Dec 27, 2000 Added to
Homeowner
Websites Centex Homes. Buyer Beware!
Any
"unresolved dispute" (defined below) that you may have with the Builder[Centex],
RWC or WPIC, shall be submitted to binding arbitration...." (ie you can't
sue me!) Residential
Warrant Corporation Limited Warranty Program provided by Centex Homes.
Dec 27, 2000 Added to Homeowner Websites
UnhappyHomeBuyers.com
"The
Bitterness of Poor Quality Lingers long after the Sweet Taste of a Low
Price is Forgotten" A Kimball Hills Homeowner in Austin TX.
Dec 22, 2000 Posted
AnotherNorth
Hampton Subdivision draft buyout!. See Kaufman
and Broad looks at buying out homeowners for background information.
"K
& B will purchase your home for your original purchase price and the
value of the improvements listed below....."
Dec 21, 2000 Posted to Kaufman in the
news:
Photos of a pond in the Northampton Subdivision.
Dec 13, 2000 Re-Post to Builders in the News.
Congrats!
Kaufman
and Broad looks at buying out homeowners. See Buyout
letter. Also see Kaufman and Broad website.
Dec 12, 2000: Posted in Centex in the News:
(Posted
at 4:10 p.m. EST Saturday, December 5, 1998 )Home
built over source of lethal gas By AMES ALEXANDER Staff Writer
. Deborah West, a former Centex employee who now sells new houses for Century
21, is suing Centex Homes and The Crosland Group over the problems.
In her suit, West says the buried material has also caused the house
to settle, causing cracks throughout.
Dec 12, 2000: Posted in Centex in the
News:
Conservationists
Target Largest US Home
Builder
By Danielle Knight WASHINGTON, Mar 30 (IPS) - Environmental activists
in more than 30 cities across the United States, are planning to protest
next week against Centex Homes, the nation's largest home builder,
unless the construction company details a plan to stop using wood
products from ancient forests worldwide.
Dec 12, 2000: Posted in Centex
in the News:
One
of America's largest housing developers will pay a black couple $71,000
to settle a complaint accusing the firm of refusing to sell the couple
a San Francisco Bay area home, Housing and Urban Development Secretary
Andrew Cuomo announced today.
Cuomo said that Centex Homes, a division of Centex Real
Estate Corporation, agreed in an enforcement agreement with HUD to settle
a housing discrimination complaint filed with HUD in 1997 by Oakland,
CA residents Sylvia Myles and Bruce Soublet. Centex admits no wrongdoing
in the settlement.
Dec 10, 2000: Posted in Centex
in the News:
Home
buyers await court ruling on general vs. express warranties By
DAVID KOENIG Associated Press. "Centex says it is doing buyers
a favor by requiring them to sign the express warranty. It argues that
the state's so-called implied warranty, with terms such as "habitability"
and "workmanship," is so vague that it leads to disputes between buyers
and builders. "
Dec 9, 2000: Posted in Featured
Centex Homes:
"Any "unresolved dispute" (defined below) that you
may have with the Builder[Centex], RWC or WPIC, shall be submitted to binding
arbitration...." Residential
Warrant Corporation Limited Warranty Program
Dec 8, 2000: Posted in Construction Defects: Synthetic
stucco hearing set today 12/08/00 ROY L. WILLIAMS News staff writer
The Birmingham News. " Nearly 25 Shelby County homeowners are suing Dryvit
System Inc., a maker of synthetic stucco, which argues in court documents
that it is protected by the doctrine of caveat emptor - buyer beware.
"
Dec 8, 2000: Posted in Centex
in the News:
Owners,
Builder Clash Over Waived Implied Warranty "If Centex wins this case,
then the buyer of a toaster oven, a VCR or a microwave will have more legal
rights to seek repairs than the uyer of a brand spanking new home,"
says Janet Ahmad of San Antonio, president of Homeowners for Better Builders.
Dec 8, 2000: Posted in Builders in the
News: Builders
hail ruling Industry group says court decision will aid affordable
housing, pushes warranty idea Wednesday, December 06, 2000 Inman News Features
(Reference: California Supreme Court decision in PDF
Format or MSWord Format.)
Dec 5, 2000: Posted a moving protest
by a Ryland Home owner.
Visit the Ryland
Homeowners Take Note website also.
