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Report: #10514

Complaint Review: REDUS & CO, INC. (franchise of HomeVestors) - Gainesville Texas

  • Submitted:
  • Updated:
  • Reported By: Denison TX
  • Author Not Confirmed What's this?
  • Why?
  • REDUS & CO, INC. (franchise of HomeVestors) 3726 E. Highway 82; redus@earthlink.net Gainesville, Texas U.S.A.
  • Phone: 940-612-5500; fax: 940-61
  • Web:
  • Category: Realtors

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(WE HAVE PICTURES OF OUR SITUATION)
We recently bought a home through FHA "Fannie Mae" loan. We've only lived in new home for four months. We were told by Tom Redus (who owns Redus & Co., along with his wife, Sharon)- both the sellers of this house, built in 1920, that the central heating/ac unit was "practically new...hasn't been installed very long." (We found out after buying the home, the DUCT work is new, not the unit. (The unit is actually a home-made unit which has been duct-taped to hold two pieces from separate units together...to try to make one unit.

Our heating/ac unit has not worked properly ever since we have lived here. In the past four months, service techs. have been to the house about seven times. They can find no serial numbers, etc. on the unit. In fact, they have said, "What the heck (won't repeat exact word here)is that thing????" We found out the unit was installed by a previous owner. He works at a warehouse that SELLS the parts to heat/ac companies. This warehouse company does not INSTALL the units.

When TXU Gas came to light our pilot on hot water heater & check it, they have refused to light it saying, "You have to get a plumber to fix the ventilation system, before we will even lght that thing. It's dangerous." Our water heater ventilation pipe goes directly into an old chimney. There is no top on the chimney, so rain, snow, old falling bricks from chimney, and little birds, come down it. We are still pulling whole bricks, & brick pieces, & little dead birds out of the hole where ventilation pipe meets into the chimney.

The toilet has never worked properly - it will not flush by using the lever alone...you also have to turn water ON & OFF by the main shut-off valve (situated on side of tank near floor.)

FHA told previous owners they would have to repair/or fix windows, so they would open.(they're still not fixed). FHA told them to fix roof support. (the "fixed roof support" is 2 X 4's leaning against the attic walls (they are not attached to anything.)

I recently got a copy of "FHA Guideline - Appraisal Requirements". This list is a list of general quidelnes required for a property. Any condiation NOT met by the list, may require the property to be repaird in order to meet FHA appraisal quidelines. (Do an Internet search for: "HUD Handbook 4150.2" for infor.) Out of this list, I found six things that this house did not pass on. However, these things were not listed on the Appraisal Report, done by the appraiser. Here are those six things that our house did not pass:

1."all habitable rooms must have a heat source (doesn't mean in each room), each room must receive sufficient heat. (at least 50 degrees) - Electrical, plumbing and/or heating certifications may be called for by the appraiser when he/she cannot determine if one or all of these systems are working properly. However, the appraiser should not arbitrarily call for such certifications as they are still responsible for checking on the adequacy of these systems at the time of appraisal"

OUR HOUSE: (Appraiser HAD to have seen duct-tape wrapped around unit !!!).: our heat only works 2 days - 2 weeks at a time. - thereafter,...we live in 30 degree environment inside house, until service techs come back out again...blow water out of inside of unit, then suck water up with a vaccuum. We are then good for another at least another 2 days...at which time, service techs. come back out & repeat the process.

2."All water heaters must comply with local building codes regardless of its location."

OUR HOUSE: TXU Gas refuses to get near it - said it was dangerous - would cause gas build-up into house if pilot is lit, before having it fixed by a plumber.

3."The roof must prevent moisture from entering the home and provide reasonable future utility, durability and economy of maintenance.
OUR HOME: no top on old chimney, which allows rain, snow, falling bricks from top of chimney to fall, and birds come into chimney and have babies in built nests.

4."The FHA appraisers are required to inspect the attic area, unless the property is a mobile home or dwelling with little or no atticl (due to the interior roof slope.)" "The appraiser will note any evidence of...the condition of the support structure..."
OUR HOUSE: unattached 2 X 4's are now leaning against attic walls - don't know how this passed the FINAL inspection.

5."A property must have adequate water supply and fixtures to support its use. This guideline requires an appraiser to check: -the function of toilets and observe any evidence of leaks
OUR HOUSE: has never worked properly since we have lived here - have to first turn main shut-off value to ON, then use hand lever to flush. It then runs, so you have to turn off main shut-off valve, and sometimes giggle hand lever.

6.( concerning LEAD PAINT) "For all properties built before Jan. 1, 1978, the FHA appraiser must inspect all interior and exterior surfaces...for defective paint surfaces (i.e. chipping, peeling or flaking paint.
OUR HOUSE: We were told our house had lead paint. It has been simply painted over (inside & outside of house), but parts of inside & outside of house are now chipping, peeling or flaking.

7.Sellers were told to repair or replace windows so they would open.
OUR HOUSE: Windows were never repaired or replaced. In fact, we been pulling the nails they had on inside of windows (to keep them from being opened) so we could try to open them. They still will not open.

NOTE: WE HAVE NOW CONTACTED:
-our policy title co.; mortgage co. who did original loan (before they sold it to another mtg. co.,> who sold it to another mtg. co.; HUD; FHA; TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE - CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPT.; mortgage co. who has our account now; TEXAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION (WE ARE FILING 3 COMPLAINTS WITH THEM on: TOM REDUS (licensed real estate agent/or realtor; SHARON REDUS (licensed real estate agent/or realtor; & are planning on adding the appraiser to this, also.

WHO HAS CONTACTED US:
-Everyone BUT the sellers of the house (they told us through their secretary, Sally, "We will not fix the heating/ac unit, YOU will have to fix it."
ALL OF THE ABOVE PEOPLE HAVE CONTACTED US, FORMAL COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED, & INVESTIGATIONS ARE SOON TO START.; WE ALSO HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY SOME "ANIMAL RIGHTS" ORGANIZATIONS, WHO WANT INFO. ON THE LITTLE DEAD BIRDS.

Thank you,

Hubert E. T & Billie M. T. 01-03-02

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 01/03/2002 12:00 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/redus-co-inc-franchise-of-homevestors/gainesville-texas-76240/homevestors-incredus-co-inc-rip-off-realtors-gainesville-tx-united-mortgage-co-10514. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#17 Consumer Comment

Crooked entities working TOGETHER

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

(The HUD "Homebuyer Protection Plan", at work with YOUR tax-paying dollars. YOUR tax-paying dollars support the HUD (/FHA) program), and pays the pachecks of the officials !

In my case, Tom & Sharon Redus (crooked sellers) were NOT the only crooked entities involved.

There was also a crooked FHA-approved lender;
a crooked FHA-approved inspector;
a crooked FHA-approved appraiser;
and crooked HUD (/FHA program itself !).

They all worked "together" to let the crookednes flow through the system.

READ THIS:

--------

"FHA Buyers Get New Home After Finding 181 Code Violations"


After being told repeatedly that it's efforts to portray FHA appraisers as home inspectors were misleading, deceptive, and wrong, HUD is now beginning to pay the price.

According to The Detroit Free Press, Mike and Kim Powers are getting a new house, compliments of HUD. It seems they bought an $86,000 home through FHA but later discovered that the house had 181 building code violations.

"A Federal Housing Administration appraisal and city inspections had uncovered only minor problems," said the story. "The Inkster couple said they did not get a private inspection because a TV commercial they saw on the Learning Channel touted the effectiveness of an FHA appraisal in finding defects in a house."

The result? According to the Free Press, "the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the parent agency of the FHA, agreed to let the couple exchange the house in Inkster for a HUD home of their choice in the same price range." (See: HUD will help get new home; TV ad blamed, February 10, 2001)

It's hardly amazing that buyers in Detroit and elsewhere feel mislead. According to HUD, today's FHA appraisal is far more than a mere estimate of value.

The so-called Homebuyer Protection Plan which then-HUD Andrew Cuomo announced in 1998, was supposed to assure FHA borrowers that they are not buying a lemon.

"For the first time," said HUD, it would "require that home defects found by appraisers be disclosed to potential buyers."

Under the HUD plan, appraisers are obligated to locate "problems with plumbing, walls, ceilings, roofs, foundations, basements, electrical systems, and heating and air-conditioning systems; soil contamination; the presence of wood-destroying insects; hazards and nuisances near homes (such as oil and gas wells); lead-based paint hazards; and other health and safety problems."

The program, says HUD, "requires the appraiser to complete a new three-page form describing the physical condition of a home in unprecedented detail. HUD will give appraisers a handbook explaining the new appraisal standards."

