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D.R. Horton/Dietz-Crane Want To Buy A Home - You Can't Sue Us! |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Saturday, 11 February 2006 |
YOU AND THE LAW: PATIENCE BIG MISTAKE WITH NEW HOME BUILDER
| Dietz-Crane builds homes all across America. They are part of the D.R. Horton family of construction firms, and describe themselves with these words: Pride, Care and Craftsmanship go into every home we build... Business is good for Dietz-Crane, and for D.R. Horton, very good. Unfortunately, what is good for them -- a home construction universe on steroids -- may not be especially good for some of their customers... Want To Buy A Home - You Can't Sue Us! "It said I am waiving my right to sue for breach of contract or other defects with the house," he told me. "It was sign that form or we will sell your house to someone else, leaving no choice as we wanted the house. While I do not think it is legal, and have heard of other builders sued even with the same kind of language in their contracts, it seems to be high pressure and not very ethical," Andy Tang concluded. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 11 February 2006 )
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Friday, 10 February 2006 |
New home buyers and builders bicker about leaky roofs, cracked patios and other building defects.
Still, about 15 percent of all new homes have at least two significant defects, said Alan Mooney, PE, president of Criterium Engineers, an engineering firm with offices in 35 states. Mooney came to this conclusion after surveying his firm's engineers last year. "That's pretty significant," ...According to the survey, 23 percent of all new homes have problems with window and door installation, while 21 percent of new homes have roof problems and 18 percent have framing inadequacies. The consequence of these construction defects is, four times out of five, water damage. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 20 April 2006 )
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Tuesday, 07 February 2006 |
S&P 500 Drops as D.R. Horton, Homebuilders Fall; Disney Gains
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index declined as homebuilders such as D.R. Horton Inc. dropped following a lower sales forecast from Toll Brothers Inc., the largest U.S. builder of luxury homes.Toll Brothers tumbled $1.05 to $30.15. The company expects to sell 9,200 to 9,900 homes in fiscal 2006, down from a previous forecast of 9,500 to 10,200. Last year, it delivered 8,769 homes. Orders for new homes plunged 29 percent in the first quarter ended Jan. 31. D.R. Horton, the largest U.S. homebuilder, slid 94 cents to $34.01 and Pulte Homes Inc., the No. 2 U.S. homebuilder, fell 64 cents to $37.30. An S&P index of homebuilders lost 2.1 percent. |
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Sandra Bullock to Demolish House |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 05 February 2006 |
Sandra Bullock to flatten her £4m house of horrors
Bullock spent years designing the lakeside mansion in Austin, complete with towers and spires, a spa, library and cinema. But two nights after moving in she moved out again, claiming that the house was a potential deathtrap with a leaking roof, toxic mould, unsafe fireplaces, faulty wiring and crumbling walls..."She's going to blow it up, demolish it," said a spokesman for the actress. "She will be pressing the button, or whatever you do to make the wrecking ball go " probably this coming week." |
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Big Builder Getting Bigger |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 05 February 2006 |
Small housing firms are being bought up by giant builders
While America's automakers struggle against a sliding market share, major U.S. homebuilders are getting bigger...The leader in the purchases has been Florida-based Lennar, which has bought about 23 firms, according to a study released this month at the industry's annual conference. Close behind Lennar is Fort Worth, Texas-based D.R. Horton, with 17 mergers and acquisitions...The string of purchases appears to be profitable for big builders. Their overall profits have more than doubled in the past 10 years. |
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Two Articles: Important Massachusetts Mold Case set for court |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 05 February 2006 |
Nashoba Publishing
Mold house survivors to get their day in court on April 5
Nearly three years to the day one couple purchased a duplex at 20A and B Shawnee Rd. only to lose it, their health and all their possessions, they said, to toxic mold. Now, Nancy and Rick Davis will have their day in court on April 5.