Dec 4, 2000: Posted to Centex in the News Texas
court ponders implied warranties for new homes By Bruce Hight
American-Statesman Staff Thursday, November 30, 2000 "Substituting a contract
with an "express warranty" of the builder's responsibilities and waiving
any implied warranty benefits consumers as well as builders, a lawyer representing
Centex Homes, Samara Kline of Dallas, told the state's high court in oral
arguments Wednesday. " YEA. RIGHT. HOBB WILL POST DETAILS OF CENTEX'S WARRANTY
PROGRAM, RESIDENTIAL WARRANTY PROGRAM.
Dec 4, 2000: Posted background information and summaries
of the Supreme Court of Texas November 29
Docket Centex Homes and Centex Real Estate Corp. v. Buecher
Dec 4, 2000: Posted to Mold page:Complexes
will accept tenants evicted by mold By Andrew LePage Bee Staff Writer
(Published Dec. 2, 2000) ..."Hiring a firm to set up an on-site mold decontamination
center to clean tenants' hard goods, such as tables, desks and chairs.
Electronics
equipment is being cleaned off-site. Hiring an insurance
adjuster to pay tenants "fair market value" for soft-good possessions such
as beds, couches and fabric chairs that can't be totally cleared of mold
and will either be thrown away or incinerated."
Nov 30, 2000: Texas Supreme
Court hearing details posted! More coming later.
Nov 30, 2000:
Added to Mold: A
Hidden Health Hazard By Anne Underwood NEWSWEEK FINALLY, in the
spring of 1998, she lost 30 pounds and went into anaphylactic shock
three times. She literally lay dying in her bedroom when a hired nurse
noticed a strong odor of mold in the closet. Suddenly hings clicked. Karabellms
family moved her out immediately. Todaysat a safe distance from the moldsshe
is almost back to normal.
Nov 30, 2000:
Added to Builders in the NewsHome
Builder [Kaufman and Broad] Loses Age Discrimination Suit
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer. Home-building giant Kaufman and Broad
has been ordered to pay $2.4 million in damages and legal fees to
two veteran real estate agents who were ruled to be victims of age discrimination.
(Lost via arbitration clause in employment contracts)
Nov 30, 2000: Texas Supreme Court hearing details to be posted
soon.
Nov 26, 2000: Posted Supreme Court and
Centex Homes Press information.
Nov 26, 2000: Posted Homeowners
sue over synthetic stucco siding By BILL MURPHY Houston Chronicle.
"Wheeler and a dozen others allege that synthetic stucco is a defective
product. They have sued such manufacturers as Finestone, Dryvit and Corev
America. An additional six homeowners filed suits in Harris County just
last week." See Construction
defects and Stucco.
Nov 22, 2000: Posted Article IV
of the Spring Creek Forest Subdivision Declarations of Covenants. This
legal document, filed with the State of Texas, specifically restricts
homeowners rights to freedom of speech by disallowing picketing, protesting,
and displaying of signs in the yard or on a car within the subdivision.
This document filed with the State of Texas, is signed by Damon
Lyles, Division President, Centex Real Estate Corp, As the saying
goes....No Place but Texas!
Nov 19, 2000: Posted pictures of homeowners advertising the
quality of their home built by Centex. Picture 1,
Picture
2,
Picture 3.
Nov 19, 2000:
TEXAS HOMEBUILDERS
NO LONGER GUARANTEE WELL-BUILT HOMES Buecher et al, v. Centex
Homes case summary provided by Dan Lambe of Texas Watch: 888-738-4226
danlambe@texaswatch.org. This case will be heard Nov 29,2000 in the TX
Supreme Court. The outcome will affect ALL consumers.
Nov 10, 2000: Created a "Featured Homebuilders" currently featuring
Centex
Homes and Kaufman & Broad.
Nov 10, 2000: Posted the HOBB November Newsletter
in PDF and MSWord
format.
Nov 3, 2000: Scheduled to be heard in the Texas
Supreme Court Nov 29, 2000. 00-0479 CENTEX HOMES v. BUECHER Background
story Nov 23, 1999: "Court gives win to home buyers". The San Antonio Express
News.
"Purchaser agrees to accept said homeowner's warranty at closing in
lieu of all other warranties, whatsoever, whether expressed or implied
by law, and including but not limited to the implied warranties of good
workmanlike construction and habitability. Purchaser acknowledges and agrees
that seller is relying on this waiver and would not sell the property to
purchaser without this waiver." Translation: Although the state of
Texas has long held that new homes have an implied warranty of workmanlike
construction and habitability, your warranty is only what is covered
in a 24-page insurance...... "
Nov 2, 2000
City
warms to study of stacked appliances By David Anthony Richelieu
and Bill Pack Express-News Staff Writers "It's taken us three years to
get someone's attention, so I would have to see City Council's decision
as a positive step forward." -- Janet Ahmad, HomeOwners for Better Building.
