baron has checkered past
What they didn't know was that Rhodes, 48, has admitted to illegally using his money to aid powerful politicians in Nevada; that he has repeatedly and successfully been sued over allegations of fraud, theft and self-dealing by his investment partners and others he's done business with; and that he has a long history of complaints for shoddy workmanship and construction defects from people who bought his homes...Rhodes' attempts to blame his underlings failed. He reached an agreement with the FEC, announced last year, admitting he controlled the scheme, ordered the reimbursement checks and directed company ledgers to be falsified. He and his companies paid a fine of $148,000 to settle and end the investigation.

Rockwall builder accused of providing shoddy service
Kim Crumrine thought her family was the only one having problems with its home and the company that built it. So did Nancy Lee-Borden. And Alfred and Raejean Nunes. Until they started talking to one another. As they met and began to share stories, the homeowners found strikingly similar tales related to Kendall Custom Homes of Rockwall and its owner, Randal Davis. Problems with workmanship, dozens of unreturned phone calls, failure to follow through on repair requests and – more significantly for some – questions about possible overpayments and whether they had valid warranties.

New rules to protect consumers from bad builders
"The Code is comprehensive and in seeking to address a vast number of issues, contains many quite onerous provisions for the home builder to comply with." However, he cautions that in an industry which historically has a poor reputation for protecting consumers, particularly in the lower end of the market, it is anticipated that it will take some time before the industry is able to properly embrace the good intentions behind the Code.