"Under the new initiative," HUD explained, "appraisers must note the exact deficiencies such as cracks in floors, cracks in walls and ceilings, evidence of water leakage, and evidence of damaged support structures."

Appraisers provide independent property valuations so that lenders can be certain they are not lending too much for a given home, and thus not making loans which have needlessly-high levels of risk.

Appraisers, however, are not home inspectors. They do not open electrical service boxes, climb roofs, or check furnaces. Appraisers are not licensed to perform home inspections, they are not trained for such work, and if you ask appraisers they will tell you that they are not professional home inspectors. And because the extra work and liability associated with the HUD program, many appraisers raised their fees to do FHA work while some simply refuse to do FHA valuations.

None of this is a criticism of appraisers. They have an important role in the home-buying process, but that role is not to perform home inspections.

**** HUD, under Cuomo, made matters worse BY AIRING A SERIES OF TELEVISION ADS WHICH SUGGESTED THAT BUYERS NEED NOT WORRY about the condition of a home when they bought with FHA financing because, after all, the FHA appraisal would protect them.

[***Those are the same ads I, and my husband (future husband at the time) saw on T.V., which made us choose to go through FHA. I wish to God we had not. After filing complaints for two years - with HUD, the sellers of the house, and the lenders...we finally walked out of the house (due to major health problems) and told them they could HAVE that house - since they were not going to do anything about the situation. They then sold it at "foreclosure", after they put $ 5,000 in to the house, in order to get $ 30,000 at foreclosure sell. The house STILL has problems, by the way. When we first left the house, they put up yellow tape around the porch (similar to Caution / or crime-scene tape), and put signs on the front door which read: "Notice. Evidence of Mold."]

**** The HUD ad campaign, wrote Maine Senator Susan M. Collins in a letter to Cuomo last September and first reported by Realty Times columnist Lew Sichelman, "implies that the home buyer can blindly trust HUD to protect his or her interest, and that the appraisal process will disclose any and all problems with the house. Given that FHA deals overwhelmingly with persons who have no previous experience purchasing a home, I would hope that this inaccurate message troubles you as much as it troubles me.

The HUD promotions, added Collins, "BORDER ON DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING."

We now have a new Administration in Washington and HUD has a new secretary, Mel Martinez. No organization other than HUD requires appraisers to perform what are effectively home inspections. Thus the questions for HUD look like this:

Will HUD end efforts to have appraisers substitute for home inspectors?

Will HUD end it's HomeBuyer Protection Plan ads?

Will HUD end any appraisal requirement established during the past four years which has not been adopted by both the Veterans Administration and conventional lenders?

Here is a chance for the new Secretary to rein in an unwanted program, better serve consumers, and cut HUD costs. Such an action would draw instant support from Capitol Hill, appraisers, brokers, lenders, and consumers.

Alternatively, you can bet that trial lawyers with college tuition to pay will look at the situation in Detroit and say, "whoa, this gives me an idea...."

If you think that problems associated with the FHA home inspection program are over, they're not.
-----

"I just recently bought a home through FHA in San Pablo, CA," says one correspondent.

"We had both the FHA appraisal and home inspection completed. We have been there 2 weeks and we are finding so many problems, such as there are no doors to the bedrooms, or closets, all the windows are nailed shut, the 2 backdoors are nailed shut, one of the back doors does not have a door frame, also they left their appliances, which do not work, and finally out of maybe 16 electrical outlets only 5 actually work, and the windows leak, and other stuff."

Here's another:

"I was wondering if there is any protection when you purchase a home through FHA regarding the roof not passing certification.

"We live on the Texas Gulf Coast that requires roofs be certified for the Texas Windstorm Insurance. A few months after we purchased our home, the Texas Windstorm Insurance said that our roof was never certified. We had a engineer come out and inspect the house, so that we could get it certified. The engineer informed us that the roof could not pass certification for the Texas Windstorm Insurance. And no insurance companies carry their our windstorm coverage. Knowing what area we live in that requires us to have windstorm insurance with a loan, why didn't the FHA inspector notify the mortgage company and buyer of the problem that existed?"

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#16 Consumer Comment

Crooked entities working TOGETHER

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

(The HUD "Homebuyer Protection Plan", at work with YOUR tax-paying dollars. YOUR tax-paying dollars support the HUD (/FHA) program), and pays the pachecks of the officials !

In my case, Tom & Sharon Redus (crooked sellers) were NOT the only crooked entities involved.

There was also a crooked FHA-approved lender;
a crooked FHA-approved inspector;
a crooked FHA-approved appraiser;
and crooked HUD (/FHA program itself !).

They all worked "together" to let the crookednes flow through the system.

READ THIS:

--------

"FHA Buyers Get New Home After Finding 181 Code Violations"


After being told repeatedly that it's efforts to portray FHA appraisers as home inspectors were misleading, deceptive, and wrong, HUD is now beginning to pay the price.

According to The Detroit Free Press, Mike and Kim Powers are getting a new house, compliments of HUD. It seems they bought an $86,000 home through FHA but later discovered that the house had 181 building code violations.

"A Federal Housing Administration appraisal and city inspections had uncovered only minor problems," said the story. "The Inkster couple said they did not get a private inspection because a TV commercial they saw on the Learning Channel touted the effectiveness of an FHA appraisal in finding defects in a house."

The result? According to the Free Press, "the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the parent agency of the FHA, agreed to let the couple exchange the house in Inkster for a HUD home of their choice in the same price range." (See: HUD will help get new home; TV ad blamed, February 10, 2001)

It's hardly amazing that buyers in Detroit and elsewhere feel mislead. According to HUD, today's FHA appraisal is far more than a mere estimate of value.

The so-called Homebuyer Protection Plan which then-HUD Andrew Cuomo announced in 1998, was supposed to assure FHA borrowers that they are not buying a lemon.

"For the first time," said HUD, it would "require that home defects found by appraisers be disclosed to potential buyers."

Under the HUD plan, appraisers are obligated to locate "problems with plumbing, walls, ceilings, roofs, foundations, basements, electrical systems, and heating and air-conditioning systems; soil contamination; the presence of wood-destroying insects; hazards and nuisances near homes (such as oil and gas wells); lead-based paint hazards; and other health and safety problems."

The program, says HUD, "requires the appraiser to complete a new three-page form describing the physical condition of a home in unprecedented detail. HUD will give appraisers a handbook explaining the new appraisal standards."

"Under the new initiative," HUD explained, "appraisers must note the exact deficiencies such as cracks in floors, cracks in walls and ceilings, evidence of water leakage, and evidence of damaged support structures."

Appraisers provide independent property valuations so that lenders can be certain they are not lending too much for a given home, and thus not making loans which have needlessly-high levels of risk.

Appraisers, however, are not home inspectors. They do not open electrical service boxes, climb roofs, or check furnaces. Appraisers are not licensed to perform home inspections, they are not trained for such work, and if you ask appraisers they will tell you that they are not professional home inspectors. And because the extra work and liability associated with the HUD program, many appraisers raised their fees to do FHA work while some simply refuse to do FHA valuations.

None of this is a criticism of appraisers. They have an important role in the home-buying process, but that role is not to perform home inspections.

**** HUD, under Cuomo, made matters worse BY AIRING A SERIES OF TELEVISION ADS WHICH SUGGESTED THAT BUYERS NEED NOT WORRY about the condition of a home when they bought with FHA financing because, after all, the FHA appraisal would protect them.

[***Those are the same ads I, and my husband (future husband at the time) saw on T.V., which made us choose to go through FHA. I wish to God we had not. After filing complaints for two years - with HUD, the sellers of the house, and the lenders...we finally walked out of the house (due to major health problems) and told them they could HAVE that house - since they were not going to do anything about the situation. They then sold it at "foreclosure", after they put $ 5,000 in to the house, in order to get $ 30,000 at foreclosure sell. The house STILL has problems, by the way. When we first left the house, they put up yellow tape around the porch (similar to Caution / or crime-scene tape), and put signs on the front door which read: "Notice. Evidence of Mold."]

**** The HUD ad campaign, wrote Maine Senator Susan M. Collins in a letter to Cuomo last September and first reported by Realty Times columnist Lew Sichelman, "implies that the home buyer can blindly trust HUD to protect his or her interest, and that the appraisal process will disclose any and all problems with the house. Given that FHA deals overwhelmingly with persons who have no previous experience purchasing a home, I would hope that this inaccurate message troubles you as much as it troubles me.

The HUD promotions, added Collins, "BORDER ON DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING."