Nov 2, 2000
City
warms to study of stacked appliances By David Anthony Richelieu
and Bill Pack Express-News Staff Writers "It's taken us three years to
get someone's attention, so I would have to see City Council's decision
as a positive step forward." -- Janet Ahmad, HomeOwners for Better Building.
Nov 2, 2000 San Antonio Express News agrees ith HOBB: Editorial:
National Electric Code must be city's code, too. "The council should
adopt the national standard. This is an area where its uniqueness makes
San Antonio's leadership look dangerously complacent. " (See related story
for background: AC
placement fuels hot fight
Oct 29, 2000
North Hampton Subdivision pickets.
See Kaufman
and Broad looks at buying out homeowners for background information.
Oct 26, 2000
American
Homebuyers Protection Act. Sponsor: Rep Gonzalez, Charles A. Prohibits
a person engaged in the construction of new homes from: (1) requiring a
home purchaser to enter into a mandatory arbitration agreement as a condition
precedent to entering into a purchase contract; and (2) offering a home
purchaser a contract which includes a mandatory arbitration agreement unless
such agreement is a separate agreement.
Oct 26, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsAC
placement fuels hot fight [San Antonio, TX] By David Anthony
Richelieu Express-News Staff Writer. The City Council is expected to resolve
a dispute today over whether the stacking of air conditioning units over
electric hot water heaters should be allowed to continue in new homes and
apartments.
"....the city has a moral obligation to change a potentially dangerous
practice, adding that it was only a matter of time before a water heater
short circuit would trigger a larger fire and put people's lives at risk."
Press Release HomeOwners for Better Building.
Oct 18, 2000 Added to Builders in the News
Federal Trade Commission, June 1991: KAUFMAN
AND BROAD HOME CORPORATION AGREES TO SETTLE FTC CHARGES BY PAYING A $595,000
CIVIL PENALTY "The Federal Trade Commission announced today that Kaufman
and Broad Home Corporation (K&BHC) of Los Angeles, a homebuilder, has
agreed to settle charges that it violated a 1979 FTC order by failing to
make warranty repairs in a timely manner."
Oct 20, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
Furnace
alert in Calif. Consumer agency warning about gas units. "The U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning Californians about a brand
of forced-air gas furnaces that may pose a fire risk."
Oct 18, 2000Added to Builders in the NewsGroup
questions electrical code By David Anthony Richelieu Express-News Staff
Writer.
Oct 14, 2000 Added to the Links page. A
link to every State Attorney General in the US! Just click on the map and
follow the links to the specific website.
Oct 14, 2000 Added to Sponsors List.Is
your house a lemon? Expert witness and consultant.
Oct 13, 2000 Coming soon! Letter from Kaufman and Broad with
offers to buyout homeowners! See
Kaufman
and Broad looks at buying out homeowners for background information.
Check here for more informaiton later.
Sept 2, 2000Added to Builders in the NewsKaufman
and Broad looks at buying out homeowners. By Daryl Bell Express-News
Staff Writer "Kaufman and Broad, a primary builder in the Northampton Homes
subdivision, has been busy trying to negotiate buyouts with several
homeowners."
Aug 26, 2000Added to Builders in the NewsSalas
says builder failed to ensure stable subsoil By Daryl Bell Express-News
Staff Writer In a letter sent to residents of Northampton Homes, San Antonio
City Councilman Mario Salas questions why Kaufman and Broad, builders
of the controversial subdivision, developed an area with unstable soil.
Aug 22, 2000Added to Builders in the News
Ryland
is excised from four Corona subdivisions plagued by drainage problems
By Adriana Chavira The Press-Enterprise.
Aug 19, 2000Added to Builders in the NewsHome
horrors Hidden problems with family's dream house prompt investigation
By KARL SCHWEIZER Herald Writer TULALIP -- Theresia Rieman fell in
love with the beachfront house on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. It was
spacious, had a big yard, and was affordable to the single mom, who had
scrambled for years to make a life for herself and her son.
She bought it -- and quickly learned that her piece of the American
Dream was a house of horrors.
Aug 19, 2000Added to Builders in the NewsHUD
investigating contractor for discrimination violations By PAUL WENSKE
- The Kansas City Star Date: 08/18/00 22:15. Dale Gray, a spokeswoman for
the local HUD office in Kansas City, Kan., confirmed that her office was
investigating homeowner complaints against Jeff Miller Enterprises Inc.
