Second Homebuilder seeking restraining order to prohibit free speech
This one could qualify as one of the biggest blunders by overconfident builders in history. As the result of the creation of the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) builders have become overly confident in their ability to bully and havd begun suing their customers for publicly complaining...The most bizarre move of all – Choice Homes claims the Freeland's have breached their contract for not initiating legal action.

Residents of The Enclave hope bricks and windows will solve ongoing problems with seeping water
It's a familiar story in The Enclave, a desirable south Lexington neighborhood of 148 houses that has been turned into a construction zone of debris containers and scaffolding. Most of the houses, which sell for up to $240,000, have suffered water damage, and Beazer Homes -- which bought the company that built the subdivision -- is in the middle of massive repairs.

Building too fast
Rapid growth is a big issue across the Bay area, and it's causing growing pains from Citrus to Manatee counties. Single-family homes are popping up like daffodils in spring as more people head north of Tampa Bay. According to Hernando County's building department, permits for single-family homes have more than doubled since last year.

Homebuilder on bail until appeal
One of two Rochester homebuilders, who with their father were accused of running the largest federal mortgage fraud scheme ever prosecuted in the region, was released from prison on bail while he appeals his conviction.The Amicos were convicted in 2003 of conspiring to swindle lenders out of $60 million on 169 homes in Monroe, Ontario and Wayne counties from 1994 to 2000.

SITTERLE HOMES FILES FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT AGAINST ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIER STUCK WITH DEFECTIVE HOME
In this unprecedented move of revenge, Sitterle's has done the unthinkable by filing a suit to oppress the free speech of a US Army Colonel who continues to serve his country, which creates a scandal that even the building industry must find outrageous. According to the Colonel in a written statement, this experience with the TRCC and the Sitterle Corporation has been more stressful than his combat tours in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Pakistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) combined.

Local builder sues customer: Dispute over basement leaking escalated into Web site complaint
Sitterle filed a libel suit against the homeowner this week, accusing him of writing defamatory statements on a consumer advocacy Web site about the company's alleged refusal to fix leak problems in the hillside home...Last month, Jay Hirata posted complaints about the builder on the discussion board of a San Antonio-based consumer advocacy group's Web site, Home Owners for Better Building.  See posted complaint

Legislators want to make public the names of those linked to loans
Trying to halt record numbers of home foreclosures, legislators want to make public the names of mortgage brokers, appraisers and other professionals connected to each mortgage loan. N.C. Commissioner of Banks Joseph Smith told a special legislative committee on Tuesday that his office needs the names of mortgage brokers and other loan originators to investigate mortgage fraud and resulting home loan foreclosure.

Homeowners pay thousands to fix mistakes by code official
One woman had to take a wrecking ball to $30,000 worth of construction on a two-story garage and start building from scratch.

Local Victims of Alleged Mortgage Fraud
The number of Americans who are finding their homes in foreclosure, is rising at a staggering rate... up 24 percent between July and August of this year alone! Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky are all among the 25 states with the highest foreclosure rates.  And some of those families may be losing their homes as the result of mortgage fraud. There are two ways that mortgage fraud happens.

Creekside Homes May Violate Deed Restrictions, FEMA Floodplain
A temporary injunction has been issued against a housing developer after three creekside homes in Pleasant Retreat Acres were built in possible violation of the property's deed restrictions, prompting legal action from the homeowners association. The homes were also built improperly...As of last week, the homes were estimated to be between 75 and 90 percent complete. A concrete slab and some dirt work signals the suggested locations of a fourth or perhaps fifth structure.

Caulk Is Cheap
"Caulk is for lazy people. Caulk is what you use when you screw something up. Before caulk existed, people actually had to build things right the first time. I have renovated at least five Victorian-era homes. None had any caulk on them. Those houses are still standing and I'm pretty sure will continue to do so for many years. I'm not so sure many of the new houses I've seen will be around in 20 years.

Residents say the developer's homes have defects ranging from cracked concrete to faulty plumbing
The owners of 29 houses in the Las Flores area near Rancho Santa Margarita are suing developer Lennar Corp. for $2.9 million, claiming the residences have defects because of faulty design and construction.

State yanks licenses of Newark construction official
The state has revoked the professional licenses of the recently suspended head of Newark's building inspections office and has referred the investigation of his predecessor to state criminal investigators, the commissioner for the state Department of Community Affairs said.

Home buyers face long battle to recoup money from shuttered Turner-Dunn The Phoenix-based builder walked away from hundreds of home lots in Pinal County last spring, leaving in its wake millions of dollars owed to banks and subcontractors, lawsuits, an ongoing Arizona Department of Real Estate investigation, unfinished homes and home buyers who paid thousands of dollars each in hopes of finally getting their big dream home.

Advocacy Group Expands Consumer Mortgage Protection Services For All Homeowners Americas Watchdog, in partnership with it's National Mortgage Complaint Center has increased the services it offers to individual homeowners with problems and or prospective homeowners on the verge of financing a home. Sixty million American homeowners were either over- charged/cheated, or will be taken advantage of when they finance or refinance their home.