We now have a new Administration in Washington and HUD has a new secretary, Mel Martinez. No organization other than HUD requires appraisers to perform what are effectively home inspections. Thus the questions for HUD look like this:

Will HUD end efforts to have appraisers substitute for home inspectors?

Will HUD end it's HomeBuyer Protection Plan ads?

Will HUD end any appraisal requirement established during the past four years which has not been adopted by both the Veterans Administration and conventional lenders?

Here is a chance for the new Secretary to rein in an unwanted program, better serve consumers, and cut HUD costs. Such an action would draw instant support from Capitol Hill, appraisers, brokers, lenders, and consumers.

Alternatively, you can bet that trial lawyers with college tuition to pay will look at the situation in Detroit and say, "whoa, this gives me an idea...."

If you think that problems associated with the FHA home inspection program are over, they're not.
-----

"I just recently bought a home through FHA in San Pablo, CA," says one correspondent.

"We had both the FHA appraisal and home inspection completed. We have been there 2 weeks and we are finding so many problems, such as there are no doors to the bedrooms, or closets, all the windows are nailed shut, the 2 backdoors are nailed shut, one of the back doors does not have a door frame, also they left their appliances, which do not work, and finally out of maybe 16 electrical outlets only 5 actually work, and the windows leak, and other stuff."

Here's another:

"I was wondering if there is any protection when you purchase a home through FHA regarding the roof not passing certification.

"We live on the Texas Gulf Coast that requires roofs be certified for the Texas Windstorm Insurance. A few months after we purchased our home, the Texas Windstorm Insurance said that our roof was never certified. We had a engineer come out and inspect the house, so that we could get it certified. The engineer informed us that the roof could not pass certification for the Texas Windstorm Insurance. And no insurance companies carry their our windstorm coverage. Knowing what area we live in that requires us to have windstorm insurance with a loan, why didn't the FHA inspector notify the mortgage company and buyer of the problem that existed?"

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#15 Consumer Comment

Crooked entities working TOGETHER

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

(The HUD "Homebuyer Protection Plan", at work with YOUR tax-paying dollars. YOUR tax-paying dollars support the HUD (/FHA) program), and pays the pachecks of the officials !

In my case, Tom & Sharon Redus (crooked sellers) were NOT the only crooked entities involved.

There was also a crooked FHA-approved lender;
a crooked FHA-approved inspector;
a crooked FHA-approved appraiser;
and crooked HUD (/FHA program itself !).

They all worked "together" to let the crookednes flow through the system.

READ THIS:

--------

"FHA Buyers Get New Home After Finding 181 Code Violations"


After being told repeatedly that it's efforts to portray FHA appraisers as home inspectors were misleading, deceptive, and wrong, HUD is now beginning to pay the price.

According to The Detroit Free Press, Mike and Kim Powers are getting a new house, compliments of HUD. It seems they bought an $86,000 home through FHA but later discovered that the house had 181 building code violations.

"A Federal Housing Administration appraisal and city inspections had uncovered only minor problems," said the story. "The Inkster couple said they did not get a private inspection because a TV commercial they saw on the Learning Channel touted the effectiveness of an FHA appraisal in finding defects in a house."

The result? According to the Free Press, "the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the parent agency of the FHA, agreed to let the couple exchange the house in Inkster for a HUD home of their choice in the same price range." (See: HUD will help get new home; TV ad blamed, February 10, 2001)

It's hardly amazing that buyers in Detroit and elsewhere feel mislead. According to HUD, today's FHA appraisal is far more than a mere estimate of value.

The so-called Homebuyer Protection Plan which then-HUD Andrew Cuomo announced in 1998, was supposed to assure FHA borrowers that they are not buying a lemon.

"For the first time," said HUD, it would "require that home defects found by appraisers be disclosed to potential buyers."

Under the HUD plan, appraisers are obligated to locate "problems with plumbing, walls, ceilings, roofs, foundations, basements, electrical systems, and heating and air-conditioning systems; soil contamination; the presence of wood-destroying insects; hazards and nuisances near homes (such as oil and gas wells); lead-based paint hazards; and other health and safety problems."

The program, says HUD, "requires the appraiser to complete a new three-page form describing the physical condition of a home in unprecedented detail. HUD will give appraisers a handbook explaining the new appraisal standards."

"Under the new initiative," HUD explained, "appraisers must note the exact deficiencies such as cracks in floors, cracks in walls and ceilings, evidence of water leakage, and evidence of damaged support structures."

Appraisers provide independent property valuations so that lenders can be certain they are not lending too much for a given home, and thus not making loans which have needlessly-high levels of risk.

Appraisers, however, are not home inspectors. They do not open electrical service boxes, climb roofs, or check furnaces. Appraisers are not licensed to perform home inspections, they are not trained for such work, and if you ask appraisers they will tell you that they are not professional home inspectors. And because the extra work and liability associated with the HUD program, many appraisers raised their fees to do FHA work while some simply refuse to do FHA valuations.

None of this is a criticism of appraisers. They have an important role in the home-buying process, but that role is not to perform home inspections.

**** HUD, under Cuomo, made matters worse BY AIRING A SERIES OF TELEVISION ADS WHICH SUGGESTED THAT BUYERS NEED NOT WORRY about the condition of a home when they bought with FHA financing because, after all, the FHA appraisal would protect them.

[***Those are the same ads I, and my husband (future husband at the time) saw on T.V., which made us choose to go through FHA. I wish to God we had not. After filing complaints for two years - with HUD, the sellers of the house, and the lenders...we finally walked out of the house (due to major health problems) and told them they could HAVE that house - since they were not going to do anything about the situation. They then sold it at "foreclosure", after they put $ 5,000 in to the house, in order to get $ 30,000 at foreclosure sell. The house STILL has problems, by the way. When we first left the house, they put up yellow tape around the porch (similar to Caution / or crime-scene tape), and put signs on the front door which read: "Notice. Evidence of Mold."]

**** The HUD ad campaign, wrote Maine Senator Susan M. Collins in a letter to Cuomo last September and first reported by Realty Times columnist Lew Sichelman, "implies that the home buyer can blindly trust HUD to protect his or her interest, and that the appraisal process will disclose any and all problems with the house. Given that FHA deals overwhelmingly with persons who have no previous experience purchasing a home, I would hope that this inaccurate message troubles you as much as it troubles me.

The HUD promotions, added Collins, "BORDER ON DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING."

We now have a new Administration in Washington and HUD has a new secretary, Mel Martinez. No organization other than HUD requires appraisers to perform what are effectively home inspections. Thus the questions for HUD look like this:

Will HUD end efforts to have appraisers substitute for home inspectors?

Will HUD end it's HomeBuyer Protection Plan ads?

Will HUD end any appraisal requirement established during the past four years which has not been adopted by both the Veterans Administration and conventional lenders?

Here is a chance for the new Secretary to rein in an unwanted program, better serve consumers, and cut HUD costs. Such an action would draw instant support from Capitol Hill, appraisers, brokers, lenders, and consumers.

Alternatively, you can bet that trial lawyers with college tuition to pay will look at the situation in Detroit and say, "whoa, this gives me an idea...."

If you think that problems associated with the FHA home inspection program are over, they're not.
-----

"I just recently bought a home through FHA in San Pablo, CA," says one correspondent.

"We had both the FHA appraisal and home inspection completed. We have been there 2 weeks and we are finding so many problems, such as there are no doors to the bedrooms, or closets, all the windows are nailed shut, the 2 backdoors are nailed shut, one of the back doors does not have a door frame, also they left their appliances, which do not work, and finally out of maybe 16 electrical outlets only 5 actually work, and the windows leak, and other stuff."

Here's another:

"I was wondering if there is any protection when you purchase a home through FHA regarding the roof not passing certification.

"We live on the Texas Gulf Coast that requires roofs be certified for the Texas Windstorm Insurance. A few months after we purchased our home, the Texas Windstorm Insurance said that our roof was never certified. We had a engineer come out and inspect the house, so that we could get it certified. The engineer informed us that the roof could not pass certification for the Texas Windstorm Insurance. And no insurance companies carry their our windstorm coverage. Knowing what area we live in that requires us to have windstorm insurance with a loan, why didn't the FHA inspector notify the mortgage company and buyer of the problem that existed?"

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#14 Consumer Comment

Crooked entities working TOGETHER

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

(The HUD "Homebuyer Protection Plan", at work with YOUR tax-paying dollars. YOUR tax-paying dollars support the HUD (/FHA) program), and pays the pachecks of the officials !

In my case, Tom & Sharon Redus (crooked sellers) were NOT the only crooked entities involved.