Aug 17, 2000 Added a new section, SPONSORS.
Visit the websites of individuals and companies who support HOBB's ideals
and principals, that is, to assist homeowners with construction defects.
Aug 5, 2000Added to Builders in the NewsCisneros
coming back to S.A. By Elizabeth Allen and Jeanne Russell Express-News
Staff Writers Henry Cisneros is returning to San Antonio to build homes,
not rebuild a political career.... Cisneros' firm, American CityVista,
will enter a growing market for urban reinvestment. He plans to use some
of the money he earned while president of the Univision television network
to help launch a joint venture with Kaufman and Broad Home Corp.
to build homes in Southwestern cities.
Aug 1, 2000 Added to Builders in the NewsNortheast:
Live Oak Council approves subdivision plan By Chuck McCollough Express-News
Staff Writer LIVE OAK s In a vote that left a number of residents shaking
their heads in disagreement, the City Council on July 25 approved a compromise
measure for a 650-unit housing complex in the Woodcrest subdivision here.
On a 3-1 vote with Councilman Tom Kusek dissenting, the council approved
a middle-ground solution that will allow Kaufman & Broad homebuilders
to finish developing the Woodcrest subdivision off of Toepperwein Road.
Aug 1, 2000 Added to Builders in the NewsBuilder
to help in Northampton By Daryl Bell Express-News Staff Writer The
builder of a subdivision that residents say is plagued with flawed homes
assured 150 homeowners Tuesday that the problems will be corrected.
The promise from Kaufman and Broad to residents of the Northampton
Homes subdivision came during a two-hour meeting that drew protests from
many homeowners after the meeting site was switched at the last minute.
July 29, 2000
Bill
would let owners sue home builders.By Daryl Bell Express-News Staff
Writer Home buyers would no longer have to sign away their rights to seek
court damages for shoddy construction under a bill sponsored by San Antonio
congressmen.
Responding to complaints in the Northampton
subdivision, Democrats Charlie Gonzalez and Ciro Rodriguez sponsored the
Home Buyer Protection Act on Thursday to reform home-buying contracts and
eliminate mandatory arbitration clauses.
July 26, 2000
Welcome to Outraged
Homeowners Of Texas! Outraged Homeowners of Texas(OHOT)is a non-profit
organization promoting change to Texas Law concerning the licensing and
bonding of home contractors. OHOT has no fees or dues. The primary purpose
of OHOT is to unite homeowners to lobby for a change in current Texas laws.
Thank
You OHOT for joining us in this battle! See their CH 13 report "Houston
homeowners gang together for change"
July 28, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
A copy of the PROPOSED ABTCO siding settlement.
Also review HOBB opposition to the settlement.
July 26, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsBexar
Met, developer's firm disput Northampton seepage.By Daryl Bell Express-News
Staff Writer An official with Integrated Testing and Engineering Company
disputed a Bexar Metropolitan Water District analysis of water seeping
from the ground in Northampton Homes. Steve Frost, vice president project
geologist for InTEC, the San Antonio firm commissioned by developer
Kaufman & Broad, said water readings taken in several locations
in the subdivision reveal traces of chlorine.
July 26, 2000
Added to Homeowners Websites:
Pulte
Home Nightmare.
DON'T SIGN AWAY YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
We signed away our 7th Amendment Right to a jury trial when we signed a
Purchase Agreement to buy a Pulte Home. This agreement had an Arbitration
Clause. Be warned - don't let this happen to you!
July 26, 2000
Added to Homeowners Websites:
Owning a PULTE HOME has been a total
DISAPPOINTMENT for our family. Pulte Homes Corporation is one of the
nation's largest homebuilders, historically advertising themselves as "Master
Builders". Our goal is to inform the public and potential homebuyers
about our frustating experiences with our home and provide access to other
opinions & info about owning a Pulte-built home.
July 26, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsSource
of seepage unclear By Daryl Bell Express-News Staff Writer On another
front, Janet Ahmad of Home Owners for Better Building, said Northampton
homeowners will hold a strategy meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at Maranatha
Baptist Church, 5814 Rittiman Plaza. And in a related development,
Aaron Seaman, director of local government affairs for Kaufman &
Broad, said that a site for meeting with Northampton Homes residents
has been secured. The meeting will be held Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. in the
cafeteria on the gray campus of Judson High School, 9695 Schaeffer Road
in Converse.
July 20, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsNorthampton
report says no further study needed By Daryl Bell Express-News Staff
Writer A revised report on the Northampton Homes subdivision completed
by the city of San Antonio Public Works Department Environmental Services
Division does not recommend a Phase II study be done on he controversial
property.
