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Dallas:Ch 11 Investigative Team Reports on FBI Investigation of Affordable Housing & Corruption |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Wednesday, 31 August 2005 |
CBS Channel 11 Dallas continues investigative reports
ETHICS QUESTIONS MOUNT: PLAN COMMISSIONER HAD UNDISCLOSED STAKE IN LAND DEAL FUNDED BY UNAWARE CITY COUNCIL
The Dallas City Council earlier this year approved a million dollar grant to build a housing project in which Dallas Plan Commissioner D'Angelo Lee apparently held a secret financial interest, CBS-11 News has learned...The deal apparently fell through since the onset of intense publicity detailing an FBI corruption investigation that has scrutinized Commissioner Lee and his two business partners. The development plan obtained by CBS 11 lists as primary developers Denton Contractor Ron Slovacek and Andrea Spencer, who have been linked in at least one other business development deal to the Plan Commissioner. All three are among a long and growing list of people of interest to an FBI public corruption investigation of how Dallas City Hall, council members, and plan commissioners have handled an affordable housing construction boom in the city's southern sectors.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 31 August 2005 )
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Houston-area foreclosures rise |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 28 August 2005 |
Disturbing wake-up call in American dream
FOR thousands of Houstonians, the American dream of owning a home has become a financial nightmare. In 2004, lenders foreclosed on 8,300 homes in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties " more than double the number five years before... More homeowners are also getting right to the brink of foreclosure. The number of homes posted for foreclosure " a warning that the bank can foreclose in 21 days " totaled 19,866 in Harris County last year, the highest since 1989...Texas leads the nation in home foreclosures, according to the Foreclosure Economic Advisory Council |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 18 September 2005 )
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Canada, Sandra Bullock & Texas |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 28 August 2005 |
Hollywood star's court win a victory for homeowners
"A victory for Sandra Bullock brings to an end a long, grueling trial that sends a loud message to lawmakers, the home-building industry and a message of hope for homebuyers of defective homes across the nation,'' said Jane Ahmad, president of Home Owners For Better Building, based in San Antonio, Texas. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 August 2005 )
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DR Horton - Beware of New Home Contracts |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 28 August 2005 |
Home, late, home
As thousands of new houses rise in western Chatham County, some buyers are discovering - the hard way - that contracts can be weighted heavily toward the builder..."They're all about limiting the builders' liability," said Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for Better Building, a nonprofit advocacy group. "And if you've limited your liability, what gives you the incentive to even build the foundation right?" |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 15 January 2006 )
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Thursday, 18 August 2005 |
MSN Money
Insurers Keep A Secret History Of Your Home
A huge database not only tracks claims, it also looks for risks such as toxic mold. That's why homeowners with even minor water damage are being canceled -- and are sometimes unable to sell.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 16 January 2006 )
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New York Times - That Hissing Sound |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Tuesday, 16 August 2005 |
That Hissing Sound
ABSTRACT - Paul Krugman Op-Ed column on signs that United States housing bubble has started to deflate. Housing prices move much more slowly than stock prices. There are no Black Mondays, when prices fall 23 percent in a day. In fact, prices often keep rising for a while even after a housing boom goes bust. So the news that the U.S. housing bubble is over won't come in the form of plunging prices; it will come in the form of falling sales and rising inventory, as sellers try to get prices that buyers are no longer willing to pay. And the process may already have started. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 16 August 2005 )
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Tuesday, 16 August 2005 |
Monday Morning Mold August 15, 2005
In tracking mold stories over the last three years, I've realized that the job with the highest percentage of documented mold exposure is being a Governor of a state. To date, 8% of all governors (Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisianna) have had to be relocated from their Governor's Mansions because of mold. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 16 August 2005 )
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FTC - Facts for Consumers |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 07 August 2005 |
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Warranties for Newly Built Homes: Know Your Options
For many people, a home is the most expensive purchase they ever make. It's no wonder, then, that buyers of newly built homes are interested in warranties, which promise to repair or replace certain elements of the home, if necessary, within a certain time. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, if you're considering a home warranty it's important to understand what it covers, how to make a claim, and the process for resolving disputes that may arise between you and the builder or warranty company.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 September 2005 )
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Scott Sullan Settles DR Horton Case |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Thursday, 28 July 2005 |
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Builder OKs $39 million to end suit
Texas-based homebuilder D.R. Horton has agreed to pay owners of a condominium complex in Superior $39.5 million, the largest settlement of a residential construction-defects lawsuit in Colorado history, said Scott Sullan , a Denver lawyer who represented the homeowners. Owners of the 246-unit Summit at Rock Creek complex filed suit in 2003, two months before the enactment of a state law that limits the damages homeowners may collect for construction defects. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 31 January 2009 )
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Arizona Registrar of Contractors' Recovery Fund pays record $5.14 million |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Tuesday, 19 July 2005 |
Contractor fund pays $5 mil for poor work
Payouts for poor or incomplete construction work by licensed contractors hit a record $5.14 million in fiscal year 2005. The payouts increased for the second year in a row because of record construction activity, increased claim limits and public awareness of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors' Residential Contractors Recovery Fund... Complaints against licensed contractors for workmanship and incomplete work increased 9.1 percent to 9,903 in fiscal 2005, which ended June 30. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 19 July 2005 )
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Texas Monthly - Home Buyer Beware |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Friday, 15 July 2005 |
How a new state agency of the builders, by the builders, and for the builders makes it harder for you to sue, yes, your builder.
