HOBB Board Member Registers as “Cheetum Custom Homes”
Proving that anyone can become a Home Builder in Texas

             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.” 

Nearly a year ago, Hayman, outraged at the idea that a new agency, TRCC, regulates home buyers rather than home builders, decided to expose the hypocrisy of it all.  “My degree in physical therapy certainly does not qualify me to build homes however, building qualifications are irrelevant in Texas,” said Hayman.      
                           
              Jo Hayman, Chief Operating Officer of “Cheetum Custom Homes” 
               In 2001, HOBB attempted to get a Home Lemon Law passed.  The homebuilding industry went into overdrive and contributed over $9 million during the next two years, of which Bob Perry alone contributed nearly $8M between 2001 and 2003.  In 2003 the legislature passed a bill authored by the homebuilding industry, HB730 that created the Texas Residential Construction Commission, which cleared both the House and Senate with little public or media attention. 

 ” What did consumers get with the passage of the new law,” asked Hayman?  “It appears that homebuyers got the short end of the stick because they asked for a Home Lemon Law.  Home buyers are now regulated by a new state agency run by the homebuilding industry.  People still need a license to catch a fish and drive a car but not to be a builder in Texas,” said Hayman. “I can vouch for that.”             

 “The powerful building industry didn’t help its image by their disingenuousness, which has given the impression of impropriety and reflects poorly on many respected builders in Texas,” concluded Hayman.