Aug 3 2002 Two Centex Stories in San Antonio Texas:
KENS TV Outlook Canyon Creek residents upset at home builder
(07/31/02) (video unavailable) photos coming soon.
KMOL TV Centex
Homes They were supposed to be dream homes, but some people on
the northwest side say they're houses are a nightmare. News 4's Joel Eisenbaum
has the story.
July 24, 2001 Homeowners
take action against developers over construction flaws By FRED
LUDWIG, Californian staff writer e-mail: fludwig@bakersfield.com.
The Northshore suit names Centex, a national homebuilder. Company
spokesman Neil Devroy said officials had not received a copy of the lawsuit
and are not aware of open warranty issues with customers. The company in
general works to resolve such complaints out of court, he said. "If
our customers have problems, we go out and fix those problems for them,"
Devroy said.
July 21 Profit
Increases 56 Percent at Dallas-Based Construction Firm Centex Corp.
Source: The Dallas Morning News Jul. 19 2001Dallas-based Centex Corp.
reported a 56 percent jump in profit on Wednesday as a result of big increases
in home sales and financial services income.
NOTE: And yet even with this windfall, Centex has asked the
Texas Supreme Court to relieve them of the implied warranty of good workmanship
and habitability. See Centex Vs Buescher
June 27, 2001 Law
Firm Estrada & Thomson Announces Class Action Lawsuit Against Centex
Homes. The proposed class includes 207 homes located in the Serrano,
Crescent Ridge and Treelake Village subdivisions located in El Dorado Hills
and Granite Bay. For detaisl see the Estrada
& Thomson website.
June 8, 2001 Texas Supreme Court Screws Homeowners Again and Upholds
Binding Arbitration. This is just one in two punch knockout to the
consumers. The next will be when they show their loyalty to the Texas Homebuilders
and relieve them of the implied warranty
of good workmanship and habitability. "The Biggest Investment of Your
Life in Texas" now has the "Least Amount of Consumer Protection". Why would
anyone buy a new house?
June 8, 2001 Court
ruling upholds binding arbitration. Consumers can be barred from
lawsuits Associated Press AUSTIN -- Consumers who complain about
defective products can be forced into binding arbitration and barred from
suing the manufacturer, the Texas Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
"Arbitration provides consumers with an immediate and an inexpensive
place to go," said Cami Boyd, a lawyer representing two Texas-based mobile-hine"
May 10, 2001 Posted to the Centex Page: No.
04-99-00337-CV Michael M. BUECHER, et al., Appellants v. CENTEX
HOMES, a Nevada Partnership, and Centex Real Estate Corporation d/b/a Centex
Homes, Appellees. "It would be incongruous if public policy required the
creation of an implied warranty, yet allowed the warranty to be disclaimed
and its protection eliminated merely by a pre-printed standard form disclaimer
or an unintelligible merger clause."
Apr 2, 2001 Posted new pictures of the
new siding on the home. After many years of fighting Centex, they finally
did the right thing.
Feb 18, 2001 Posted a PDF Copy of the Amicus-Curiaesupplied
to the Texas Supreme Court for Centex Homes v.
Buecher in support of Centex. A review of this
amicus is also available.
Feb 15, 2001 Posted a Review of the Amicus-Curiae
supplied
to the TexasSupreme Court for Centex Homes v. Buecher
in support of Centex.
Feb 15, 2001 Posted a Review of the Residential
Warranty Corporation 10 Year Warranty. This is the warranty provided
by Centex in Texas. If you have any comments, or if you found I have not
represented the facts correctly, please contact me at john.cobarruvias@hobb.org
so I may correct it.
Feb 15, 2001 Recived a copy of the Brief of
Amicus-Curiae
supplied to the TexasSupreme Court for Centex
Homes v. Buecher in support of Centex. . "The fees for preparation
of this brief have been paid by NAHB." (National Assoc of Home Builders)
(PDF version of the complete document coming soon.) Of particular interest:
Quote: "Between 1987 and 1998, Home Buyers Warranty Corporation,
one of the laargest providers of ten-year insured warranty programs in
Texas paid an average more than $0,000 per accepted structural claim to
home owners in Texas"
How many claims were "accepted"? And what percentage of claims are denied?
And, by the way, Centex Homes doesn't use the HBW. They use the RWC warranty
which has over 38 exclusions including
-
Loss or damage caused by soil movement
-
Consequential or incidental damages
-
Loss or damage resulting from, or made worse by the the presense of hazardous
or toxic materials resulting in uninhabitability or health risk within
the home.
Jan 23, 2000: Posted in Centex
Page:
New
photos of the ABTCO siding
installed on a Centex home. These photos were taken during a site visit
by HOBB.
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 10, 2000: Posted More pictures
of the siding on the home with mold and 1/2 inch gaps.
Dec 9, 2000: Posted :
"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 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.
Nov 26, 2000: Posted background information and summaries
of the
Supreme Court of Texas November 29 Docket
Centex Homes and Centex Real Estate Corp. v. Buecher
Nov 26, 2000: Posted Supreme Court
and Centex Homes Press release.
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 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 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, 2000Added to Builders in the NewsGroup
questions electrical code By David Anthony Richelieu Express-News Staff
Writer.