In 2003, after spreading around $9 million in campaign contributions, the powerful home builders' lobby got the Legislature to agree with its contention that implied warranties were too darn vague and that the lawsuits they produced were too damaging to the industry. Instead, it asked lawmakers to create a new state agency to protect builders from legal retribution. It was one of the most blatant power plays in recent years, made possible by an anti-lawsuit fervor that swept through the new Republican-controlled Legislature and by the influence of two politically active builders: the biggest individual contributor, Bob Perry (no relation to Governor Rick Perry but lots of political ties), and the co-founder of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Dick Weekley. Thus was born the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC), which in its short life has served as the classic case study of what can happen when a public agency is captured by the industry it is supposed to regulate... Homeowner advocate Janet Ahmad points out that the agency refuses to hear cases involving incomplete construction, even though one of the most common complaints against homebuilders involves those who disappear and leave behind half-finished projects. Ahmad conducted telephone interviews and found overwhelmingly that the consumers who had "won" their cases at the agency felt it did no good because they still had to pursue action in court against their builders. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 15 July 2005 )
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Ryland Homes Ceilings Collapsed & Update |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Friday, 15 July 2005 |
City staff passes buck on ceiling problems
Ceilings collapsed in the bedrooms of two homes in Frederick's Overlook development in the last five years due to what city officials cite is faulty construction.City of Frederick staff knew about the collapses, but chose not to notify other homeowners in the development of the potential danger... |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 14 January 2006 )
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New York Times - New Jersey Officials Pleaded Guilty |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Monday, 11 July 2005 |
Officials Pleaded Guilty, but Town Was Changed Forever
The price of corruption in this New Jersey town may best be seen in the many rooflines that snake down Woodcliff Boulevard at a uniform 25-foot setback from the curb. Or perhaps in the postmodern stylings of the luxury five- and six-bedroom homes in the planned community of Lexington Estates.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 20 January 2006 )
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Foreclosures rise in 47 states |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Sunday, 10 July 2005 |
A Bane Amid The Housing Boom: Rising Foreclosures
Foreclosure rates rose in 47 states in March, according to Foreclosure.com, an online foreclosure listing service. The rates in Florida, Texas and Colorado are more than twice the national average. Even in New York City and Boston, where real estate markets are white-hot, foreclosures are rising in working-class neighborhoods... many policymakers say the rise in foreclosures leads to a larger question: Is the push to boost homeownership -- successive presidential administrations have strongly promoted it -- backfiring? ..."We've had a national agenda that's putting people into homeownership who are not ready for it,"... |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 08 September 2005 )
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HUD - History Making KB Home Fine |
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Written by Janet Ahmad
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Saturday, 09 July 2005 |
HUD ANNOUNCES $3.2 MILLION SETTLEMENT AGAINST KB HOME MORTGAGE COMPANY
Largest settlement in history of Mortgagee Review Board (HUD Press Release)
Washington-- The Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced it has reached a $3.2 million settlement with KB Home Mortgage Company in connection with a series of alleged violations of HUD requirements. The $3.2 million is the largest amount ever collected in the 30-year history of HUD's Mortgagee Review Board (MRB), which takes administrative actions against FHA-approved lenders... "This settlement sends a strong message that FHA will not tolerate violations of its requirements, especially when they can cause homeowners to default on their mortgages."...
Associated Press: KB Home also agreed to beef up its quality assurance practices as part of the deal, HUD officials said. See: Associated Press Brief and HUD Press Release |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 11 July 2005 )
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