Builders commision could face reforms Authored by state Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, House Bill 3404 contains provisions that, if passed, would give homeowners some relief in the state-administered dispute resolution process that critics charge is dominated by the construction industry... "One big concern of mine is that consumer rights are diminished in the current statute," Farrar said. "It is ridiculous that this statute actually regulates consumers (on behalf of) the home building industry."
ATTENTION:TEXAS COMMITTEE HEARING TO REGULATE HOMEBUILDERS
Thursday, 14 April 2005
TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING HB 3404Representative Jessica Farrar Relating to the regulation of and claims against residential home builders. CONTACT: If you can attend or wish to testify -
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COMMITTEE: State Affairs TIME & DATE: 8:00AM, Monday, April 18, 2005 PLACE: Texas Capitol Committee Room: E2.010
Dallas Morning News Editorial Home Buyers need to know about Bad Builders
Saturday, 12 March 2005
Dallas Morning News Editorial How's the American Dream? Home buyers need to know about bad builders Sugar Land. Frisco. Georgetown. Rooftops keep popping up all over Texas. About 140,000 of them last year. But not all those new homes are satisfying home owners. Walls crack. Foundations shift. Builders even walk off the job. If you're investing in the American Dream, this is not what you expect... reformers want more, pushing House Bill 662 in Austin...We like this bill because it gives home buyers power to make informed decisions. They could determine whether their builder has put up shoddy residences... Perhaps naturally, the home builder lobby doesn't want the bill because its members would be held to yet another standard. But you'd think most builders would want this latest reform. The measure would further weed out bad builders, whom surely most home builders don't want spoiling their industry's reputation... State Affairs needs to pass this measure soon so the full House can approve it. Eissler - HB 662 See video of hearing (time 1:05) House State Affairs Hearing on HB662
HOBBBoard Member Registers as “Cheetum Custom Homes” Jo Hayman, board member and Dallas/Fort Worth representative of HomeOwners for Better Building (HOBB), exposed the ease of becoming a builder in Texas when she registered as a builder doing business as “Cheetum Custom Homes.” When asked what it took to be a builder in Texas, Hayman responded, “$125, a social security number and absolutely no knowledge of how to construct a house."
Are Bob Perry Homes an Urban Renaissance or Nightmare?
Thursday, 24 February 2005
The Dead Zone Houston buries its Inner Loop past under bright new shiny Perry Homes town houses The company promises that its homes will be solid, care-free, efficient and economical... But Perry Homes refused to fix most of the problems...The founder of Perry Homes is the largest private political donor to Republican causes in the nation... And he's no less controversial within the camps of his own industry. University of Houston architecture professor Tom Diehl speaks for many in his profession when he describes the 72-year-old former schoolteacher as, simply, "the enemy." ... "The problem with the town houses [in Houston] is not that they're all the same; the issue is that they're the same miserable, low-quality design."
Knoweledge & Financial Responsibility Optional for Builders
Tuesday, 15 February 2005
Homeowners storm Capitol Janet Ahmad, president of HomeOwners for Better Building, said TRCC's Texas Star Builder Program is the main point of contention. The program allows builders to qualify as "star builders," demonstrating knowledge, experience and history of financial responsibility, Ahmad said. She said this must be made mandatory for builders instead of optional, as it is under the current system.
Home dispute panel criticized When Jordan Fogal and her husband purchased a new home in spring 2002, they never expected they'd be living in a tiny apartment two years later, stuck with a 30-year mortgage on a house that's falling apart. "My husband's 69 years old," said Fogal, of Houston, "but we're having to start our lives over like 20 year olds."
The Agency that Bob Perry Built For nearly a decade, homebuilders had steadily eroded consumer rights in Texas: Buyers who moved into brand-new houses and found cracked foundations and leaky roofs had little recourse. Some couldn’t file a lawsuit even if they wanted. They had signed housing contracts that forced them to resolve complaints through binding arbitration hearings notorious for favoring builders... Homebuilders are some of the state’s heftiest contributors to political campaigns. Their interests so dominate the TRCC that the new agency is little more than a tool to help the industry win disputes against consumers...Since 2001, the industry has donated more than $8.9 million to candidates, parties, and political action committees, according to an analysis by the campaign watchdog group Campaigns for People. That includes $744,562 to Gov. Rick Perry...
Homebuilder Money, Binding Arbitration & Using Docotors
Sunday, 06 February 2005
Houston Chronicle Power tale: Mugging Dr. Welby By RICK CASEY A recent study showing that homebuilders have contributed $9 million to state officials in the past four years raised a simple question.What are they getting for their money? The Austin-based reform organization that conducted the study, Campaigns for People, accused legislators of responding by setting up the Texas Residential Construction Commission... Richard Weekley, a Houston real estate developer (and part owner of his brother's David Weekley Homes), wrote a letter to Gov. Perry...
Houston Chronicle Getting it in writing Texas has put in place standards for home construction, but builders and consumer activists disagree on their fairness First it cracked. Then it buckled. Finally the kitchen tile in Debbie and Rick Gannaway's Katy home popped off the floor. But their builder, Houston-based Trendmaker Homes, won't fix it because their one-year warranty on workmanship and materials has expired.
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