I read this article on the Consumerist and it just made me angry. Anyone else seen anything like this?

http://consumerist.com/consumer/comp...ade-291500.php

Wow - that is just awful.

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Eric Bramlett

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Ya know a $500 dollar inspection would have revealed all of these deffects. Who buys a home without an inspection anyway

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Bellingham Real Estate
Bellingham Condos
Bellingham MLS

I sold a new house where a ceiling light fixture kept filing up with water. We went strait to the builders licensing board as soon as the builder came up with the first excuse.

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Serving all your Outer Banks real estate needs and for the latest OBX events visit the Outer Banks Community Forum.

Rough reading to be sure. I even saw a comment in there from someone who wondered why you should get an inspection on a new home. New homes are full of problems. That's why people get builder warranties. Always inspect.

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R,
David Phillips
A Marietta Real Estate Agent, 678-521-4680
The Georgia Mortgage Broker, 678-370-0190

some one ought to create a name and shame list, that way no one will use these builders until they clean up their act..

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Bad Credit history not such a problem with mortgages:
mortgages for people with bad credit, bad credit mortgage and IVA mortgage

Reed - You probably already knew this, but Sandra Bullock won a $7 MILLION lawsuit against her builder here in Austin a few years ago. It was for substandard construction and inflated costs.

avonreal - Here is a site that is attempting to do just that -
http://www.hobb.org/index.php?option...d=5&Itemid=198

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Jason Crouch, Broker
Austin Texas Homes, LLC
512-796-7653 (cell)
Austin Real Estate
Austin Texas Real Estate
Austin Homes

Well, since you asked, I didn't get a home inspection when I purchased my house. Of course, I sold it to a client a year prior to me purchasing it, and it was inspected at that time by an inspector I trust. I just figured that not much could go wrong in a year. Besides, I don't really mind if there's some problems with my own house. I just get them fixed. No big deal.

Wow, I just went back and read the link. That is terrible. I don't know how some people sleep at night. I'm so tired of people taking advantage of others in our society. It seems like everyone is looking for the easy way out. Whatever happend to just doing things the right way?

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Scottsdale Real Estate
McDowell Mountain Ranch Real Estate
DC Ranch Real Estate

Wow that is beyond belief!

I guess it always pays to read the fine print....

The "fine print" is sadly meaningless to most average Joes. Seriously, does the average consumer understand the significance between "binding arbitration" and a "lawsuit"? Most likely, the enthusiastic agent will tell her client: "Arbitration just means you agree on a private judge so that you don't waste more money on attorney fees, it's standard in all contracts, no big deal." Sadder still, most real estate agents have no clue whether arbitration is a good or bad thing, so when asked about it, the agents just nod and smile - whatever to get the deal closed.

As an attorney specializing in real estate litigation, it's pretty clear that most agents have no clue what 50% of the typical purchase contract says, they only focus on the 50% that matters to them. Of course it would be unreasonable to expect consumers to go to an attorney every time they sign a purchase agreement, but is it better to have a clueless agent attempt to explain the significance of "liquidated damages", "arbitration clauses" and "contingencies" when the agents themselves barely grasp the significance of these terms? That's what E&O insurance is for right?