Builder 'going on offensive'
A group of customers suing a North Naples homebuilder over more than $300,000 they say was paid for services they never received are expecting counterlawsuits soon that will join more than a dozen other lawsuits pending in court, attorneys involved in the case said Monday. Six sets of Deco Homes of Southwest Florida's customers have filed lawsuits in Collier County Circuit Court. Many of the lawsuits were filed within the past two months and allege Deco Homes' owner, Carlos Pio, received deposits or took bank draws but never finished the homes. In some instances, he never started work, according to the lawsuits.

Good credit can attract a bad deal
More mortgage fraud scammers are targeting area, and an FBI team is targeting them...The scam artist walks away with the difference between the loan amount and the price paid for the home when, at closing, he represents himself as a consultant, remodeler or other service provider. Money is directed to him or through companies controlled by him... The straw buyer scam and other types of mortgage fraud have become so popular locally that the FBI's Houston division has formed a unit dedicated solely to fighting mortgage fraud...Though no one can give a precise figure, experts say many Houston-area homes are being lost to foreclosure because of mortgage fraud. "This is an epidemic that will come to roost in the Houston housing market," said Zugheri, president of Houston-based First Houston Mortgage Ltd.

$100G sought from builder
Soon after Kara Homes declared bankruptcy, contractors at Woodlake Greens in Lakewood packed up and pulled out their bulldozers.Left behind were 113 unfinished homes, roads to be graded and mountains of construction debris to be cleared...Township officials plan to make a special petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, asking that $100,000 be released from the $3.7 million bond Kara Homes was required to obtain prior to construction.

TRCC site is no help
Although I filed complaints against my builder and received numerous letters from state officials, including the attorney general's office and Gov. Rick Perry, stating they were forwarding my complaint to the Texas Residential Construction Commission for action, my complaint does not show up on the Web site. Texas Residential Construction Commission obviously has made a concerted effort to hide the true number of complaints filed against homebuilders? Perhaps it's something I should have expected, since TRCC is run by the homebuilders for the protection of homebuilders. Website: Destiny Home Horrors

Georgia to require licenses for home builders in 2008
As of Jan. 1, 2008, general contractors in Georgia must have a state license in order to build houses. The requirements are fairly stringent, but many area builders think the law is a good idea...The general contractor category also requires a minimum net worth of $150,000 and a credit line of at least $50,000. The latter requirement is aimed at preventing scenarios in which a contractor goes bankrupt and leaves a project unfinished. But it also could make it more difficult for new builders to get into the business.

Superior Court Judge Finds New Jersey's Home Owner Warranty Program "A Useless Piece of Paper"
"I am well aware of the RWC program, the homeowner warranty program, and the election of remedies. It is set up with the specific goal in mind that there is declining coverage for the benefit of the homeowner, it declines. This is a program, even though it is distinguished by the Legislature, as a homeowner warranty, it is basically a safety net for the builder, as opposed to the homeowner."

Mortgage brokers tighten rules on loan officers
Until this month, virtually anyone could work in Washington as a loan officer for a mortgage broker "€” even convicted felons whose job gave them access to borrowers' most sensitive financial information.But a new day has dawned, and it's mortgage brokers who pushed for the change.

House Speaker decision to impact everyone
"That can make a huge difference in terms of whether we protect the home builders or the home buyers, how much we charge for insurance or whether you have insurance protection, or whether we have school vouchers or we have full funding for schools," Smith said.

Healthy Living: Mold in the Home
You may have heard of sick building syndrome. But could your home also be making you sick? One lung doctor says yes. In fact, he says the air quality in your home is much worse than the pollution outside. We'll bring you on a tour of an average home to show you where the dangers are.

Who'll stop the rot?
Parliament passed legislation establishing the Watertight Homes Resolution Service (WHRS) in 2002...Mr McQuade and the 4060 other New Zealanders who made claims to the WHRS have to pay their own legal fees and expert witness costs. Usually that costs them tens of thousands of dollars. Even if they win - either through mediation or adjudication - there are no guarantees other parties will honour obligations...Though the changes won unanimous support from parliamentarians, National's building and construction spokesman Nick Smith predicted they would make little difference. "They are minor improvements in the right direction," he said. "But the Government is fooling itself if it believes they will solve the problem." He said Dr Smith's figures showed only 7 per cent of claims made to the WHRS had been settled. Each claim had cost claimants $96,000. But the average payout was just $68,000.

Texas Legislative Session should be good news for builder accountability and new homebuyers
This years Texas Legislative session just may become "ground zero' of heated debate that highlights the magnitude of increased shoddy homebuilding since the creation of the scandalous Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC)... The Texas legislature begins in a couple of weeks and the issues of bad building, massive builder mortgage fraud, epidemic foreclosures, abusive binding arbitration clauses and the failed state "builder-protection-agency,' TRCC will be priority issues this session.

More Homeowners Facing Foreclosure in 2007
Court records show home foreclosures were up more than 30 percent in 2006 -- and 2007 is starting off much the same way... And in that case, those people should really go out and get an extra job and just find a way to make those payments."

Watch for scams, Gulf Coast homeowners told
Officials along the Gulf Coast are warning homeowners that they will likely face a wave of contractor scams in the coming months as they begin collecting billions of dollars in government grants to rebuild what Hurricane Katrina destroyed. Mississippi has hired six investigators to target schemes aimed at recipients. Louisiana will send out vans to warn consumers about scams and take complaints. Both states are filling the airwaves with warnings about common schemes, and regularly warn aid recipients to research contractors and put work agreements in writing.

Battling to lower homeowner's insurance rates
Texas has had the highest homeowners' insurance rates in the nation..."Right now, that exposure is $40 billion. They have the money to pay for $1 billion in claims, that's not enough,"...The way he sees it, the legislature has been allowing big insurance companies to cover less and less. Less coverage for mold or foundation damage and no coverage for floods, or in Galveston County, for wind.Those risks are now covered by government-backed programs.