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 Tips
& Information
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We Inspect, 'You' Decide!
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Buying
or selling your home can be a
long and drawn out process. Many
hassles can be avoided by
careful planning and hiring the
right professionals so that you
can make an informed decision
concerning your
investment.
Don’t
make your most costly purchase your most
costly mistake.
This section
will serve to link you to pages
and other sites that may assist
you in that endeavor.
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BREAKING
NEWS
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Before you buy
a re-sale home check out the
C.L.U.E
reports on the
home. |
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Already, CLUE reports are
becoming an important tool for
savvy consumers. |
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Take a look at
what they have on you
The database: A
Georgia company collects info
and compiles two reports on
insurance claims for home and
car policies. (read the rest of
the story) |
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One thing you should do if
you are buying a home is; |
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Join all three of these
originations. It's free!
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CLOUT Citizens lowering
our unfair taxes |
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HOBB
Homeowners
for Better Building |
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HADD
Homeowners Against Deficient
Dwellings
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Did you know that your
property taxes could double
every seven
 years?
So if shoddy construction
doesn't get you the Texas
property tax man does? Doesn't
have to be that way! 'Fight' for
the American dream! Get
involved!
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AUSTIN
(statesman.com,
AP) – A bill that would limit
increases on property appraisals
was killed on the Texas House
floor Tuesday. Gov. Rick Perry,
who had included appraisal caps
as part of his tax reform
agenda, said he was disappointed
in the vote.
Limiting how much appraised
values could increase would
have limited tax increases
that are tied to property
values. Many local
governments opposed the
proposed legislation because
it would have limited their
ability to raise revenue. As
the law stands, tax
appraisals can grow up to 10
percent annually.
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No property
TAX relief for Texans here is why!
36 RINOS:
THE LIST
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The above story is one example
of why you have to get involved! |
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Survey of Home Inspectors
Helps Builders Identify Potential Trouble
Spots
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The survey was devised to
provide builders with another tool to help
them continue building quality homes for
their customers, minimize construction
defect lawsuits and make themselves more
attractive to insurers by identifying those
problem areas within the design and
construction process that home inspectors
see most frequently.
(Read
the rest of the story) |
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Hurricane-Rated Windows
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The windows are supposed to
reduce property damage from
major hurricanes, but they can
add thousands of dollars to the
cost of a home. (Read
the rest of the story) |
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March
27, 2004.
Texas:
Texas builders commission request opinion
from the Texas AG on whether the TRCC has
the right to register builders.
Whether persons who register under a
municipal ordinance to perform home repairs
within the municipality are exempted from
provisions of Property Code, chapter 416;
whether Texas Residential Construction
Commission may seek to enjoin builders who
have not obtained a certificate of
registration from the Commission. |
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State Law Preserving Individual Rights and
Limiting Mandatory Arbitration
There is a widespread
practice today, in sales, credit,
employment, health care and other
agreements, to require individuals to waive
important legal rights and remedies.
Mandatory arbitration clauses often contain
such waivers |
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Housewrecked |
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Serious hidden
defects plague many newer homes. Here’s how
to avoid trouble. |
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Last year, consumers
bought more than 1 million new homes in the
U.S., a near record. Average sale price:
$250,000. But a CR investigation has
found that increasingly, buyers are
discovering that their new dream home has
serious defects and that they have more
consumer protections for a fickle $20
toaster than for a flawed
investment-of-a-lifetime.
(Read
the rest of the story) |
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More
Inspectors For Newly Built Homes Making The
Rounds
by Broderick Perkins |
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"The 1980s and 1990s left
us to realize city inspections were not
worth the paper they were written on. We are
dealing with a failed system and ultimately
the consumer pays.
(Read
the rest of the story) |
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If
you are buying a home, this is a 'must
read'!
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Previous
claims can lead to blackballing of homes
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By SHANNON
BUGGS
Copyright
2002 Houston Chronicle (Click
here)
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Insurers
keep a secret history of your home
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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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By
Liz
Pulliam Weston (Click
here)
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"New Home
Warranties. Deception or Protection?" |
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The
report, "New Home Warranties. Deception or
Protection?" analyzes the warranties used by
the majority of builders in Texas and
highlights the limitations, exclusions, and
unreasonable maintenance requirements common
to each warranty.
(Click
here) |
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Is 'your' agent really working for
you?
By
Christopher
Cruise
• Bankrate.com
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As a buyer,
you are not represented unless
you've told the real estate agent
who is showing you homes that you
want that agent to represent you
as your "buyer agent." If you
haven't, "your agent" could be
representing the seller.
