Developers Worried About Building Ban
A ban on building permits for the area around the ailing Northeast Interceptor sewage line went into effect Thursday. The new restriction is the lastest addition to a moratorium that was first put in place in May of 2006 due to several major sewer spills in the area. Since then, the restricted area has grown. It's now the east side of Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach.

County puts freeze on NEI building permits
A decision by New Hanover County has local realtors concerned.The county began a freeze Thursday on new building permits for any construction project that sends waste to the northeast interceptor sewer line...He says the state's decision could mean an economic disaster.

Builder developed wetlands without permit
WARNING WAS IGNORED: BALL HOMES DEVELOPED IN FEDERALLY PROTECTED WETLANDS WITHOUT A PERMIT, WHICH IT DIDN'T THINK IT NEEDED. WITH CITY KNOWLEDGE, WORK IN THE FRAGILE WETLANDS WENT ON UNTIL STOPPED BY THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS...Central Kentucky's largest home builder, Ball Homes, has been building for years in a federally protected wetlands area in southeast Lexington without the proper permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps, whose job it is to protect environmentally sensitive waterways, last year ordered Ball to "cease and desist" from activities that violate the wetlands.

Card Check: Binding Arbitration Invites Trouble
More excellent work comes from the Heritage Foundation's James Sherk on the spuriously named Employee Free Choice Act... Congress should reject the idea of forcing workers into binding arbitration because it would put millions of American's retirement security at risk. Unaccountable government arbitrators could force newly organized workers into severely underfunded multiemployer pension plans. Employers' retirement contributions would shore up union finances, rather than provide for their workers' retirements. It is understandable that unions support binding arbitration, but Congress should not give into their demands.

Business & Commerce on the TRCC Homebuilder Protection Agency
Homeowners had another opportunity to testify before the Texas legislature.  The "Homebuilder Protection Agency Bill' HB1038 was heard in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee this past Tuesday where homeowners  told lawmakers about their bad builders and bad TRCC experience.   Click to view stream of hearing:  Senate Committee on Business & Commerce -advance to 16.27 to hear testimony.

Building Moratorium- Building Permits Halted in NEI 
Effective immediately, Wednesday, May 9 2007 no new building permits will be issued by New Hanover County for the areas served by the North East Interceptor sewer line. The decision to stop issuing new building permits comes following receipt of a letter to the City of Wilmington by the NC Division of Water Quality, commenting on the city's ten point plan to rehabilitate the NEI.New Hanover County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bill Caster, and Water and Sewer District Chairman Bill Kopp Jr., say the county's decision to halt all new building permits shows the willingness on the county's part to resolve the sewer issues as quickly as possible.

History-Making Home Lemon Law Amendment Debated in Texas House
In an unprecedented, history-making event State Representative Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, introduced a Home Lemon Law Amendment sparking a spirited debate on the Texas House floor. The amendment was tabled by a vote of 83 to 60. However, 60 lawmakers, including 10 Republicans, voted in support of a Home Lemon Law, the first ever to be considered or debated by any State Legislature in the nation.

17 penalized in 'mortgage flipping'
As part of an elaborate mortgage-flipping scheme that has bilked lenders and blighted neighborhoods, a vacant house in the 5300 block of South Laflin Street sold for $165,000 last year and was resold for twice that amount just hours later, state officials said Tuesday. After a three-month investigation, 17 businesses and individuals have been disciplined for their involvement in a mortgage-fraud ring that falsified documents and created bogus appraisals, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation officials announced Tuesday.

Carolina Journal Exclusives Easley Ends Suit, Gets House Deal
In June 1996, one year after N.C. Attorney General Mike Easley settled a lawsuit and granted exceptions to state beach-erosion laws for homeowners at Bald Head Island, the island's developer sold Easley and his brother a new home "€” for at least $70,000 less than a comparable home. The Easleys' $250,000 purchase is now valued at $1,129,270. In December 2005, the same year Easley started his second term as governor, coastal real estate developer Randy Allen sold Easley a choice waterfront lot in the Cannonsgate community in Carteret County. Public records show that Easley paid $549,880. A recorded deed of trust shows he secured a $494,000 loan from Branch Banking & Trust Company. One year later the county tax office revalued the property to $1,198,245. Allen, whom Easley appointed to the Wildlife Resources Commission earlier in 2005, has four large coastal projects under development in North Carolina.

Condo owners upset by work done by builder
Cullen and other owners of condominiums at the 240-unit residential complex at 200 Brannan Street have been threatening lawsuits and battling the builder over defects, including uneven floors, improper ventilation, crooked balconies and shoddy cabinetry. Water seeps into the building's garage. Garage door malfunctions have led to thefts of bicycles and raised security concerns. The homeowners' plight is of broader interest because the builder with which they have been at odds is Lennar Corp., the Miami firm that Mayor Gavin Newsom's administration wants to see carry out redevelopment projects at Treasure Island, Hunters Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point.

Figures indicate foreclosures likely to increase for Houston homeowners
Area homeowners are increasingly having trouble making their mortgage payments, signaling foreclosures will likely continue to mount. In the Houston area, 4.38 percent of loans were 30 or more days late during the first quarter of 2007, compared with 2.04 percent during the same period last year, according to data provided by Moody's Economy.com...Foreclosures shot up to 11,983 in 2006 from 8,300 in 2004, in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties. The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area ranked fourth behind the Detroit, Miami and Riverside, Calif., metro areas in terms of delinquencies of 30 days or more.

As market cools, home buyers seek a way out by suing builders
In the latest fallout from the housing market's decline, disputes are breaking out between builders and buyers who signed contracts for new homes and condos when the market was hot - and now want to get out of them.  Even as many of the new buildings are completed, buyers are filing lawsuits claiming they were duped into purchases they couldn't afford, or victimized through fraudulent investment schemes. Some are scrutinizing their contracts looking for loopholes, or searching out tiny flaws in finished homes that might allow them to back out without losing their deposits.

Under the dome
The special legislative committee investigating an ethics complaint against homebuilders lobbyist William Mutch has asked House Speaker Andrew Romanoff to testify today. Mutch, a lobbyist for Colorado Concern, is accused of orchestrating robo-calls that falsely claimed lawmakers were considering a tax hike on homes. It is legal for groups to run ads about legislation and lawmakers, but a legislative rule prohibits lobbyists from attempting to influence lawmakers "by means of deceit" or threats.

Confronting Phony Contractors
11 News goes undercover to catch phony electrical contractors.  Marie Johnson hired Jack Fry... An outside contractor discovered her AC was over sized and  installed backwards... I'd love to get a hold of him. View Video Undercover Report