Knoxville Family Displaced By Mold
A West Knoxville family is displaced from their brand new home after they say mold from a leak in the bathtub took over and made them sick... "We're under a warranty for a whole year and if they won't take care of the warranty, what good is having one."

Best home inspectors not always most experienced
Although there are guidelines for finding qualified home inspectors, there are no reliable standards that guaranty professional competence. To illustrate this, let's consider the six criteria most often cited as essential factors in selecting a qualified inspector.

Trouble-plagued house brings about lawsuit
 Melissa Allen and Robert P. Satagaj, who own the home at 111 Collins Hill Road, have filed suit in Middlesex Superior Court against the town, the building official and the public works director...The suit contends that the two officials failed to protect the couple because the officials did not require the builder to provide adequate waterproofing and foundation drainage.

Fraudulent FHA loans breaking brokers
Statewide, the FHA reports 337 claims against its insurance fund on Colorado home loans issued in the past two years. One-fourth were originated by just four small Denver-area firms: Primero LLC, Alliance Mortgage Capital Inc., International Lending Solutions Inc. and Creative Mortgage Inc.

FHA program key in surge of foreclosures
A key factor in the state's record-setting wave of foreclosures, critics say, is an FHA program that allows people to borrow more than their houses are worth with little or no money down. Created to extend the dream of homeownership to first-time buyers, the so-called FHA gift program instead has led to rampant foreclosures. Nearly 6,000 FHA loans have wound up in foreclosure in Colorado in the past two years, and during that time the program allowed more than 25 percent of FHA buyers to use gifts as down payments.

Editorial: Money trail
Of Perry's millions, about 40 percent "€” $10 million "€”  comes from 85 individuals, reports The Dallas Morning News. Many of those donors had favorable legislation in mind in giving all that money away. One such individual is home builder Bob Perry, Texas' biggest political donor. He has given Gov. Perry (no relation) $700,000 since he became governor. Meanwhile, the governor pushed for legislation desired by the home builder: creation of a home building commission to take some consumer complaints out of court. Then Gov. Perry appointed one of Perry Homes' executives to the commission.  History: Related reading ...  Read More...

Trusted home builder sentenced for swindling
Upscale home builder Steven Sanfilippo was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for bilking customers and subcontractors out of nearly $800,000. The Santa Rosa County courtroom where he was sentenced was nearly filled with supporters and a number of his victims. A jury convicted Sanfilippo, 46, in April of more than two dozen counts of theft, fraud and racketeering.

Builder denies blame despite claims of shoddy roof work
Richmond American Homes has built more than 125,000 houses across the country, raking in billions of dollars each year...Of the more than 10,000 houses the company has built in Tucson, several dozen stand in Continental Ranch, where residents claim shoddy roof construction has left them with leaks, rotting wood and even fungi growing inside their homes. More than 50 irritated homeowners filled Marana's Town Council chambers last week to voice their frustrations.

Housing project runs into host of problems
Buckled unpainted exterior siding, flooded crawlspaces, mold in the attic, cramped unpaved driveways and unfinished landscaping have left owners of two units frustrated and unsure about what to do next. Construction on the triplex followed completion last year of a successful duplex next door by Whitefish Housing Development Inc., the nonprofit building-arm of the Whitefish Housing Authority, which handles financing for the city's affordable housing program.

Yard issue a slippery slope
'We knew we would have a slope, but not a cliff, and we have a cliff.'  His 2-year-old, $250,000 home in the Wellington Hills development is losing ground - literally - as the backyard hill falls away. His half-acre lot is several feet shorter than when his family moved in, and the slippage continues, Morouse said.

Dishonest Contractors Running Rampant in New Orleans Area
The number of complaints against builders and home-improvement contractors has reached epidemic proportions, said Charles Marceaux, executive director of the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.Since Katrina, the state has issued 463 citations to contractors for shoddy work and failure to obtain the appropriate state license. In the year leading up to Katrina, the state issued only 237 citations.

Big profits oil the wheel of loan fraud

AG REILLY OBTAINS TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDERS AGAINST INDIVIDUALS, BUSINESSES INVOLVED IN MORTGAGE FRAUD AND FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCHEMES
Attorney General Tom Reilly has obtained three emergency orders to stop unfair and deceptive practices by individuals and businesses allegedly involved with mortgage fraud and foreclosure rescue schemes targeted at home owners.

State law vs. county law: Who wins?
A loophole between state and local laws has allowed unlicensed and unregulated subcontractors to work on Southwest Florida homes. NBC2 first uncovered the conflict a month ago, and now state lawmakers are being forced to examine it because we wanted answers as to which law reigns supreme.

Lack of gated entrance agitates Country Meadows homebuyers
Several people who purchased homes in Country Meadows want to know why the gate they thought would give them added security will most likely be little more than decoration. "They had advertised a gated community, and now I find out it won't be gated,