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North Carolina Group Pushes Homeowners' Bill of Rights |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Wednesday, 05 April 2006 |
Group fights for homeowners' rights
"In the face of defective construction, homeowners have virtually no ability to protect their investments," said Rob Thompson of the North Carolina Public Interest Research Group.NCPIRG is pushing for a homeowners' bill of rights...The bill of rights would hold builders accountable for defects for up to 10 years. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 April 2006 )
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N.C. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer watchdog |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Wednesday, 05 April 2006 |
Homeowners in a loophole jam
Watchdog lists gaps in N.C. law that leave owners vulnerable
The Richardson family had been in their new Union County house for several years when the floors separated from the walls. The foundation was sinking...It's one example of a gap in state homeowners' rights outlined Tuesday in a report released by the N.C. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer watchdog. The report listed loopholes in state laws that leave homeowners vulnerable. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 April 2006 )
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NCPIRG Home Repair Victim |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Wednesday, 05 April 2006 |
Don't Be A Victim: Home repair contractors
A report out says the law makes it easy for building contractors to take advantage of home owners. North Carolina's public interest research group (NCPIRG) is pushing for stricter requirements for contractors across the state. |
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Minnesota Moves Consumer Bills |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Monday, 03 April 2006 |
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New home warranty bill advances
...fix a loophole in the law that allows builders' corporations to dissolve before the statutory 10 year new home warranty runs out and escape terms of the warranty...the awarding of reasonable attorney fees and costs in litigation relating to new home warranties. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 03 April 2006 )
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Mobile Homes Foreclosures Soar |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 02 April 2006 |
Ownership dreams take a bitter turn
... 67 percent of mobile homes have been foreclosed on since 2001, according to data from Foreclosure Information & Listing Service in The Woodlands...The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which backed many of the mortgages on the homes, has subpoenaed the attorney representing the homeowners for loan files and other documents related to the case. The FBI is also aware of the situation, but representatives from the agencies would not confirm or deny an investigation. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 April 2006 )
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Mobile Homes and Mortgage Fraud |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 02 April 2006 |
How one buyer ended up in a bind over a mortgage
WHEN April Underwood Troquille bought a mobile home in Emerson Estates in 2002, she thought she was agreeing to a $60,000 mortgage with payments of $700 a month. But she ended up a few weeks later with an $86,500 mortgage, a payment of $879 a month and, eventually, a house in foreclosure. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 April 2006 )
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Gary Jackson's Crusade for the Little Guy |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Thursday, 30 March 2006 |
Lawyer crusades for the little guy
Gary Jackson is a man Big Business loves to hate. Jackson started working on cases involving homes built with a defective synthetic stucco that let moisture into the walls. When his new firm split up, he said, he cashed out his 401(k) to continue with the stucco cases and took out an equity line of credit on his home to pay bills. He moved, with the stucco lawsuits, to a Raleigh firm and in the late 1990s through 2002 settled nearly 300 such cases for about $25 million... He's also working with the N.C. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund to craft what the group is calling a Homeowner Bill of Rights. Among other things, the proposed legislation would extend the statute of limitations for when people can sue for home defects to 10 years from its current six. The group plans to unveil details next month. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 April 2006 )
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House Infested with Black Mold Torn Down |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Thursday, 30 March 2006 |
Single mom tears down mobile home infested with black mold
Woman says it was only choice as insurer won't cover damages
A 28-year-old Shelby Township woman is homeless after an insurance company refused to pay for damages to her mobile home caused by black mold. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 22 April 2006 )
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Thursday, 30 March 2006 |
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Black Mold Leaves Family Homeless Black mold was growing in her home, destroying their belongings and rotting the walls. Most homeowners get rid of it with the help of their insurance company, but Andrea said her insurance provider became part of the problem. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 22 April 2006 )
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Sandra Bullock - Demolition Woman |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Wednesday, 29 March 2006 |
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Take That! Sandra Bullock personally helps knocks down her $6.5 million dream home that turned into a nightmare
Talk about spring cleaning. A few weeks ago - eight years after Sandra Bullock first broke ground on the $6.5 million Austin mansion that was to be her primary home-the actress, 41, manned a bulldozer to help knock it down. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 30 March 2006 )
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Home Owner Associations (HOA) Out of Control |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Tuesday, 28 March 2006 |
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ENCINITAS RANCH HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION INTRODUCES MASSIVE PARKING FINES
Board threatens owners with unlimited lawyers fees, towing and storage charges, and $250 fines for parking in front of their own homes.
The board members and the vendors they hired (lawyers) have decided to fine and tow our cars and charge us unlimited legal fees to enforce their rules, if we park our cars in front of our houses or on our privately owned driveways. This clearly is a SCAM, and the association is just FORCING this issue down our throats, without any chance for rebuttal or otherwise. Lots of people are up in arms about this - and rightfully so! We can't park on the driveway or street in front of OUR house... Related article: Investigation on Homeowner Association Foreclosure Filings |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 29 March 2006 )
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Excluded Coverage for Homeowners - Outrageous Profits for Insurers |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 26 March 2006 |
Most Texas Insurers Profited Despite Hurricane Rita
Texas home insurers turned substantial profits last year despite Hurricane Rita's destruction, prompting state regulators to question whether some companies' rates are too high, the Associated Press reported. Most of the state's home insurance companies posted big earnings in 2005, although nowhere near as high as 2004's record profits, according to the Texas Department of Insurance's financial reports. Texans pay the highest home insurance premiums in the country...State Farm, the largest insurer in Texas, paid out about 50 percent of its revenue from premiums in 2005, less than the average. It paid out 30 percent the year before. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 26 March 2006 )
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HOBB ISSUES RESPONSE TO COMPTROLLER'S TRCC REPORT |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Friday, 24 March 2006 |
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TRCC is the punishment phase of homeownership in Texas
If TRCC is supposed to be good for homebuyers, it should be optional rather than mandatory. Homeowners would welcome a state service if it was free, voluntary, and effectively enforced...The bottom line is that homeowners innocently began legal action when their only intent was to complain to a state agency about a defective home and the builder who failed to respond. The effect, homeowners learn that complaining to the state about a bad home costs a great deal of money, time, heartaches, and a lawsuit if they complain. In fact, TRCC becomes the punishment phase of homeownership in Texas. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 26 March 2006 )
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New Home Sales Plung - Largest In Nearly Nine Years in February |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Friday, 24 March 2006 |
New home sales drop in February
Sales of new homes plunged by the largest amount in nearly nine years in February while the median price of a new home dropped for the fourth straight month, providing fresh evidence that the nation's once-booming housing market is cooling off. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 24 March 2006 )
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Homeowner Bills filed in Minnesota |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Wednesday, 22 March 2006 |
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Minnesota Homeowner Bills filed by Representative Barb Goodwin and Senator Larry Pogemiller |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 22 March 2006 )
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