July 20, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
"Weyerhaeuser
plan OK'd; settlement puts no limits on liability" by Drew DeSilver
Seattle Times business reporter A California judge yesterday gave preliminary
approval to an agreement settling a class-action lawsuit against Weyerhaeuser
over defective house siding. (HomeOwners for Better Building will review
the proposed settlement.)
July 20, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
"Weyerhaeuser
poised to settle massive suit over bad siding" by Drew DeSilver Seattle
Times business reporter Hundreds of thousands of people throughout the
West could be compensated by Weyerhaeuser for defective hardboard siding
under a nationwide settlement proposal announced yesterday. The proposal
would settle a class-action lawsuit filed two years ago in California,
but Seattle attorney Christopher Brain said it also would apply
to claims against Weyerhaeuser in other states. (FYI: Christopher Brain
was the attorney involved in the LP siding suit. See the Wall
Strteet Journal Article)
HomeOwners for Better Building objects to the proposed national ABTCO
siding settlement. "A
Review of the ABTCO Hardboard Siding Settlement
by John R. Cobarruvias"
July 15, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsReported
dumps anger buyers. Wilbur Riley thought he was building a dream house
when he decided to move into the Northampton Homes subdivision two
years ago.Now, his dream has become a nightmare .Riley, who said he began
experiencing problems with his home two weeks after he moved
in, recently discovered his dwelling is located near what is said to be
three former illegal dumping sites.
"I wouldn't have moved in here if I knew what I know now about the land,"
he said. "No one told me anything, and that's very upsetting. I think I
have the right to know something like that. I've spent more than $90,000
on this home. Nothing was disclosed to me."
There are other Northampton residents who feel slighted because, they
say, Kaufman and Broad, builder of the subdivision, didn't tell
them about the dumps.
June 26, 2000
Added many useful links to Toxic
Mold.
June 26, 2000
Added to Homeowners Websites:
Ryland
Homes in South Carolina. "Our house was basically built in a swamp.
Drainage is very poor. Termites have breached the cracked slab. Windows
leak, piping has water hammer, electrical switches arc when operated, and
all the drywall shows signs of differential settlement. Branches, roots,
stumps, and construction debris are under, and in close proximity to the
slab. There is no plywood, waferboard, or OSB above the first level of
the outer walls (just vinyl siding and sheets of Tyvek insulation). "
"Other than the above defects, the Ryland House is a nice place to
call home."
June 26, 2000
Added to Toxic Mold.Is
Toxic Mold In Your Home? Waldport Family Fighting Mold In Their
House WALDPORT, Ore., Posted 7:41 p.m. PDT May 24, 2000 -- Since
airing the Home Sick Home series earlier this month, KOIN 6 News has received
calls from many families who are fighting potentially deadly mold in their
homes.
June 26, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
Toxic Mold. Various articles and information on sick home syndrome.
June 20, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsHead
of construction board fired By Steve Patterson Times-Union
staff writer
June 20, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsLegislature
to consider licensing requirements for Ga. home builders By Walter
C. Jones Staff Writer Online Athens. "The Home Builders Association
of Georgia isn't thrilled with the idea, but it's not opposing it
either. Association officials see it as something their customers want,
especially those moving from states that already license residential contractors."
June 8, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:Collapsing
2nd story decks. Homeowners should check their decks to prevent serious
injuries.
June 3, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
An article in the Wall Street Journal about the
LP siding settlement. "The L-P siding, a concoction of wood scraps and
resins, was installed on about 800,000 homes around the country from
1985 to 1995. It warped prematurely, rotted in wet weather and sprouted
mushrooms and other fungus. Lawsuits sprouted as well, although L-P
contended the problems stemmed mostly from faulty installation."
Richard B. Schmitt, Wall Street Journal
May 21, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
Examples of ABTCO siding on Centex homes in San
Antonio, TX.
May 17, 2000
Added to Builders in the News
"The
Dream House" by Brad Tyer of The
Houston Press. You may say to yourself, this is not my beautiful
house. And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here? -- Talking
Heads
May 9, 2000
Added to Builders in the News
"House
of Cards" by the Dallas Observer.
"Pastor Morris Turner sells dream homes that are just that----DREAMS."
May 9, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:Masonite
siding settement assistance for homeowners.
April 17, 2000
Added the FIRST HOBB
Newsletter!
