Taking action against housing blight
Empty and even burned houses have become part of the landscape in the upscale neighborhood of Lake Ridge, spanning the cities of Cedar Hill and Grand Prairie in southwestern Dallas County. But the two cities are now taking action against the blight brought by foreclosures in this community where some homes are priced at more than $1 million.

Overworked, Sometimes Corrupt Inspectors Are Shortchanging Homeowners
A recent "Good Morning America" investigation finds that government building inspectors are often overworked and sometimes lazy, incompetent or corrupt..."I lost everything I ever had and I've lost everything I ever wanted to have and everything I ever tried to have -- before I even had it," Daniel said. "I never spent a night in this house." ...Daniel sued Wayne County, which settled for $94,000 without admitting liability. Wayne County wouldn't comment on the specifics of the case. The inspector told us the inspections we saw were quick because they were follow-ups, but he had no response when we revealed he was seen on tape doing the same thing over and over again. As for Daniel, she's still out tens of thousands of dollars.

Hundreds of Homeowners Report Crumbling Driveways
Flaking, chipping, or crumbling. There are many ways to describe what's happening to hundreds of driveways throughout Utah. The homeowners who are seeing these problems can't seem to get any help from their homebuilders. We also found out most cities don't require a permit for whomever is pouring a driveway, which means there's no way to know what subcontractor a homebuilder is using. And with no inspections, there's no way of knowing the quality of the concrete mix being used. "So again, it's just a problem we're stuck with," said Kevin Charles.

Lennar Buyers Beware Current Owners Take Action Now
This is an independent site providing information to home buyers, home owners and concerned citizens. Spend some time on the website, and you'll get a good feel for what is going on with Lennar homes and their subsidiaries. This is the biggest investment of most people's lives.  See: Defective-Homes

Beware the builder's lender
So much of the fun in buying a newly built home comes from being able to choose the upgrades that tailor it to your tastes. Want steam vents in the shower? No problem. With a swipe of the pen, they're yours. And for now, at least, many builders are offering such goodies at no extra cost. Usually, though, there's a condition: The builder will pick up the tab only if you get your mortgage through its preferred lender.

Title Insurance Debate, Round Two
Just 5 percent of your title insurance premium is used to pay claims, says the federal government, while 70 percent is paid out in the form of agent commissions. But fixing prices, as is now the case in New Jersey, absolutely eliminates any competition of interest to consumers. Without price competition, consumers have no reason to prefer one price-fixed title agent over another price-fixed title agent. One correspondent said those who wish to complete would be "violating the CURRENT title laws by offering discounts."

Losing their house in 2005 still haunts Rockford couple
Foreclosures increased 38 percent between 2005 and 2006 in Boone Winnebago and Ogle counties, from 661 to 912, according to county records. Put another way: 7,190 homes and condominiums sold in the Rock River Valley in 2006, meaning it's possible nearly 13 percent sold because the owner no longer could afford the home.The foreclosure epidemic is not just a local problem. The North Carolina-based Center for Responsible Lending estimated that more than 2 million "subprime" borrowers will lose their homes to foreclosure by the end of 2007. Subprime borrowers are like Clarice and Anthony: people with less-than-perfect credit histories filled with bankruptcies or accounts taken to collection.

Charlotte-area homebuyers say Beazer offered money for high marks
Some Charlotte-area home buyers say builder Beazer Homes USA offered them money to give the company high marks in a survey, which could have resulted in bonuses for company executives. Andre Gray told The Charlotte Observer he received two letters in the mail from Beazer after buying a home in north Charlotte in 2001. One letter was a customer satisfaction survey about the builder, while the other offered him $100 to give Beazer high marks.

Wells Fargo settles subprime class-action suit
Wells Fargo & Co. has settled a class-action lawsuit over lending practices at its Wells Fargo Financial Inc.'s mortgage unit, which focuses on the subprime market.The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, had alleged in the lawsuit, filed in 2003, that Wells Fargo Financial failed to properly disclose points and prepayment penalties to borrowers, and inaccurately reported loan balances for some California customers to credit reporting agencies.

Builders offer to sweeten the deal
They tried offering "free" upgrades, giving away vacations and cars, "buying down" mortgage interest rates, paying closing costs and assorted other incentives. The Groves at Falling Leaf in Modesto's Village I community, for instance, has slashed prices up to $60,000 and are giving $20,000 in incentives... R. Horton is promoting "rock bottom pricing" at its Diablo Grande homes, with reductions and incentives worth up to $80,000.

Remodeled - A Damascus couple get heartache and a pile of fixtures instead of a master suite and studio
Half a year later, their money and their contractor have disappeared and they have learned a heartbreaking lesson. Although Oregon homeowners now have more access than ever to contractors' license and dispute histories, the state provides little remedy and no guarantees... An investigation by The Oregonian in 2005 revealed that weak state laws and passive enforcement by the state Construction Contractors Board have allowed unscrupulous or financially troubled contractors to remain in business and avoid paying penalties levied by the state agency.

House bill targets builders who fail to repair defects
The Texas House tentatively made it a crime for a builder to fail to register with the state, but rejected an attempt to require contractors to buy back houses with serious defects. The sponsor of House Bill 1038, Rep. Allan Ritter, D-Nederland, said the Texas Residential Construction Commission has had problems...By 83 to 60, the House rejected an amendment to require builders to buy back houses with defects that create a safety hazard or reduce the home's value 5 percent or more if the defect can't be fixed. Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, chairman of the House State Affairs Committee, said the amendment would add to the cost of everybody's house, but Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, shot back: "I'm not trying to protect unscrupulous builders."

Nine Arrested On Mortgage Fraud Charges
The FBI arrested nine people Wednesday on charges of engaging in a multimillion-dollar Queens-based mortgage fraud conspiracy, authorities said. Assistant FBI Director Mark Mershon said 10 people were named in court papers, which identify three of the conspirators as principals in New Generation Funding, a mortgage broker with a branch office in Jackson Heights. Court papers say they recruited "straw buyers" from the Bangladeshi community to purchase properties with false identities and to secure mortgage financing.

Alleged ring leader pleads guilty in mortgage fraud case
A man accused of being the leader of a mortgage fraud ring pleaded guilty Friday to wire fraud. Kourosh Partow was part of a group of seven Anchorage residents federal prosecutors charged with deceiving mortgage lenders by overstating income and assets on loan applications.

Baron's aim was 5,500 homes on 1,200 site, Part 2
 In December, Las Vegas developer Jim Rhodes became the most influential developer in the East Valley of Phoenix by spending $58.6 million on more than 1,000 acres of state trust land in Apache Junction.What officials at the State Land Department didn't know was that Rhodes, 48, has admitted to illegally using his money to aid powerful politicians in Nevada; that he has repeatedly and successfully been sued over allegations of fraud, theft and self-dealing by his investment partners and others; and that he has a long history of complaints for shoddy workmanship...There was stiff opposition from the beginning, but Rhodes pressed ahead. He launched a glitzy television campaign to sell his plans to the public, and hired former Clark County, Nev., Commissioner Erin Kenny to sell them to the Clark County Commission.