There was also a crooked FHA-approved lender;
a crooked FHA-approved inspector;
a crooked FHA-approved appraiser;
and crooked HUD (/FHA program itself !).

They all worked "together" to let the crookednes flow through the system.

READ THIS:

--------

"FHA Buyers Get New Home After Finding 181 Code Violations"


After being told repeatedly that it's efforts to portray FHA appraisers as home inspectors were misleading, deceptive, and wrong, HUD is now beginning to pay the price.

According to The Detroit Free Press, Mike and Kim Powers are getting a new house, compliments of HUD. It seems they bought an $86,000 home through FHA but later discovered that the house had 181 building code violations.

"A Federal Housing Administration appraisal and city inspections had uncovered only minor problems," said the story. "The Inkster couple said they did not get a private inspection because a TV commercial they saw on the Learning Channel touted the effectiveness of an FHA appraisal in finding defects in a house."

The result? According to the Free Press, "the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the parent agency of the FHA, agreed to let the couple exchange the house in Inkster for a HUD home of their choice in the same price range." (See: HUD will help get new home; TV ad blamed, February 10, 2001)

It's hardly amazing that buyers in Detroit and elsewhere feel mislead. According to HUD, today's FHA appraisal is far more than a mere estimate of value.

The so-called Homebuyer Protection Plan which then-HUD Andrew Cuomo announced in 1998, was supposed to assure FHA borrowers that they are not buying a lemon.

"For the first time," said HUD, it would "require that home defects found by appraisers be disclosed to potential buyers."

Under the HUD plan, appraisers are obligated to locate "problems with plumbing, walls, ceilings, roofs, foundations, basements, electrical systems, and heating and air-conditioning systems; soil contamination; the presence of wood-destroying insects; hazards and nuisances near homes (such as oil and gas wells); lead-based paint hazards; and other health and safety problems."

The program, says HUD, "requires the appraiser to complete a new three-page form describing the physical condition of a home in unprecedented detail. HUD will give appraisers a handbook explaining the new appraisal standards."

"Under the new initiative," HUD explained, "appraisers must note the exact deficiencies such as cracks in floors, cracks in walls and ceilings, evidence of water leakage, and evidence of damaged support structures."

Appraisers provide independent property valuations so that lenders can be certain they are not lending too much for a given home, and thus not making loans which have needlessly-high levels of risk.

Appraisers, however, are not home inspectors. They do not open electrical service boxes, climb roofs, or check furnaces. Appraisers are not licensed to perform home inspections, they are not trained for such work, and if you ask appraisers they will tell you that they are not professional home inspectors. And because the extra work and liability associated with the HUD program, many appraisers raised their fees to do FHA work while some simply refuse to do FHA valuations.

None of this is a criticism of appraisers. They have an important role in the home-buying process, but that role is not to perform home inspections.

**** HUD, under Cuomo, made matters worse BY AIRING A SERIES OF TELEVISION ADS WHICH SUGGESTED THAT BUYERS NEED NOT WORRY about the condition of a home when they bought with FHA financing because, after all, the FHA appraisal would protect them.

[***Those are the same ads I, and my husband (future husband at the time) saw on T.V., which made us choose to go through FHA. I wish to God we had not. After filing complaints for two years - with HUD, the sellers of the house, and the lenders...we finally walked out of the house (due to major health problems) and told them they could HAVE that house - since they were not going to do anything about the situation. They then sold it at "foreclosure", after they put $ 5,000 in to the house, in order to get $ 30,000 at foreclosure sell. The house STILL has problems, by the way. When we first left the house, they put up yellow tape around the porch (similar to Caution / or crime-scene tape), and put signs on the front door which read: "Notice. Evidence of Mold."]

**** The HUD ad campaign, wrote Maine Senator Susan M. Collins in a letter to Cuomo last September and first reported by Realty Times columnist Lew Sichelman, "implies that the home buyer can blindly trust HUD to protect his or her interest, and that the appraisal process will disclose any and all problems with the house. Given that FHA deals overwhelmingly with persons who have no previous experience purchasing a home, I would hope that this inaccurate message troubles you as much as it troubles me.

The HUD promotions, added Collins, "BORDER ON DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING."

We now have a new Administration in Washington and HUD has a new secretary, Mel Martinez. No organization other than HUD requires appraisers to perform what are effectively home inspections. Thus the questions for HUD look like this:

Will HUD end efforts to have appraisers substitute for home inspectors?

Will HUD end it's HomeBuyer Protection Plan ads?

Will HUD end any appraisal requirement established during the past four years which has not been adopted by both the Veterans Administration and conventional lenders?

Here is a chance for the new Secretary to rein in an unwanted program, better serve consumers, and cut HUD costs. Such an action would draw instant support from Capitol Hill, appraisers, brokers, lenders, and consumers.

Alternatively, you can bet that trial lawyers with college tuition to pay will look at the situation in Detroit and say, "whoa, this gives me an idea...."

If you think that problems associated with the FHA home inspection program are over, they're not.
-----

"I just recently bought a home through FHA in San Pablo, CA," says one correspondent.

"We had both the FHA appraisal and home inspection completed. We have been there 2 weeks and we are finding so many problems, such as there are no doors to the bedrooms, or closets, all the windows are nailed shut, the 2 backdoors are nailed shut, one of the back doors does not have a door frame, also they left their appliances, which do not work, and finally out of maybe 16 electrical outlets only 5 actually work, and the windows leak, and other stuff."

Here's another:

"I was wondering if there is any protection when you purchase a home through FHA regarding the roof not passing certification.

"We live on the Texas Gulf Coast that requires roofs be certified for the Texas Windstorm Insurance. A few months after we purchased our home, the Texas Windstorm Insurance said that our roof was never certified. We had a engineer come out and inspect the house, so that we could get it certified. The engineer informed us that the roof could not pass certification for the Texas Windstorm Insurance. And no insurance companies carry their our windstorm coverage. Knowing what area we live in that requires us to have windstorm insurance with a loan, why didn't the FHA inspector notify the mortgage company and buyer of the problem that existed?"

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#13 Consumer Comment

Do a "Google" search for: hud official bribe

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

** Remember the previous high-ranking HUD official (and remember, the FHA program is a part of HUD), who was found guilty of taking a money bribe of $80,000 in cash, and another bribe of a brand new Ferarri sportscar? He, himself, was involved in a Predatory Lending scheme. When will our government wake up, to the problem of corruption, and illegal activities, within the HUD organization, and when will they start regulating, and enforcing HUD!

(Do a Google search for: hud official bribe

The link to that case (which I saw) will probably be listed there along with the rest of the HUD "bribees".)

-------------
(And here, the NAHB is "praising" the selection of another HUD Secretary See how this thing works, folks):

JACKSON'S NOMINATION AS HUD SECRETARY WINS PRAISE FROM HOME BUILDERS
------
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 - Alphonso Jackson's nomination to become the nation's 13th Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was praised today by the 215,000-member National Association of Home
Builders (NAHB).

"Alphonso Jackson has all the credentials to become an excellent HUD Secretary," said NAHB President Kent Conine, a home builder/developer from Dallas. "We look forward to working with Secretary Jackson in the weeks
and months ahead."

President Bush nominated Jackson to fill the top HUD position on Dec. 12 after HUD Secretary Mel Martinez stepped down from his post earlier in the week, reportedly to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Florida.

Jackson has served as HUD Deputy Secretary for nearly three years, supervising the day-to-day activities of the agency. Previously, he directed the housing agencies for St. Louis, Washington, D.C. and Dallas.

ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 215,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multi-family construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. Known as "the voice of the housing industry," NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country. NAHB's builder members will construct about 80 percent of the more than 1.7 million new housing units projected for 2003, making housing one of the largest engines of economic growth in the country.

----------------
(Note: NAHB, one of THE biggest money contributors to political entities...(You get how that works) ..."pass laws which will benefit THEM, and the crooked builders who make up some - if not most - of its members)

Housing industry: OUT-OF-CONTROL, and corrupt.

Check in to the new "binding arbitration" thing they now have set up.
Instead of suing the builder, they now want you to "arbitrate". (which the majority of the time, finds for the "builder", NOT the ripped-off home buyer.) and, of course...HUD now "agrees" with the new "binding arbitration".

Homebuyers everywhere out there: DO NOT agree to use "binding arbitration". (you will only get screwed again, and will lose your right TO sue a crooked builder.)