April 8, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsState
suit may broaden law on home contractors Friday, April 07, 2000 By
SHERYL HARRIS PLAIN DEALER REPORTER "The Ohio Attorney Generalms Office
yesterday filed a suit against a home improvement contractor that could
change the way courts deal with contractors who have previously been sued
by disgruntled customers."
Mar 29, 2000
Added to Homeowners Websites:
Unhappy
Hedgewood Homeowners Association. Thank-you for visiting the UHHA website.
Our site is rapidly growing due to the tremendous response to UHHA's
"Declaration of War". Please read the UHHA Goals and the "Declaration of
War" documents by clicking their links at the left. If you are a Hedgewood
Properties, Inc. homebuyer, we would love to hear from you. The "Hedgewood
Horror Stories" are very real and many. As stories are written and pictures
taken, they will be posted under the Horror Stories link at the left.
Mar 28, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
All persons throughout the United States who have owned or currently own
a water heater manufactured by Rheem Manufacturing Company, A.O. Smith
Corporation, Bradford White Corporation, American Water Heater Company,
Lochinvar Corporation and State Industries, Inc. (the "Tank Manufacturers")
that contains a dip tube manufactured, supplied or sold by Perfection Corporation
("Perfection") between August 1993 and October 1996 ("Subject Dip Tube"),
and said water heater or dip tube was purchased prior to September 8, 1999.
Visit http://diptubesettlement.com/
Mar 19, 2000
Added to Builders in the News
"Coping
with Shotty Builders" by RICH HOOD - The Kansas City Star "For
years the scales have been tilted against Missourians or Kansans who were
unhappy with the results of home remodeling or with shoddy work on homes
they had built. A pattern of irresponsible and sleazy workmanship on new
homes led to the creation of a nonprofit grass-roots organization, Homeowners
Against Defective Dwellings five years ago. Even though it is underfunded,
HADD has bravely dueled with homebuilders and related organizations
over warranties that were sometimes virtually useless for homeowners.
Mar 15, 2000 Added to Builders in the News
a link to the Texas
Residential Construction Liability Act. A similiar act was passed
in California. "This chapter applies to any action to recover damages resulting
from a construction defect, except a claim for personal injury, survival,
or wrongful death or for damage to goods. To the extent of conflict
between this chapter and any other law, including the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer
Protection Act (Subchapter E, Chapter 17, Business & Commerce Code),
this chapter prevails."
Mar 14, 2000
Added to Builders in the NewsNightmare
Dream Home. In 1998, he and his family moved into a new house built
by U.S. Home Corp. in the Hunter's Green subdivision of Tampa.
According to Preslar, they had no hot water downstairs for almost three
months. One bedroom had no air-conditioning ducts. The kitchen floor
molded. The foundation cracked. Wallpaper turned black. Soffits turned
green. The carpet frayed. The banister fell down. Kitchen lights dropped
from the ceiling. Including sidebars:
Hidden
flaws By COLLINS CONNER © St. Petersburg Times, published March
12, 2000 In looking at new home construction, the St. Petersburg Times
found plenty of evidence that work had deteriorated. Some defects are easy
to see. But industry insiders described commonplace problems that are difficult
to detect or that occur during phases of construction that are virtually
unexamined. These flaws affect a home's strength, wind resistance, durability
or efficiency.
Riding
on its reputation Suarez Housing sells the nuts and bolts of construction
quality and, according to a Times poll of Tampa Bay area buyers, it delivers
on its promises.
Industry
regulation lacking. Jack and Ruth Dunn of Hernando County learn there
is little recourse when a home is constructed improperly.
Home
buyers say quality fell through the cracks. Buying a new home was exactly
what a couple wanted to do. But when they moved into their $100,000 house,
they didn't get exactly what they were looking for.
So
many new homes, so few skilled workers. Ask builders about construction
defects and they will point to the labor shortage as the cause. "It's the
No. 1 problem across the nation," said Ron Coppenbarger of Jacksonville,
who spearheads the worker recruitment effort of the Florida Home Builders
Association.
U.S.
Home: Survey by Times is not accurate. A U.S. Home Corp. customer-satisfaction
survey proves that a scientific poll conducted by the St. Petersburg Times
is inaccurate, according to Gene Lanton, president of the builder's Central
Florida division.
Mar 11, 2000
Added to Builders in the
News Home
builder on hot seat Ahlstrom faces loss of license By Diana Sahagun
<diana@lasvegassun.com> LAS VEGAS SUN The president of Falcon Homes
faces a disciplinary hearing Tuesday before the Nevada State Contractors
Board in the case of a North Las Vegas homeowner who for seven years
has doggedly pursued claims of shoddy workmanship.
