Poconos home builder is charged in real estate fraud investigation
District attorney's office says it is looking into six other firms
A day after announcing felony charges against a Poconos home builder, the Monroe County district attorney's office said it's aggressively investigating at least six other builders in a widening probe of real estate fraud.

Off the Kuff
Building influence
Here's an interesting article from the This Week section of the Chron regarding an acrimonious and public battle between a disgruntled homebuyer named Jordan Fogal and the builder who constructed her house, Tremont Homes... Let's start with the baseless attack on civil juries, something that I've noted before. Just once, I'd like to see a reporter ask someone who offers such an opinion if they hold similar feelings about juries in criminal trials... Attacking juries like this is cynical, dishonest, and really quite insulting, since after all everyone reading this is a potential juror. That this now seems to be a standard talking point for the homebuilding industry certainly doesn't give me any faith in their preferred system of arbitration...But what really gets me is the last quoted sentence. The lawyer for the builders is also an arbitrator for the AAA, which is the group used to rule on these builder/buyer disputes.

News 3 Las Vegas
Beazer Homes Ripped Apart To Support Defect Claims
"There have been concerns all throughout the neighborhood where houses have been tested and had a lot of mold… The invasive testing going on at Mary Fiel's house and 13 others in Vista Del Oro is part of a construction defect lawsuit filed about a year ago against Beazer Homes…  Jewel White is another Vista Del Oro homeowner. "This was my retirement dream, which has turned into a nightmare." The lawsuit, which is pending clearance for class action status, alleges Beazer knew about the defects and in many cases, failed to act. "Nobody wanted to sue them. We asked them time and time again to fix things and they wouldn't do it." Things like water leaks, plumbing and electrical problems and mold. "You buy a house with the hope that it's going to be done right, and it's not."
Must See: Beazer Homes Lawsuits

Cincinnati Enquirer
Hammer home-builder fraud
Two pairs of local white-collar criminals are prison-bound for similar fraud schemes that ripped off banks and home buyers. Bankers John Finnan and Marc Menne were sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Covington to 63 and 54 months respectively for their roles in the $30 million Erpenbeck home-building fraud. Eleven days earlier, Fairfield home builder Chester Calkins and his wife, Antonette, pleaded guilty to a similar $5 million scam.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Builder awaits fraud sentence
Calkins case reminds many of Erpenbeck
A Fairfield home builder is awaiting sentencing for bank fraud in a case reminiscent of the Erpenbeck scandal that rocked the region. Federal prosecutors say Chester Calkins and his wife, Antonette, did not pay off construction loans on 47 condominiums purchased with cash… It is unclear what sent Chester Calkins, who was president of the Greater Cincinnati Home Builders Association in 2000, into financial collapse. The company is in bankruptcy, and Calkins has been convicted of writing bad checks in Ohio.

Frisco Enterprise
Attorneys for city and TBYR volley legalities
"The Beckas hereby make a formal legal demand that at the next city council meeting, on or before Feb. 8, 2005, that you officially place the two Take Back Your Rights charter amendments on the May 2005 election ballot," wrote Fred Lewis, an Austin-based attorney representing the group headed by Frisco orthodontist Dr. David Becka. "The law is clear that you are required to put the amendments on the May 2005 ballot and failure to do so is a violation of your non-discretionary duties," Lewis wrote. Lewis is the leader of government watchdog groups called "Campaign for the People and "Clean Up Texas Politics." He said he is offering his services to TBYR pro bono, free of charge.

Star-Telegram Austin Bureau
Watchdogs: Donor cash tilts state laws
It's supposed to be the American dream, but owning a home can be a nightmare in Texas because builders have used millions in campaign cash to tilt state laws in their favor, a coalition of watchdog groups said Monday. At issue is a 2003 law that established the Texas Residential Construction Commission, strongly supported by home-building interests, which contributed some $9 million to state candidates and political entities between 2001 and 2004…

HOBB Commentary:
Don't you just love the Texas Assoc. of Builders comments on TRCC? Isn't this like putting expensive lipstick on a pig.
See the comments by Kristi Sutterfield , director of the Texas Association of Builders, attempting to defend the builder's slaughter of home buyer protection and rights. Sutterfield said, " the law actually enhances homeowner protections by setting a uniform, state-imposed warranty... She also said the residential construction commission is resolving complaints quickly…"
The homebuilding industry can continue to fool the people with shoddy building practices most of the time but not all of the people, no matter the shade of the lipstick on TRCC.  Bad will be bad, no matter the cosmetic fix.

Dallas Morning News: Special Report

Home buyers wary of agency
Some consumer groups, others say TRCC doesn't aid consumers enough
Since its creation in September 2003, unhappy homeowners and consumer groups have criticized the agency for doing little to help buyers, because it can't force builders to make repairs. And they say the agency's passage this month of new building standards allows for shoddy construction, not a guarantee of quality work... Consumer groups say the agency is biased toward the building industry because commissioners and most agency leaders have backgrounds in construction or real estate. They say builders have won their influence in the Legislature from both parties by blanketing them with political donations.

Associated Press: Highlights Monday from the Texas Legislature
Homebuilders contributed at least $8.9 million the past four years to state leaders and legislators and along the way won passage in 2003 of a bill that diminishes homeowners' rights, two watchdog groups said Monday.