And forget their unneedless claims about "frivilous lawsuits" filed by ripped-off homebuyers. Ha !!
Homebuyers wish they DIDN'T have to put up with being ripped off, trying to chase the builders to fix the problems (and when they don't do anything), the homebuyers then have NO CHOICE but TO try to sue in a court of law.
----------------

HUD ( / FHA program):

It is ironic, that HUD's "Accountability to the Lender" (shown in the "HUD Handbook" - and you can view it online. Hud.gov) states:

"If problems arise after closing, that the house was overvalued, or repairs were not done, it will be up to the lender to either pay for those repairs or pay down the mortgage to the actual value of the house."

HUD Deputy also previously sent out memos to ALL HUD employees, stressing that they should FOLLOW the guidelines of the HUD "Accountability to the Lender".

HUD, and HUD employees continue to ignore their OWN rules, guidelines, policies, and procedures.
The "American Dream of Homeownshership" is in fact...The "Ultimate Nightmare in the U. S. of A."

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#12 Consumer Comment

They are all in bed with one another

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

Unfortunately, I have no intention to ever "buy" another house.

First of all, what made us even go through FHA (which is a program through HUD, in case you did not know) was that we had seen a T. V. commercial, proclaiming their "Homebuyer Protection Plan".

Ha ! What a joke. False advertising, within itself.

Then, we, the lenders, FHA (HUD) ALL got ripped-off by Homevestors (Tom & Sharon Redus; d.b.a. Redus & Co.; d.b.a. Homevestors).

You then top that off, with an FHA inspector who also did not report problems of the house (to us, or to HUD); and an appraiser who also did not report the problems to us or to HUD; appraiser also used two "comparative houses" in another city 10 miles away from the city the house was in; he also stated an "overprice" amount for the house's worth. (still not taking in to consideration what it would cost to fix the thing.)

HUD's solution:

They gave a little "sanction" to the FHA inspector (a slap on the wrist: "One year suspension, but we will lowever that to two months, if you will take two classes (then named them, and each class took 8 hours to take.)

As for the appraiser, they also gave a little "sanction".

Then, the inspector and appraiser were off...to the next house.

All of these organizations / individuals are in bed with one another.

Also, the National Association of Home Builders (N.A.H.B.)....for those who buy "new" houses, or get one built...should be very aware that the NAHB is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest)contributors of political money. (Do you get the picture?)

Go to H.A.D.D. com, and see how many individuals are now fighting crooked home-builders, and are trying to get legislation passed, involving the crooks in this industry.

Look at the "new" houses that are being built, where the builders are actually leaving out materials !! (purposely done, and don't disclose those facts); Look how many houses they are not building correctly, then the "new" houses are leaking water at every rain, causing mold in the houses.; etc. The owners of these "new" houses are having to LEAVE the dadgum things, "because of" the crooks in the industry.

These crooked builders are able to go through the FHA (HUD) organization, then when HUD becomes "aware" of what is going on (because they have a lot of people filing on the SAME building companies), they then do....nothing.

It's all a con-artist racket, folks.
WAKE UP, AMERICA.

- and these con games are lining the pockets of those higher up.
No wonder HUD does "nothing". People are getting rich off this crap.

OFFICIALS are getting rich off this crap.

"Become a new homeowner today", folks.
"Get a new house built today", folks.
Let's all live in America, folks.

They are ripping off "Americans", and noone is doing a thing about it.

Hell, the government knows what is going on.
Why do you think they don't do anything about it?
MONEY-IN-THE-POCKETS.
That's why.

Forget the "American dream of home ownership",
as FHA (HUD) likes to proclaim. That is their "motto", in case you haven't noticed.
Same thing they used to state on their T.V. ads, along with their "Homebuyer Protection Plan".

These (crooked) agencies, (crooked) homebuilders, (crooked) entities in government...they don't care who they "trample" on. All they hear is, "money".
- and the money has gone to their d**n heads.

You can also forget about, getting "honest" literature from the Better Business Bureau, too.
They do not "bite the hand that feeds them", either.
Businesses pay an average of $ 1500 - $5,000 for that little placque sitting atop their desk.

Good luck in "really" finding out if any previous complaints have been filed on a business. Ha !
What a joke.

Most of the time, they won't even tell you about them, and I know that for a FACT.
(I've known some individuals who KNEW there were reports filed on companies, and checked out B.B.B. to see if they would tell them about them.
Nope. Sure didn't.)

It's ALL a racket, my friends.

I am not implying that ALL homebuilders are crooked. (I believe the majority of them are, though.)
I am not implying that every homeowner who has their house up for sell, are rip-offs.

But the majority in the "housing industry" are as crooked as hell. The "housing industry" is BIG business, and they don't care who they hurt.
(and it's only getting worse)

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#11 Consumer Comment

They are all in bed with one another

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

Unfortunately, I have no intention to ever "buy" another house.

First of all, what made us even go through FHA (which is a program through HUD, in case you did not know) was that we had seen a T. V. commercial, proclaiming their "Homebuyer Protection Plan".

Ha ! What a joke. False advertising, within itself.

Then, we, the lenders, FHA (HUD) ALL got ripped-off by Homevestors (Tom & Sharon Redus; d.b.a. Redus & Co.; d.b.a. Homevestors).

You then top that off, with an FHA inspector who also did not report problems of the house (to us, or to HUD); and an appraiser who also did not report the problems to us or to HUD; appraiser also used two "comparative houses" in another city 10 miles away from the city the house was in; he also stated an "overprice" amount for the house's worth. (still not taking in to consideration what it would cost to fix the thing.)

HUD's solution:

They gave a little "sanction" to the FHA inspector (a slap on the wrist: "One year suspension, but we will lowever that to two months, if you will take two classes (then named them, and each class took 8 hours to take.)

As for the appraiser, they also gave a little "sanction".

Then, the inspector and appraiser were off...to the next house.

All of these organizations / individuals are in bed with one another.

Also, the National Association of Home Builders (N.A.H.B.)....for those who buy "new" houses, or get one built...should be very aware that the NAHB is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest)contributors of political money. (Do you get the picture?)

Go to H.A.D.D. com, and see how many individuals are now fighting crooked home-builders, and are trying to get legislation passed, involving the crooks in this industry.

Look at the "new" houses that are being built, where the builders are actually leaving out materials !! (purposely done, and don't disclose those facts); Look how many houses they are not building correctly, then the "new" houses are leaking water at every rain, causing mold in the houses.; etc. The owners of these "new" houses are having to LEAVE the dadgum things, "because of" the crooks in the industry.

These crooked builders are able to go through the FHA (HUD) organization, then when HUD becomes "aware" of what is going on (because they have a lot of people filing on the SAME building companies), they then do....nothing.

It's all a con-artist racket, folks.
WAKE UP, AMERICA.

- and these con games are lining the pockets of those higher up.
No wonder HUD does "nothing". People are getting rich off this crap.

OFFICIALS are getting rich off this crap.

"Become a new homeowner today", folks.
"Get a new house built today", folks.
Let's all live in America, folks.

They are ripping off "Americans", and noone is doing a thing about it.

Hell, the government knows what is going on.
Why do you think they don't do anything about it?
MONEY-IN-THE-POCKETS.
That's why.

Forget the "American dream of home ownership",
as FHA (HUD) likes to proclaim. That is their "motto", in case you haven't noticed.
Same thing they used to state on their T.V. ads, along with their "Homebuyer Protection Plan".

These (crooked) agencies, (crooked) homebuilders, (crooked) entities in government...they don't care who they "trample" on. All they hear is, "money".
- and the money has gone to their d**n heads.

You can also forget about, getting "honest" literature from the Better Business Bureau, too.
They do not "bite the hand that feeds them", either.
Businesses pay an average of $ 1500 - $5,000 for that little placque sitting atop their desk.

Good luck in "really" finding out if any previous complaints have been filed on a business. Ha !
What a joke.

Most of the time, they won't even tell you about them, and I know that for a FACT.
(I've known some individuals who KNEW there were reports filed on companies, and checked out B.B.B. to see if they would tell them about them.
Nope. Sure didn't.)

It's ALL a racket, my friends.

I am not implying that ALL homebuilders are crooked. (I believe the majority of them are, though.)
I am not implying that every homeowner who has their house up for sell, are rip-offs.

But the majority in the "housing industry" are as crooked as hell. The "housing industry" is BIG business, and they don't care who they hurt.
(and it's only getting worse)

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#10 Consumer Comment

They are all in bed with one another

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

Unfortunately, I have no intention to ever "buy" another house.

First of all, what made us even go through FHA (which is a program through HUD, in case you did not know) was that we had seen a T. V. commercial, proclaiming their "Homebuyer Protection Plan".

Ha ! What a joke. False advertising, within itself.

Then, we, the lenders, FHA (HUD) ALL got ripped-off by Homevestors (Tom & Sharon Redus; d.b.a. Redus & Co.; d.b.a. Homevestors).