Mar 11, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Changing
the law on new-home defects By Lisa Snedeker LAS VEGAS SUN When Vickie
Fort purchased her dream home in 1992, little did she realize she would
find herself embroiled in a six-year nightmare. [Horizon Communities]
Mar 11, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Builders
sued by homewners LAS VEGAS SUN Northgate Homeowners Association Inc.
sued Kaufman and Broad of Nevada and Las Vegas Paving Corp., alleging
defects in its Northgate single-family homes at 4828 Mentor Drive off U.S.
95 at Craig in Las Vegas.
Mar 11, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Builder
loses $11.7 million as result of trading scandal LAS VEGAS SUN
Kaufman
and Broad Home Corp., the largest homebuilder in Nevada, said
today its earnings for the quarter ending today will be reduced an
estimated $11.7 million, or 24 cents per share, because of what it called
employee misconduct.
Mar 11, 2000
Added to Homeowners Websites:
Kaufman
and Broad: A Homeowners Story Terms and Conditions for the Use
of Kaufman and Broad: A Homeowners Story. We have had our share of problems
with our new home. From the time we moved in (1995) until now, we have
had, everything from construction defects too inadequate warranty repairs
done by Kaufman and Broad employees and their subcontractors.
Mar 9, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Built-in
misery Construction problems leave cracks in a Jeffco couple's
dream By Lori Tobias Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer In 1994,
Pam and Bill Kelker moved into their dream house, a custom-built, two-story
stucco with a commanding view of the Denver skyline. Six years later, they're
living every homeowner's nightmare. Rainwater is seeping into their 3,000-square-foot
showcase home in Jefferson County, leaving the infrastracture moldy, mildewed
and potentially weakened. [Mark Cucarola, owner of Midwestern Homes
of Colorado]
Mar 7, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Homeowners
win settlement lawyer says By Tanya Flanagan Review-Journal.
Homeowners living in a North Las Vegas subdivision won a $16.2 million
settlement Monday against developers who built their homes on expansive
and corrosive soil, an attorney said. Attorney Scott Canepa said the case
was one of "utter failure" by developers
Rhodes Design and Development,
HBR and Halco Inc. to treat the soil before building the homes in the
Casa Linda development at Simmons Street and Alexander Road.
Mar 6, 2000
Added a new section on Home
Owners Warranties. "And there's Ryland's promised ten-year structural-defect
warranty, administered through the HOW Corporation. HOW recently sent out
notifications to thousands of homeowners informing them that the corporation
has gone into post-bankruptcy receivership, which hardly bolstered homeowners'
confidence in their access to redress" -- "Closing
Costs" by Brad Tyer, The Houston
Press
Mar 3, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
Home
turned into biohazard By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz American-Statesman
Staff Thursday, March 2, 2000 DRIPPING SPRINGS -- Melinda Ballard's 22-room
mansion was built with long porches and white columns in the style of Tara,
the antebellum plantation in "Gone with the Wind." But Ballard calls her
place Toxic Tara, because of a mold that made her family sick and the home
uninhabitable. (As seen on 48 Hours)
Mar 3, 2000
Added to Binding Arbitration:
Arbitration
Rulings Called One Sided. By Caroline E. Mayer Washington Post Staff
Writer Like many banks, car dealers and retailers, First USA
N.A., the nation's second-largest issuer of credit cards, no longer permits
its customers to sue it in court. Instead, any disputes must be resolved
through arbitration by a firm chosen by First USA.
Mar 2, 2000 Added to Builders in the News:
DEVELOPER
CLEARED OF CHARGES. Essentially ending one of the largest state investigations
ever of a Florida home builder, an administrative judge has ruled state
officials failed to prove wide-reaching charges of negligence against a
politically prominent Panhandle builder. The ruling exonerated Edwin
Henry, a former president of the 14,000-member Florida Home Builders
Association whom the Department of Business and Professional Regulation
spent more than $650,000 investigating.
Feb 26, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Supreme
Court 2000: Torts. Arbitration clauses need not bar suits. Patricia
Seifert and her husband, Ernest, contracted with U.S. Home to build a house.
The purchase and sale contract said that if any dispute arose, it would
be settled by mediation s in which a referee tries to work out a deal acceptable
to both parties s or, if that failed, binding arbitration, in which one
or more arbitrators decides on a solution. After the Seiferts moved in,
the air- conditioning system sucked into the home deadly carbon monoxide
emissions from the couplems car, which had been left running in the garage.
