Trouble in Paradise?
Residents in the Sumo Golf Village development have seen their dreams of owning a fantasy home on a golf course dissolved by what one called "an utterly ridiculous pack of lies.""We're extremely dissatisfied and would like to have the builder buy the house back and just get out of here," said homeowner Joe Balazs. "It's a tragedy out here."

Tenants call Gateway situation a nightmare; Owner says he's making repairs
Engaged couple John Hinchcliffe and Sharon Klesseck bought a condominium at the Gateway Estates last November, but said Tuesday they are just about ready to move out...Their home was one of five units at Gateway, a 150-unit complex at 229-233 Ellington Road, deemed uninhabitable Monday because of significant water damage. The main causes of the damage were defective roof drains and a leaking sky light, town officials said.

Woman with fraud conviction hired by Better Business Bureau
A woman involved in a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scheme was hired by the Spokane Better Business Bureau while appealing her conviction and federal prison sentence...You've got to be kidding. Is this a joke?" said Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jacobs when told that Gibson was working for the bureau.

Mortgage fraud scheme gets Greenville lawyer a prison sentence
Last March, a Greenville lawyer admitted he sent false loan documents to residential mortgage lenders in the Upstate. Now Alex J. Newton has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.

Ruling says standard policies excluded mold
AUSTIN "€” Standard policies used by homeowners to claim billions of dollars in mold losses in the early part of the decade actually didn't cover mold, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Protection of trees was responsibility of home builder
$10,000 fine is inconsequential for developer of 72-lot subdivision.  Salem residents have this funny attitude toward trees. They love them. Trees are part of the Oregon psyche. So it's not surprising that the "accidental" demolition of five trees has area residents fuming -- about the lost trees, about the developer's response and about the puny $10,000 fine he faces. See other related articles and opinions...

Builder may be cited for felling trees
Housing developer George Suniga has learned the hard way about city ordinances for protecting trees -- and it might cost him $10,000. Suniga's city-approved development plan requires that he spare some of the trees at his Waln Creek Estates subdivision, which is under construction near Liberty Road S and Holder Lane. But a maple, a spruce and three fir trees that were supposed to be saved were removed, irking neighbors who were assured that the trees would be left alone. See other related articles and opinions...

Monday Morning Mold (Mycology) - August 28, 2006

Situation needs to be fixed
Authorities should make solving and preventing these crimes among their highest priorities

Homeowner horror
Paul Reviczky, who fled Hungary in 1957 to escape Communist persecution, is one of the latest homeowners to discover that Ontario law favours banks, mortgage companies and purchasers over victims of fraud

Family experiencing health problems due to house mold
Many families have had mold in their houses but for one family, it has reached a hazardous level. The problem has gotten so bad, the family won't even go in to one room and the mother and daughter are experiencing respiratory problems. According to one expert, the problem is only getting worse.

Study: Minorities face 'rate shock' over home loans
 Too many minority homeowners have been saddled with high-cost, adjustable-rate mortgages during the five-year housing boom, which makes them especially vulnerable now that rates are rising, according to a new study released Tuesday.

Monday Morning Mold (Mycology) - August 14, 2006

The IEQ Review August 16, 2006 Measuring Baseline IEQ Conditions

Nearly 1000 builders suspended
The Mpumalanga construction company which was ordered to stop building by the Pretoria High Court is one of nearly 1000 builders who may not operate, said the National Home Builders' Registration Council (NHBRC) on Monday...The NHBRC lists on its website 979 builders nationally which it has suspended from operations for various infringements of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act. The law is intended to protect home-owners from unscrupulous builders...They build houses which sometimes have structural defects. We tell them to fix them. If they refuse, we suspend them."