You then top that off, with an FHA inspector who also did not report problems of the house (to us, or to HUD); and an appraiser who also did not report the problems to us or to HUD; appraiser also used two "comparative houses" in another city 10 miles away from the city the house was in; he also stated an "overprice" amount for the house's worth. (still not taking in to consideration what it would cost to fix the thing.)

HUD's solution:

They gave a little "sanction" to the FHA inspector (a slap on the wrist: "One year suspension, but we will lowever that to two months, if you will take two classes (then named them, and each class took 8 hours to take.)

As for the appraiser, they also gave a little "sanction".

Then, the inspector and appraiser were off...to the next house.

All of these organizations / individuals are in bed with one another.

Also, the National Association of Home Builders (N.A.H.B.)....for those who buy "new" houses, or get one built...should be very aware that the NAHB is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest)contributors of political money. (Do you get the picture?)

Go to H.A.D.D. com, and see how many individuals are now fighting crooked home-builders, and are trying to get legislation passed, involving the crooks in this industry.

Look at the "new" houses that are being built, where the builders are actually leaving out materials !! (purposely done, and don't disclose those facts); Look how many houses they are not building correctly, then the "new" houses are leaking water at every rain, causing mold in the houses.; etc. The owners of these "new" houses are having to LEAVE the dadgum things, "because of" the crooks in the industry.

These crooked builders are able to go through the FHA (HUD) organization, then when HUD becomes "aware" of what is going on (because they have a lot of people filing on the SAME building companies), they then do....nothing.

It's all a con-artist racket, folks.
WAKE UP, AMERICA.

- and these con games are lining the pockets of those higher up.
No wonder HUD does "nothing". People are getting rich off this crap.

OFFICIALS are getting rich off this crap.

"Become a new homeowner today", folks.
"Get a new house built today", folks.
Let's all live in America, folks.

They are ripping off "Americans", and noone is doing a thing about it.

Hell, the government knows what is going on.
Why do you think they don't do anything about it?
MONEY-IN-THE-POCKETS.
That's why.

Forget the "American dream of home ownership",
as FHA (HUD) likes to proclaim. That is their "motto", in case you haven't noticed.
Same thing they used to state on their T.V. ads, along with their "Homebuyer Protection Plan".

These (crooked) agencies, (crooked) homebuilders, (crooked) entities in government...they don't care who they "trample" on. All they hear is, "money".
- and the money has gone to their d**n heads.

You can also forget about, getting "honest" literature from the Better Business Bureau, too.
They do not "bite the hand that feeds them", either.
Businesses pay an average of $ 1500 - $5,000 for that little placque sitting atop their desk.

Good luck in "really" finding out if any previous complaints have been filed on a business. Ha !
What a joke.

Most of the time, they won't even tell you about them, and I know that for a FACT.
(I've known some individuals who KNEW there were reports filed on companies, and checked out B.B.B. to see if they would tell them about them.
Nope. Sure didn't.)

It's ALL a racket, my friends.

I am not implying that ALL homebuilders are crooked. (I believe the majority of them are, though.)
I am not implying that every homeowner who has their house up for sell, are rip-offs.

But the majority in the "housing industry" are as crooked as hell. The "housing industry" is BIG business, and they don't care who they hurt.
(and it's only getting worse)

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#9 Consumer Comment

They are all in bed with one another

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 25, 2006

Unfortunately, I have no intention to ever "buy" another house.

First of all, what made us even go through FHA (which is a program through HUD, in case you did not know) was that we had seen a T. V. commercial, proclaiming their "Homebuyer Protection Plan".

Ha ! What a joke. False advertising, within itself.

Then, we, the lenders, FHA (HUD) ALL got ripped-off by Homevestors (Tom & Sharon Redus; d.b.a. Redus & Co.; d.b.a. Homevestors).

You then top that off, with an FHA inspector who also did not report problems of the house (to us, or to HUD); and an appraiser who also did not report the problems to us or to HUD; appraiser also used two "comparative houses" in another city 10 miles away from the city the house was in; he also stated an "overprice" amount for the house's worth. (still not taking in to consideration what it would cost to fix the thing.)

HUD's solution:

They gave a little "sanction" to the FHA inspector (a slap on the wrist: "One year suspension, but we will lowever that to two months, if you will take two classes (then named them, and each class took 8 hours to take.)

As for the appraiser, they also gave a little "sanction".

Then, the inspector and appraiser were off...to the next house.

All of these organizations / individuals are in bed with one another.

Also, the National Association of Home Builders (N.A.H.B.)....for those who buy "new" houses, or get one built...should be very aware that the NAHB is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest)contributors of political money. (Do you get the picture?)

Go to H.A.D.D. com, and see how many individuals are now fighting crooked home-builders, and are trying to get legislation passed, involving the crooks in this industry.

Look at the "new" houses that are being built, where the builders are actually leaving out materials !! (purposely done, and don't disclose those facts); Look how many houses they are not building correctly, then the "new" houses are leaking water at every rain, causing mold in the houses.; etc. The owners of these "new" houses are having to LEAVE the dadgum things, "because of" the crooks in the industry.

These crooked builders are able to go through the FHA (HUD) organization, then when HUD becomes "aware" of what is going on (because they have a lot of people filing on the SAME building companies), they then do....nothing.

It's all a con-artist racket, folks.
WAKE UP, AMERICA.

- and these con games are lining the pockets of those higher up.
No wonder HUD does "nothing". People are getting rich off this crap.

OFFICIALS are getting rich off this crap.

"Become a new homeowner today", folks.
"Get a new house built today", folks.
Let's all live in America, folks.

They are ripping off "Americans", and noone is doing a thing about it.

Hell, the government knows what is going on.
Why do you think they don't do anything about it?
MONEY-IN-THE-POCKETS.
That's why.

Forget the "American dream of home ownership",
as FHA (HUD) likes to proclaim. That is their "motto", in case you haven't noticed.
Same thing they used to state on their T.V. ads, along with their "Homebuyer Protection Plan".

These (crooked) agencies, (crooked) homebuilders, (crooked) entities in government...they don't care who they "trample" on. All they hear is, "money".
- and the money has gone to their d**n heads.

You can also forget about, getting "honest" literature from the Better Business Bureau, too.
They do not "bite the hand that feeds them", either.
Businesses pay an average of $ 1500 - $5,000 for that little placque sitting atop their desk.

Good luck in "really" finding out if any previous complaints have been filed on a business. Ha !
What a joke.

Most of the time, they won't even tell you about them, and I know that for a FACT.
(I've known some individuals who KNEW there were reports filed on companies, and checked out B.B.B. to see if they would tell them about them.
Nope. Sure didn't.)

It's ALL a racket, my friends.

I am not implying that ALL homebuilders are crooked. (I believe the majority of them are, though.)
I am not implying that every homeowner who has their house up for sell, are rip-offs.

But the majority in the "housing industry" are as crooked as hell. The "housing industry" is BIG business, and they don't care who they hurt.
(and it's only getting worse)

Respond to this report!
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#8 Consumer Comment

They are here... to reclaim Texas... and they are going to do it... first of all... in the Construction business... if we let them!

AUTHOR: Dennis - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, December 06, 2004

Cory...

Thanks, for replying. (Where are you from?)

I am not sure if you understand, however...the purpose and the evil corruption of the cheating, lying, no-good for nothing worthless unethicall ...average construction person....

The average construction/real estate person is nothing more than...a piece of ship!

I hate to be so blatent. But it seems, that without being so explicite, that you do not understand...construction and real estate people and insurance people...are all...

pieces of SHIP!!!!!!!

Guano... smelly crapporamma...

What I am trying to do... is this..I am trying to piff people off...so that some day, the construction business will once again become a professional and respectfull business. We need to get rid of all of the "ex-cons", we need to get rid of all the fughin Italian brotherhood family and all of the freeking Mexican mafia that is crawling up on their belly.

I want America, to be able to offer basic construction jobs, for our sons...so that they can get their muscles...on the job...so that they can get started,basic wage,maybe a profession!?

President Bush is so out of touch...he never had to work for a day in his dang life!!!
He is a Wimp-Jerk off..he was such a dangly sweet boy...that he became a "Cheer Leader" while he was going to college, up North, while he was smoking his nose and bonging enough alchohol to destroy enough brain cells, that he did not understand the basics, of what his fellow students were learning, when they were studying philosophy and comparitive religion.

And then, when he had a "un-manly" relationship with Billy Grahm..."oh God Dang, I love you Billy!!!"..."Im just a poor dumn country boy, from Connecticut, but I love you, Billy Grahm!"
...George cried and wept.."I have one hand on my bible, and one hand on Billy Grahm"..George said.."I love you, Billy...smooch, smooch"!!