Ernest Seifert died, and his wife sued in 1996, contending her husbandms
death was a result of U.S. Homems negligence.
Feb 18, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Houston
homebuilder acquired. Florida company agrees to pay $476 million for
U.S.
Home. Miami-based Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) has finalized the terms
for its $476 million purchase of Houston-based U.S. Home Corp. (NYSE: UH)
in a deal that will create one of the largest homebuilding firms in the
country.
Feb 13, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
Notice
for Cemet/Wood Fiber Roofing Shakes by American Cemwood Corp. Visit their
site at www.cemwoodclaims.com.
Feb 7, 2000
Added to Construction Defects:
Notice
for Hurd Heat Mirror windows proposed class action settlement. Visit the
official website at www.hurdclaims.com or call 1-800-708-2425.
Feb 5, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
New
Home Nightmares: Exclusive Investigation. "Have you fallen victim to
the Nightmares of dealing with New Home Problems? Did you see the
investigative report on the Fox 21 Ten O'Clock News, Friday night, February
4th?. If not, you can see the feature in it's entirety right here
on fox21.com. Watch the video as Fox 21 Reporter Tami Birckner interviews
new home buyers, whose life-long dreams of home ownership suddenly
turned into nightmares. Did this happen to you? Could you have avoided
these nightmares? " Includes interview of Pulte Homes and Jim Blackstone
of www.blackstoneversuspulte.com. (no longer active.)
Feb 4, 2000
Added to Binding Arbitration:
Consumers
losing right to sue [NO LONGER AN ACTIVE LINK] Buy an item off the
popular eBay auction Web site, and you've just given away your right to
sue. If you have a beef with eBay, you'll go before a private arbitrator
instead of a judge in court. The Web giant has even picked the place: San
Jose, eBay's home, but not exactly convenient to the vast majority of consumers.
Feb 4, 2000
Added to Binding Arbitration:
"Americans
want arbitration." By Roger Haydock [NO LONGER AN ACTIVE LINK]
"Consumers and businesses agree: They want an affordable, efficient and
fair way to resolve their disputes. They want arbitration." [I thought
"What ....person....would write such stuff?] "Roger Haydock is executive
director of the Institute for Advanced Dispute Resolution and a visiting
professor at the University of San Diego Law School." There is
the answer!
Feb 1, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
"Damages
awarded to owners of faulty home By JOHN MARTELLARO - The Kansas City
Star Date: 01/25/00 22:30 An arbitrator has awarded $100,000 in damages
to a Lee's Summit couple from the builder of their five-year-old home,
citing numerous defects in construction. " [Pulte Homes]
Jan 16, 2000
Added to Homeowners Websites:
Pulte
Homes, Master Builders? So you want to build a new home. Great! You
have decided on Pulte Homes as your builder. I will not tell you that this
is a good or a bad choice. My opinion is not what this web
site is about. However, I will show you some pictures and reports of my
home. You will learn of my family's experience with Pulte
Homes.
Jan 16, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Broken
Homebuyers "Kaufman and Broad, the nation's largest homebuilder, which
reported a net profit of $95 million in 1998, has been sued again and again
in courts across the western United States. Locally the company faces three
multimillion-dollar suits brought by groups of homeowners--one in Hollister
and two in San Jose--and many smaller suits. Kaufman and Broad also
has the dubious distinction of being the only home builder in the country
to be under an order from the Federal Trade Commission to handle defect
problems in a timely manner. It subsequently broke that order in 1991 and
was fined $595,000. "
Jan 12, 2000
Added to Builders in the News:
Incomplete
inspection shackles homeowners. Buyer must ensure house passes muster
By Steve Patterson Times-Union staff writer Linda Armstrong's living
room smells moldy. The floor stays damp and the back yard is soggy. City
inspectors say the drainage is inadequate and the Mandarin house has building
code violations. Property appraisers value it at half the $156,000 that
Armstrong and her husband paid in 1998. NOTE: Linda Armstrong is the
President of HomeOwners for Better Building, Florida.
Jan 10, 2000
MCI
Settles Challenge to Arbitration Rule By Caroline E. Mayer Washington
Post Staff Writer Friday, December 24, 1999; Page E02 MCI WorldCom Inc.
has settled a challenge to its practice that bars small businesses from
taking billing disputes to court. However, officials at the Federal Communications
Commission indicated yesterday that the agency may still review MCI's controversial
arbitration requirements because they may hurt consumers.
Jan 8, 2000
Letter from Senator
Hollings of South Carolina to Jim Blackstone in support of HR 2258
The Consumer Fairness Act.