(Click
here) |
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10
biggest home-buying mistakes
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Beware:
Many
homebuyers get too much house, the wrong
mortgage and fail to consider resale value.
May
16, 2002: 10:47 AM EDT
CNN/Money staff
writer Leslie Haggin Geary (Full
Story)
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don't normally put buyers testimonials on
this website but we thought this one was
worth sharing, per buyer's permission.
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Terry,
Meant to give you a heads up on this. Below
are the comments from Henry
Jackson at Trussway. Also, since hurricane
Terry hit the construction
scene, all of the walk through dates are
postponed until further notice,
contractors are on the case and people are
actually trying to get it
right. I didn't even show them the pics,
just the document report.
Seems they'll need more time to
"tighten things up" as the Project
Manager put it.
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You
can place this customer comment on your
testimonials page if you
wish: "Whether building or purchasing
your home, professional site
inspections are the first line of defense
against questionable building
practices. Make a positive investment in
your home's future with
Inspection Concepts."
Get with you later to tell you how things go
. . .
Thanks again . . .
Derek & Muriel
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"I
went out to the house yesterday at
4:30 and walked it with Jeff K.
I am sending them a repair for the gap where
the roof trusses connect to
the beam. Jeff can explain to you this
afternoon what he is doing for it
and the floor trusses connection and other
miscellaneous items . Thanks
HJ"
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MOLD
RESOURCES
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Mold
Cases Spreading, Says Real Estate Defense Attorney
If
you need a professional mold inspection
(Click
Here)
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Have
Asphalt Shingles Improved?
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AUSTIN
— Some Texas homeowners are calling on the
state's top elected officials to fight for
them in the battle over insurance coverage
for mold damage, promising to remember their
actions come election time. (Click
Here)
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Winter
is here!
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Find
a Certified Chimney Sweep in your state.
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Chimney
Fires -
can
be very dangerous. What causes chimney
fires, what should you do during a chimney
fire, and how to prevent chimney fires.
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WASHINGTON--The
federal government's new crackdown on home
settlement-cost abuses is shedding light on
fees and practices that are commonplace in
the home building and mortgage industries,
but may be illegal. (Click
Here)
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Have
a problem with your builder? Tell the press!
(Click
here)
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Inspectors
focus on sloppy foundation work in new
houses (Click
Here)
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I
shudder to think' about new-home inspections
San Antonio Express-News
(Click
Here)
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How
to Turn Your Home Inspection Into a
Maintenance Planning Guide (Click
Here)
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Centex
Vs Buescher
The Texas Supreme Court Ruling on
new home warranties
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AUSTIN
- A House committee examined
mold-related issues Tuesday, from the health
effects to builders' liability for the
increasing number of water damage claims, to
stem Texas' ongoing mold insurance crisis.
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Squeezing
lemons REALTORS® eye state lemon law
efforts "REALTOR® in the
state are neutral on the issue, says Tom
Morgan, attorney for the Texas Association
of REALTORS®. Consumers are not without
some regulatory protection already. The
Deceptive Trade Practices Act provides
consumers with a means for claiming damages
against a builder for shoddy construction.
It's a cumbersome law to use, however,
because it leaves differences to be settled
in court. But the damages can be generous.
"If there is $10,000 worth of repair,
consumers can receive up to six times that
amount in damages," says Morgan. WRONG!
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CORRECTION!:
The Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA)
allows only 3 times damages. Also, the
builders in Texas ARE EXEMPT from the
DTPA Instead they have the Residential
Construction Liability Act (RCLA) which
provides the builder with excellent
protection from taking responsibility for
their actions. The RCLA is a great example
of why we need a Lemon Law in Texas!
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Select a category: |
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Thursday, March 08, 2001
By Julie
Clairmont
Inman News Features
Got Lemons?
Proposed
"home lemon law" would force Texas builders to buy back defective houses!
Texas home builders are feeling pretty sour about a
bill filed by state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte of San Antonio on Feb. 16.
Referred to as the "home lemon law," the Texas
Homebuyer Protection Act would require builders to buy back a house from the
homeowner if a construction defect wasn’t corrected after three tries.
Backers of the bill say it would improve the quality of
homes, provide a more effective complaint process for homeowners, and give them
more protection than new home warranties, which they claim are woefully
inadequate.
"It can clean up the housing industry the same way
the car ‘lemon law’ cleaned up the automobile industry," said Janet
Ahmad, president of Texas’s Homeowners
for Better Building.
Texas builders, however, say consumers are already
protected through the state’s Residential Construction Liability Law. That law
requires builders to cover reasonable repairs on a home, gives the homeowner a
means to dispute the builder’s offer, has a cap equal to the price of the home
and allows for attorney fees if the matter goes to court.
