Home Building & Remodeling Information

This page helps you follow Clark Howard's advice, "save more; spend less; and avoid rip-offs." Please send other helpful links to .

General Consumer Information

• Angie’s List – Consumer reviews of homebuilders, contractors & service providers. Companies only get listed when consumers submit recommendations or complaints, thus removing bias from this site. The downside is it's a fee-based service. 
• Better Business Bureau (512-445-2911) – Find acredited businesses, file complaints, search resource list. BBB has a mixed reputation because companies can pay to be listed, and BBB-facilitated mediation often favors business over consumers. 
• Consumer Reports Magazine Online  – Independent consumer advice 
• Hail Damage Advice - from a Dallas-based attorney

  • Homeowners Consumer Center offers consumer advice by Americas Watchdog, a national consumer advocacy group, focused mostly on home mortgage and insurance and real estate agents. 
  • Housewrecked – Consumer Reports article that shows how serious defects plague new homes 
• HUD.gov/consumer  – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 
• Texas Attorney General (512-463-2100)  
• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (512-463-6599) – TX builders, general contractors & home inspectors are not licensed, yet, but TDLR already licenses electricians and other trades.  
• Texas Residential Construction Commission – Consumers can no longer check with the TRCC to see if contractors are "registered" with the state. HOT convinced lawmakers to abolish the agency by showing how it served builders more than buyers, gave buyers a false sense of security, and served to limit dispute resolution options. See TRCC Eulogy. 
• Texas Secretary of State (512-463-5600) 
• Travis County Judicial District Civil Court (512-854-9306) 
• Wall Street Journal: 10 Things Builders Won't Tell You
• Wall Street Journal: 10 Things Contractors Won't Tell You

Consumer Advocacy

• America's Watch Dog – Advocates Consumer Protection and Corporate Fair Play 
• American Homeowners' Resource Center – Protecting people from abusive HOAs/POAs (homeowner/propertyowner associations)
• Hutto Arsenic – Documents problems with the Brownfields Act, which releases builders from liability or duty to disclose when they develop contaminated land 
• Complaint Sites  – We can't endorse homeowner complaint sites, but there are many! 
• Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings – Currently fighting to end forced arbitration 
• Hutto Parke – From neighbors upset with Lennar Homes and the TRCC (see Site Map) 
• National Association of Consumer Advocates  – A forum for information sharing among attorneys and consumer advocates 
• People Over Profits  – Opposes Binding Arbitration to protect civil justice 
• Public Citizen – Represents consumers in Congress, the executive branch and the courts 
• Texans for Public Justice  – Tracks the influence of money & corporate power in politics 
• Texas Homeowners for HOA Reform  – promoting a fair & democratic process in all Texas HOAs/POAs
• Texas Public Interest Research Group  – Stands up to powerful interests  
• Texas Watch – Working to restore access to courts and balance to insurance marketplace 

Buyers

• About.com  – Large collection of Home Buying Tips, Tricks and Techniques 
• Angie’s List – Find reputable homebuilders, contractors and service providers 
• Clark Howard Show – Section on Homes & Real Estate  
• CNN Money  – Advice on Buying a Home 
• FAIR - Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting is a watch group that follows media bias and censorship
• Fannie Mae  – How to Buy a Fannie Mae-Owned Home 
• Home Building Pitfalls – Avoid rip offs, Save money, Save time, Avoid stress 
• Home Buying For Dummies – book by Eric Tyson & Ray Brown 
• Homeowners Consumer Center offers consumer advice by Americas Watchdog, a national consumer advocacy group. 
• HUD.gov/buying  – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 
• MSN – Buying or Selling, Rent or Buy, Loans & Finance, Home & Garden 
• MSN – City Guides 
• Rate Your Builder – Consumer ratings of home builders and communities 
• Real Estate ABC – Real Estate & Mortgage Resources 
• Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs – Assistance Programs 
• Texas Department of Insurance – Compare rates and submit complaints 
• Texas Real Estate Commission – Licensing related to EXISTING homes 
• Texas Residential Construction Commission – Register Builders, NEW homes 
• The Environmental Protection Agency 
• The Everything Homebuying Book, by Piper Nichole – How to buy smart 
• The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University – Real estate questions 
• U.S. Department of Energy 
• U.S Department of Justice  
• Soil Issues – Expansive soils crack foundations; contaminated soil threatens health 
• Web Soil Survey – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 

Sellers & Realtors

• HUD.gov/selling  – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 
• InMan News  – Real estate news, info, advice, research, opinion 
• MSN – Buying or Selling, Rent or Buy, Loans & Finance, Home & Garden 
• Real Estate ABC  – Real Estate & Mortgage Resources 
• Texas Association of Realtors – Education, standards, resources, legal tools, and policy  
• Texas Real Estate – Consumer info about buying a home and working with realtors  
• Texas Real Estate Commission – Education, licensing & regulation to protect homeowners  

Home Builders & Construction Trades

• Licensing – Regulatory oversight and licensing in Texas. 
• Soil Issues – Expansive soils crack foundations; contaminated soil threatens health 
• Texas Association of Builders  – Resources, legal tools, and policy representation
• Web Soil Survey  – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 

Home Improvement

• Ask the Builder  – How-to articles by syndicated columnist Tim Carter 
• Home and Family Network  – Decorating, home improvement, health, etc 
• Home Depot  – World's largest home improvement specialty retailer 
• Home Improvement Encyclopedia  – by Better Homes & Gardens 
• Home Improvement & Repair  – How-to articles & videos from PBS TV show 
• Lowes  – World’s second-largest home improvement retailer 
• MSN – Green Living 
• MSN – Lifestyle 
• MSN – Home & Garden 
• National Gardening Association  – Content for consumers and educators 
• Sound Home Resource Center  – Home Improvements, Construction, Repair 
• True Value – Independent member-owned hardware cooperatives 
• BobVila.com  – Do-it-yourself info from This Old House TV series 

Legal & Legislative

• Construction Law blog - Coverage of construction litigation and legislation, mostly in Washington state 
• Construction Litigation Law blog - from the Construction Litigation Group at Stark & Stark 
• Contact Your Legislator – Find State/US Senators & Representatives by Address 
• Find an Attorney  – by National Association of Consumer Advocates 
• Lobby Watch – See what politicians take homebuilders' money 
• Mold Resources  – by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
• Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act – Encourages building on contaminated soil with no apparent oversight, liability, or duty to disclose 
• Texas Attorney General – Protects citizens and enforces health, safety & consumer regulations 
• Texas Freedom Network – monitors far-right issues, organizations, money and leaders
• TexasLawyers.com Legal Directory and Information Center Blog provides useful information on Texas Law and Texas lawyers 
• Texas Real Estate Commission – Licensing related to EXISTING homes 
• Texas Residential Construction Commission – The TRCC no longer registers Builders & NEW homes, and the site will shut down in September 2010.
• The Construction Defects Legal Network – a group of Trial Lawyers Protecting the Rights of Homeowners, Condominium Associations, and Other Building Owners in FL, KS, LA, NC and SC. 
• TRCC Eulogy – HOT convinced lawmakers to abolish the TRCC by showing how it served builders more than buyers, gave buyers a false sense of security, and served to limit dispute resolution options. Here's our celebration page and a repository of materials we used to oppose lobbyists for the $35 Billion Texas Homebuilding industry.
• U.S. Department of Energy 
• U.S Department of Justice 
• Who's to Blame for the Financial Crisis  – TIME Magazine articles with their insights and HOT commentary.