Well, we are all so "happy"
!?!?!, that George fell in love with Billy. But...we are all quite unhappy that George Junior decided, for some unGodly reason...to use his political power...to open the floodgates to allow all the dangnation Mexican/wetback/spickanos across our border!!!!

You can do what you want to! You can have any attitude that you want to! But I...as an actual Son of the Republic...my forefather was one of the original settlers...who lost his livestock and some of his relatives and friends...to the stinking good for nothing animals...that are now trying to stink their way back across the border....I say...to heck with them.

And I say, to heck with any of my bretheren, who are too stupid, to realize, who their current real enemy is. These Panchos...they are here to take over this territory...what we once called...TEXAS



...Bush...
He is letting all these dang... Mexican/Spanish/ Latino/Hispanic/Wetback/Spick/Animal/Illegal Alien/Corrupt Stinking Bastardo/ South of the Border/Baby-Making/Pieces of s**t...

Come into our country by the thousands...and take over the "Construction Industry". If there is anyone, anywhere, who does not realize that the Mexican Illegals are not trying to take over, then that means that the anglos, are too complacent to believe, that the dang Mexicanos are going to be your boss...soon...and you are going to have to call them...Patron!!

I will probably be the last Texan, that will stand up against the new revolution, as the Mexican/Latino/Wetback/Stinkbutt buntch of worthless good for nothing hordes of cheap labor come over the border, and then take advantage of American Human Health Services... Squirting out enough babies, to become a new majority!!

What is going to be the decline of Anglo/Construction/business...is that we are so busy competing with each other...that we dont even realize who our real enemies/competitors are...the new Mexican Menace!!!

They are here... to reclaim Texas... and they are going to do it... first of all... in the Construction business... if we let them!

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#7 Consumer Comment

I Wonder

AUTHOR: Cory - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, December 05, 2004

Sure sounds like you got ripped off by a crooked realtor. Here in SA, HomeVestors runs ads on the radio about buying homes that are in need of repair, from people one step ahead of foreclosure, from death estates, from those who are out of luck, time and money. They don't say that but that's what it sounds like. Were you trying to save a few dollars by not hiring an inspector? Or did you just listen to what the guy trying to sell you the house was telling you? It's a good lesson for all of us. Contact the Texas Board of Realtors for some guidance.

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#6 Consumer Comment

"Real" Estate or "Steal" Estate business...

AUTHOR: Dennis - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, December 04, 2004

Ive read the original complaint/updates/and responses..and would like to add my comments.
I also am a Phi Theta Kappa honoree and proud of it. I have seven years of college and proud of it. I have twenty yrs experience in the construction industry both as a contractor and as the owner of a remodeling company. I have a degree in Construction Management. I am qualified to offer believable fact-based commentary.

In my opinion the construction industry and the real estate industries are some of the most corrupt businesses there are. ANYONE entering into doing business with them as a consumer or as a partner should be aware of the danger...and do their homework carefully, and proceed with caution.

I hired a real estate agent to represent me and my side, when I bought my last house...he ripped me off. His associate who was handling all of my down payments, took several of my checks forging them into her own personal account. Her excuse,before being taken to jail, was that the only reason she did it was because the real estate company she worked for was a bunch of crooks who had ripped her off, and she was just trying to get even!?!?

Appraisors and Inspectors are mostly all working in collusion/paid off by vested interests. I personally know of one "licensed" home inspector who burned down his high school when he was a teenager. As an adult he went on to felony convictions for assault/battery on his wives and his neighbors. His addictions beside alchoholism include several years as a junky with heroin being his drug of choice. The last I heard of him, he had moved on to becoming a ..."home inspector".

Most ex-cons have to get jobs working construction...during my years Ive had my nose broken four times, my shoulderblade broken once, my eye socket torn out once, had two different guns pulled on me while trying to collect contracted moneys owed to me..as a result of doing business with these fine upstanding citizens. I wont even begin to detail all the thousands and thousands of dollars I have been ripped off of.

And let us not forget all the crooked thieving lying lawyers and insurance agents!!

So..dont even think about buying a house, unless you are sure you have all your wits about you, and unless you are sure that you really have some trustworthy professionals to help you. I would recommend some, if I knew of any. After working in the business for twenty years, I was the only honest construction professional I knew, and that's why I got out of it and now work in a different business. Good luck, to all of us, with our next home purchase.

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#5 Consumer Comment

Another Reason to Use a Buyer's Agent

AUTHOR: Dawn - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, February 19, 2004

I am so sorry for the problems you have faced with what should be a great experience (owning your own home). I am a licensed Real Estate Agent (yes you are welcome to check at the VADPR.gov), I have seen many situations where a person buys a nighmare instead of a home. This can usually be avoided by using a "Buyer's Agent". Here's the scoop. When you buy a house from the owner, of course they're not going to tell you the A/C is duct taped together.. They're trying to sell that house! When you drive by and call the phone number on the sign... They're not going to tell you the A/C is duct taped together either... THEY work for the owner and they're trying to sell that house! The only person who cares about what happens to you is a person that works for you. When you hire a Buyer's Agent (which doesn't cost you a dime), they have a legal responsibility to you, while the Listing Agent and Owner don't!
I "lost a sale" today because I advised a buyer not to write a contract on a home because it was built in 1950 and the paint was peeling. Now, I have no idea if the house really has lead based paint on it, but I have a pretty good hunch that it does. Not only do I have a professional obligation to inform them, I also have a moral obligation, because they trust me. It my job to tell my client what I think and advise them NOT to buy a house with a duct taped A/C unit.
Sincerely,

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#4 Consumer Comment

Why didn't the buyers hire an outside inspector before buying

AUTHOR: Joe - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, November 24, 2003

Why didn't the buyers hire an outside inspector before buying, why didn't the buyers notice some of the problems themselves, why didn't the buyers make a final walk through before closing.
I don't believe every one else is at fault. The buyers for being "college educated" were not very smart at doing all the prior inspections and not talking to at least someone they know who is educated and experienced in real estate. The buyer should take responsibility for at least 40% of the damages.

Thank You

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#3 Consumer Suggestion

Good luck kepp us posted on your progress

AUTHOR: Kim - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, June 26, 2003

I read your post, what has happened with this case? There is no doubt that the realtors, and the appraiser should be held liable for this. House was grossly misrepresented.

Good luck, give us an update when you can.

Kim.

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#2 Consumer Suggestion

UPDATE - Lawsuit Against Tom S. & Sharon Redus

AUTHOR: Billie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, June 14, 2003

Fraud; Breach of Contract:

Causel# 2002-11421-16 Status Filed

Court 16th Judicial District Court Type Accounts, Contracts, and Notes - District Clerk

Date Filed 11/12/2002

In the 16th Judicial District Court

Denton County, Texas

Cause No. 2002-11421-16


EDWARD AND DEBRA TURNEY VS. REDUS & COMPANY INC


Filed on 11/12/2002

Case Type: Accounts, Contracts, and Notes - District Clerk

Court Costs Paid: $168.00 Due: $0.00

Current Status: Filed


Defendant

"Redus & Company Inc."
Redus, Tom S. - owner/President;
Redus, Sharon - owner/Vice-President

Attorney
Jester Jr, Tom D

P O BOX 280

DENTON, TX 76202


Plaintiff

Turney, Edward


Plaintiff Attorney

Hansen, Eric

101 S. WOODROW LANE, STE. B

DENTON TX 76205


Plaintiff

Turney, Debra


Plaintiff Attorney

Hansen, Eric

101 S. WOODROW LANE, STE. B

DENTON TX 76205


Events and Orders of the Court

01/02/2003 DEFENDANT'S ORIGINAL ANSWER

REDUS & COMPANY INC

12/17/2002 CITATION RETURNED SERVED

TO REDUS AND COMPANY INC 12-14-02

11/12/2002 PLAINTIFF'S ORIGINAL PETITION

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#1 0

We are never going away until this thing is finally resolved.

AUTHOR: - ()

POSTED: Monday, April 01, 2002

Here are interesting UPDATES on our situation/& our pending case:



The day that Mr. Tom Redus first showed us this house, he told us:



1. My wife and I are both licensed real estate agents. We better hurry up and get our licenses "renewed", because we are running out of time to do that.



(The Texas Real Estate Commission called the other day and told me that this couple are NOT licensed real estate people. )



2. Mr. Tom Redus had told us, "This house is a Victorian home." (We found out later they didn't BUILD real Victorian homes in 1920 !!!!!)