"We think it’s very adequate," said Lyle
Johansen, executive vice president of the Texas
Association of Builders.
But Ahmad called the existing law "a horrible
mechanism that makes homeowners jump through so many hoops."
"It wears them out, and they can still end up
spending thousands of dollars to get a problem fixed," she said.
Ahmad founded Homeowners for Better Building in the
late 1970s after having had a bad experience with a home of her own.
"My house was falling apart," she said.
"It had all sorts of building code violations."
Ahmad said she filed complaints with the Better
Business Bureau and a homebuilder’s association’s grievance committee, but
all to no avail.
Backers of the "lemon law" bill also believe
home warranties, such as the Residential
Warranty Corporation Warranty used by Texas-based Centex Homes, are
unenforceable and severely limited, and provide protection only for major
structural defects. Calls to Centex regarding its home warranties were not
returned.
"Homebuilders have become confident that they can
build homes that are substandard because they cannot be held accountable for
unfair contractual advantages," said Ahmad.
The Texas Builder Association is opposing the proposed
"lemon law."
"It’s unnecessary, and it would actually repeal
the Residential Construction Liability Law," said Johansen.
Bills that would require builders to be licensed have
failed numerous times in Texas, said Ahmad. She is hoping the "lemon
law" bill, which has not gone to committee yet, will have a better chance.
"I think it does, because consumers can understand
it," she said.
***
Do you have a comment about this story?
Send a note to the editor.
Copyright 2001 Inman News Features
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HOME INSPECTIONS
Are They Necessary For A New Home?
Copyright Inman News Features
Most buyers wouldn't dream of buying an older
home without having it thoroughly inspected. Many new-home buyers feel that
because a home is newly constructed, it doesn't need to be inspected. First-time
buyers who are short of cash might think that foregoing an inspection on a new
home would be a good way to save $400 to $1,000.
Any house, condo or townhouse you buy, regardless
of its age, should be thoroughly inspected as a condition of the purchase
agreement. One advantage of buying an older home is that it's easier to spot
defects that have developed over time. Even new homes can have defects, but they
may not become readily apparent for several years. Rather than wait until
defects surface, have a home inspector with experience inspecting new homes go
over the house carefully before you buy it. If defects are found during
inspections, ask the builder to correct the problems before closing.
Don't assume that because the city building
inspectors have recently approved the property that this is a guarantee that the
house was built correctly or even in compliance with building code requirements.
The builder may have found a way to hide a defect from the inspector. Also,
building inspectors, like anyone else, can make mistakes.
Buyers purchasing a home before it's completed
should ask the builder for permission to inspect the building periodically
during construction. Have someone knowledgeable (a house inspector, licensed
contractor, architect, or engineer) look at the house several times during its
construction: Once when the foundation is going in; again after the framing is
complete; when the plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems
are installed; and finally, during the finishing stage. Ask each inspector to
document their findings in writing, or take photographs, so that you have a
record for a future buyer when you sell.
Ask the builder to provide you with copies of the
building plans, the soils report, engineering calculations, copies of any
laboratory test reports (for example, tests conducted on the foundation), and
any inspection reports generated during construction. If you have trouble
interpreting these construction documents yourself, hire professionals to review
them for you. If you have a question about a specific report or document, call
the person who issued or approved it and ask for clarification. Make sure the
project was built correctly and that the builder didn't cut corners that will
compromise the structural integrity of the building.
Some new development builders balk at a request
for construction documentation, so include this request in writing as a
condition of your purchase contract.
FIRST TIME TIP: A new house is only as good as
the contractor who built it. In addition to having a new home inspected,
carefully examine other projects built by the same builder before you go ahead
with the purchase.
Interview homeowners who purchased other homes
built by the builder. Ask if any defects appeared after closing, and, if so, did
the builder repair the problems promptly? If you don't have information about
other projects by your builder, ask him to provide you with this information as
a condition of your purchase contract.
THE CLOSING: Be especially careful if
you're purchasing an owner/builder project, particularly from someone who's
unlicensed and with no prior experience. The projects may lack the level of
quality found in projects constructed under the supervision of licensed
architects and contractors.
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Buying a New or Resale
Home? |
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IF YOU
ARE BUYING A HOME, YOU NEED US!
STATE LICENSED
EXPERIENCED IMPARTIAL
INDEPENDENT
"WHEN EXPERIENCE IS BETTER THAN JUST AN OPINION....."
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"Remember,
Builders are not licensed
in Texas!"
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Don’t
make your most costly purchase your most
costly mistake.
"Your Best Protection
is a Professional Home Inspection!"
Call
Inspection Concepts today!
281-486-6887
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