TAKE THE POLL: Rivermist resident claims buy-back offer unfair; dream collapsed
The hotel stay is running out for people who were forced out of their homes in the Hills of Rivermist subdivision.  Some say they are about to be homeless on Easter, held hostage by Pulte-Centex.  Several homeowners feel the building company offered them an unfair price for their homes. In 2008 Sherwin Tolentino bought his dream house in the Rivermist subdivision. But just a year-and-a-half later, a major retaining wall collapsed and the property was deemed unsafe by the city. See KENS For Latest Poll Results

Shifting ground destroying neighborhood fences
Most Houses in the Enclave of Willow Pointe are 3 to 5 years old. But some of the fences look a lot older because the ground is shifting and washing away, pulling some of the fences apart. She says they tried to work it out with the builder centex, but she says the company told her the fence was not under warranty.  When we talked to CenTex the company spokesperson said they were not familiar with the case, but confirmed that the fence did not have a warranty and that it did not actually build the fence. It was subcontracted out.

Rivermist crack may be causing widespread foundation issues
The massive crack in the ground that's damaged more than a dozen homes in the Rivermist neighborhood is threatening to rip open an even-deeper financial rift for the home builder...Homeowners say they have seen problems for months, and those problems -- such as cracks in ceilings and the foundation -- have only gotten worse since the crack in the retaining wall opened up. Using equipment to check for rises and drops in the foundation, engineers mapped out the homes.

New details in city's bribery investigation
We're told De Leon was not directly taking bribes from developers, but instead allegedly found a way to scam the system for personal profit. According to the source, investigators discovered that De Leon is secretly a partner in a company that helps builders expedite their city permits. According to the source, investigators discovered that De Leon is secretly a partner in a company that helps builders expedite their city permits.

AND THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN
See the latest on the Rivermist Community  See Photos

LIUNA Calls on Pulte-Centex to Take Responsibility for Rivermist Wall Collapse
It is unfortunate that instead of acting in good faith by meeting the home owners of Rivermist and taking full responsibility, Centex has chosen to attack our organization which has worked with homeowners across the nation to hold the nation’s largest corporate home builder accountable. Pulte-Centex has no credibility in telling the homeowners of Rivermist what is in their “best interest” after putting the safety and financial well-being of families in jeopardy. This is about whether Pulte-Centex will take full responsibility and buy back all the homes and we are here to support the homeowners of Rivermist who are trying to restore the opportunity to seek their piece of the American Dream.

Pulte Homes' lending is under scrutiny
A legal battle is under way between the Arizona Attorney General's Office and one of the state's biggest homebuilders, Pulte Homes. Details on the Arizona attorney general's investigation aren't public while the investigation is ongoing, but the Pulte lawsuit indicates the state prosecutor is looking into the builder's lending arm. According to the lawsuit, Pulte has provided the Attorney General's Office with 70,000 pages of documents. Both Pulte Homes and Pulte Mortgage are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Express-News Letter to the Editor - San Antonio Inspections
 The quote in the March 11 Express-News regarding the Rivermist buyback is disturbing evidence that things aren't right in our city's management process. Repairs require “drilling and inserting a series of stabilizing piers in an engineered pattern across the slope failure area.” Do tell. How did a development of this magnitude get approved when it should have been apparent there were going to be problems? Barry Williams - Related artical: Editorial City inspector probe merits Council scrutiny and Buyback offers for 27 homes at Rivermist

Rivermist builder no-show at meet
But at the meeting organized by city staff, everyone's attention ultimately focused on the party not in attendance: the builder.  Officials from Centex Homes and parent company Pulte Homes were no-shows at the informational meeting the city had organized, saying they won't meet with consumer activist groups that have gotten involved in the Rivermist community, where dozens of residents want the builder to buy back their homes...Residents on Tuesday asked the city to help them get more information from the builder — particularly about how much and what kind of fill dirt was brought into the neighborhood, any topographical maps of the area before it was developed, information from soil testing and whether there is a water source somewhere on the land.

Homebuilder a no-show at city meeting about failed retaining wall
Some took off from work or school to meet with Centex-Pulte Homes at city hall. But instead of information on the upcoming fixes to a failed hillside in their subdivision, residents were faced with a no-show by the homebuilder. “They shafted all of us,” said one homeowner. “Quit using excuses,” said another.  Centex-Pulte Homes agreed to the meeting, put together weeks ago by the city. Then suddenly, the company pulled out. The last-minute communiqué left the city and its engineers to discuss what little they know of the builder’s conceptual design to not only fortify a failed hillside, but fortify homeowners’ confidence.