3. Mr. Tom Redus told us, "The heating/& cooling system is practically brand new. It hasn't been installed very long." (We found out heat didn't even work & was duct-taped together. We contacted the Texas Attorney General's office, and after Tom & Sharon Redus were contacted by the TX. Atty. General's office & two district attorneys, the Redus' found it in their best interest to pay approximately $1800.00 to a heating/ac co. to install a new TRANE heating unit in our home on Feb. 3 (or 4), 2002.

(We had been living in 33 degree weather inside of our house for 5 months, before the new unit was installed!!!!!!)



4. This house also has no electricity in 1/2 of the house. We now have large extension cords running from one side of the house to the other, in order to run some of the appliances.



5. ...and the list goes on and on.



I tell you...it's been one lie after another, from the first day we layed eyes on these people. They are habitual liars.



You can also get an idea of what this couple is involved in, by going to the website of: www.homevestors.com

The main page of this site states, "We buy ugly houses and make them nice again." (I think I'm gonna' be sick over this statement.) I also found out that HomeVestors gives their "partners" (franchisees) who do well...a "Golden Hammer Award." (I'm sure Tom & Sharon Redus won't ever be getting one of these awards, however.)



I could go on and on about this house and situation.



I will try to sum it up quickly:

1. Sellers gave misinterpretation of the house. (Victorian home, new heating, "better hurry up and buy it, because there are many other people interested in it", etc.)



2. Sellers signed the "Disclosure Statement" (which is part of the real estate contract - this is the statement that sellers have to legally sign, stating if they know of any problems or potential problems with the house or property.) The Redus' signed to the fact, "NO known problems with house or property. (We recently found out they HAD to have known about problems, because the "state-of-the-art repair cost analying software" that you get from HomeVestors helps you with that.)



3. HUD/FHA appraiser did not state some of the problems on his appraisal report, that were SUPPOSED to be stated on his report, according to the "FHA Guidelines" manual.

Examples include: He stated heating unit was "AVG" (average) condition. He made no mention it was duct-taped together & didn't even work; water heaters & ventilation are supposed to be up to building codes, no matter where they are located. (He made no mention that it is breaking building codes & TXU GAS CO. refused, & still refuses, to light it because it's dangerous, will cause gas fumes to come into our house, and must be fixed by a licensed plumber, etc. etc. etc.



4. FHA told the Redus' they would HAVE to fix certain things before the house would qualify for an FHA loan.



5. Sellers DIDN'T fix things FHA told them too.



6. FHA Final Inspector said house passed the final inspection, when in fact, it didn't. However, in reality: we had no heat; foundation had not been fixed (as was supposed to be - the middle of our floors in entryway, living room & dining room are sloped up approx. 2-3 inches & getting worse & the boards of the floors are LOUDLY squeaking every time you walk across the floor ); windows were not repaired/replaced & locks installed (as was supposed to be - still have nails & screws inside of window panes & are also "puttied" shut, keeping them from even opening.); exterior drainage problems were not fixed (as was supposed to be - water runs under our house every time it rains, too.); lead-based paint on exterior of house was not removd & house repainted (as was supposed to be - the paint is peeling badly, and big chunks of paint are breaking off, exposing bare wood in some parts); roof support was not fixed (as was supposed to be - unattached 2 X 4's are still leaning against the walls of the attic - you can also swing the boards in the middle of the attic, back & forth with your hands); noone EVER stated commode didn't/& still doesn't flush by using the hand lever.



7. House was approved for the loan and the sale closed.

(All the while, my husband & I thought the house HAD been brought up to "FHA Minimum Requirements", and as other consumers, we knew that FHA was known for having very strict guidelines, when it comes to houses passing for an FHA loan.)



8. Found out we had no heat, and house had other major problems (at which time we figured out house DID not meet "FHA Guidelines" manual and guidelines stated in "HUD Handbook", but house had "somehow" passed all inspections.



9. Started contacting HUD in October, 2002, (they are the parent company of FHA.) Told them we had NO heat, etc. but they refused to help us (and stated "we're not liable", etc. - at which time I reminded them, "YES...you ARE liable - and I told them I knew about the HUD "Homebuyer Protection Plan", which was put into legal law in 1999 to protect people who get an FHA loan from getting a "lemon" of a house.



(Now...instead of HUD telling us "We are not liable", they have changed it to: "We have no funds to help you." (Which, we have found out by some other agencies involved...YES...they DO have the funds to help us. - We have also found out we are not the ONLY couple this has happened (I prefer not to go into the specific cases right now.) However, I can tell you that, in those certain cases, HUD "DID" admit they were liable, and their is proof that they are actually making the house payments for one/or more of these couples.



(In other words, HUD gave these people the choice of having their house fixed, or get another house. The people chose another house, and HUD now pays the money for the house payments, each month. - The house is not costing the homebuyer one cent. In one of these cases, the couple paid $80,000 for their house & found out their home had 181 building code violations !!!!!!. - In another example case, the couple paid $80,000 for a home (that was found out later to be worth only $65,000) and it was going to cost MORE than what the couple had paid for the home...to FIX the home !!!!!



(I would personally like to know: how many times these houses have "slipped through the system" & couples (& their families) have suffered; how many times some appraisors &/or some inspectors did not do their jobs properly; how many times HUD has said, "We're not liable" (even though the HUD "Homebuyer Protection Plan" is legalized - of course, HUD does not TELL you about this plan - I personally saw information about it on the T.V...years ago. Since I am now IN this position, I have since done EXTENSIVE research on the "Homebuyer Protection Plan." I've also read the "FHA Appraisal Guidelines" and the "HUD Handbook"...among MANY other things.



10. After I informed the lending company of problems with the house, they were "APPALLED", to say the least !!!! After finding this out, the lending company just paid an FHA INSPECTOR to do a "Post Closing Audit Review" (which was just done 03/20/2002) - THIS inspector DID note things wrong with this house and also took pictures of the water heater, brown stuff coming out of heating/cooling vent & falling directly into our bathtub (has been doing this ever since we have lived here), noted foundation problems, took pictures of drainage problems on exterior of house, etc. (I was here this time, when the inspection was done. - the first time inspection was done, noone even NOTIFIED us to TELL us when the inspection was scheduled to be done !!!!!)



11. Lending company has also informed us that after they spoken with HUD about this house and the situation. HUD has now said, they will doing an "Internal Inspection". The inspector is supposed to be done in May or June.



12. In the meantime, after trying to get help with our situation (for 6 months !!!!!!...to no avail), we have now contacted litigation attorneys. I will not divulge all of the information they have in their posession, but I will tell you...they have all of the pictures we have ever taken (duct-taped heating unit, water heater... EVERYTHING). They also have a HUGE notebook that I put together, of details, facts, research, etc. that I have been collecting for 6 months now. They also have proof/evidence of anything I ever said, or was said to me by others, pertaining to problems with this house, and the "denial of liability" by those involved.



We have tried to be civil about all of this, tried patiently to get help from those who SHOULD have helped us, and who ARE liable. I guess they thought...we would "just go away"; were too stupid to find out what our rights are; wouldn't know what to do about this; didn't think we knew the meaning of "litigation"; and didn't think we could prove our case.

However, they are wrong in the way they think and...we have been told...we have ALREADY PROVEN our case.

(One of the people who told us this, in person, is licensed by the "Texas Supreme Court.", among other things.) If that gives you any idea.



There were many people &/or agencies who messed up on this thing, and how this house "slipped through the system"...I will never know. I guess the same way other houses have "slipped through the loopholes", due to some people not doing their jobs correctly.



As for my husband & I just "going away"...we are never going away until this thing is finally resolved. It doesn't matter if it takes one or two years...we will still be here. "We are loaded for bear & sticking to our guns."



I wasn't invited to, & joined, (and will be a life-time member of) "Phi Theta Kappa" last year in college (which is the "International Honor Roll Society) & I didn't get on the "National Dean's List"...by being..."stupid".

My husband & I also did not "fall off a turnip truck."



For other couples who are going through this same thing...hang in there, try to keep a straight head (even if you have no heat, commode won't flush, you feel like screaming or wringing someone's neck - & who can blame you !!!!!!), find out your rights, do research, and contact the right people. (This means going over other's heads if you have to which...you probably will.), get organized and keep good records. If worse comes to worse which...it probably will, then...find some good attorneys. Good luck & remember, "If you don't stand for something, then you will fall for anything."



I forgot to tell you:



The FHA Final Inspector (who did the final inspection on this house & property) will now be taken off of the HUD panel roster. Although this will take a little time to be finalized, he will no longer be able to do inspections for HUD again !!!!!

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