The Lowell Sun
Couple's lawsuit over mold in Pepperell home gets April trial
Nancy and Rick Davis have a trial date for their lawsuit against two real-estate agencies and their agents who the couple accuse of selling them a house contaminated with mold. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 February 2006 )
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Star-Telegram Watchdog Reporter - TRCC |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Friday, 03 February 2006 |
Homeowners get ally in the House
State Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, says he had heard enough complaints about a new state agency that is supposed to help homeowners who have problems with builders. So, he wrote a letter in August to Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, asking her to look into the operations of the Texas Residential Construction Commission...Last week, Strayhorn issued a blistering report. She disclosed that most of the initial 102 homeowners surveyed by her office say their builders did not make required repairs even after their complaints about defects were confirmed as part of a new required state inspection and resolution process. In a news conference, Strayhorn blasted the TRCC as a "builder protection agency." |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 February 2006 )
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Illinois Launches Offensive Against Foreclosure "Rescuers" |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Thursday, 02 February 2006 |
"Rescuers" Steal Equity, Sell Homes, Leaving Victims Homeless
Calling mortgage rescue fraud "a cancer that is eating away at our neighborhoods," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, lawmakers and community advocates today announced legislation to prevent two types of the fraud. |
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Bankrate.com - Home Warranties |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Thursday, 02 February 2006 |
Home warranties: Good or good-for-nothing?
With a new home, "The warranty is only as good as the builder," says Janet Ahmad, president of HomeOwners for Better Building, an organization that promotes good home building and consumer-friendly legislation. "There are some good builders who stand behind what they build."... If you see stipulations in the warranty that bother you, like mandatory binding arbitration or a liability limitation clause, alter the contract, says Ahmad. "Strike them out. Say, 'Do you have a problem with that? Why do we need a limiting warranty that limits the builder liability?'" The bottom line, says Ahmad, if a warranty seems restrictive or unfair, don't sign it. "I think consumers need to say, 'No, I'm not accepting your warranty.'" |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 April 2006 )
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Texas Review:the laws of Texas are against you |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Wednesday, 01 February 2006 |
TRCC . . the laws of Texas are against you
I was in the TRCC process. I now have no home and live in an apartment. Googlel Jordan Fogal for more information on my new $360.000 uninhabitable house...I have filed a complaint against my builder Tremont/Stature/University Development or, whomever they are calling themselves this week, with the TRCC. My builder circumvented state law and the TRCC did nothing. They can't talk about this file because it is under investigation. How many years will they use that as an excuse, refusing to take action against the practices of this poster child for bad building...It is one thing to be made homeless by an act of God, like Katrina but it is totally different when it is by an act of greed. |
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Atlanta Journal-Constitutions -Shortcuts short homeowners |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Tuesday, 31 January 2006 |
Housing shortcuts short homeowners
When some contractors work at breakneck speed to meet demand while juggling several projects, mistakes happen. Shortcuts get taken. Quality plummets...many companies use these guys they pick up on the corner. They're amateurs, and it's detrimental to the industry... |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Monday, 30 January 2006 |
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Stachybotrys, Fusarium & Trichothecene Mycotoxins - Monday Morning Mold (Mycology) - January 30, 2006 |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 28 July 2006 )
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Monday, 30 January 2006 |
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CDC Finds Katrina Mold Protection Inadequate - Monday Morning Mold (Mycology) - January 23, 2005 |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 28 July 2006 )
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Monday, 30 January 2006 |
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Frogs Killed by Fungus -- Monday Morning Mold (Mycology) - January 16, 2005 |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 December 2009 )
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Predatory Lending Settlement - Victims may get little |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Monday, 30 January 2006 |
Mortgage settlement could fall short for borrowers
State leaders say a settlement with Ameriquest Mortgage is an efficient solution that guarantees thousands of Washington homeowners will get some restitution money. But several local attorneys and a former senior assistant attorney general say the terms of the settlement in the predatory-lending case mean consumers may get much less than they deserve. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 30 January 2006 )
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