Consumer 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
.
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HUD Homes &
Communities
http://www.hud.gov
This site is a good starting point for basic
information about home ownership, starting with
figuring out how much you can afford. The U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
has a mission of increasing homeownership,
supporting community development and increasing
access to affordable housing free from
discrimination.
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Angie's
List
http://www.angieslist.com
How can you find reputable homebuilders,
contractors and service providers? Many consumers
pay a small fee to subscribe to Angie's List for
unbiased ratings and reviews from other
consumers. Angie's staff reads each review
before posting so companies can't rate themselves
or competitors. Companies don't pay to be on the
list, but the most highly rated ones are allowed to
offer discounts.
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Rate
Your Builder
http://www.RateYourBuilder.com
This free service provides consumer ratings of
home builders and communities as well as
valuable advice and up-to-date news helpful to
new home buyers and owners. Because it's
relatively new and has not yet built up a large
enough sample size for most builders and
communities, it's ratings aren't statistically
accurate representations. Even so, it gives
valuable insight and links to good reference
material that HoT doesn't cover.
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Home Building
Pitfalls
http://www.homebuildingpitfalls.com
Learn the pitfalls of building a new home. Learn
how to avoid builder rip offs on your construction
project. Save money, Save time, Avoid stress. And
get the high quality new home you expect. This
guide is the culmination of knowledge of several
attorneys, architects, and new home builders. It
shares knowledge gained the hard way: dealing with
hundreds of angry homeowners while managing the
warranty department for one of the country's
largest home builders.
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The Clark Howard
Show
http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/category/4/
From this section on Homes & Real Estate,
"Whether you're buying your first home or selling
your seventh, real estate transactions can be
tricky. Once you are in a home, taking care of it
can be overwhelming to you and especially to your
wallet."
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The Everything Homebuying
Book
How to buy smart - in any market, by Piper Nichole
(January 2009 edition). Determine what you can
afford. Explore your mortgage options. Find a home
that matches your needs.
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Home Buying For Dummies
(book)
by Eric Tyson and Ray Brown
Learn about the home-buying process, from
financing, mortgages and credit scores to closing
the deal.
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Web Soil
Survey
http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) has soil maps and data available online for
more than 95 percent of the nation’s counties and
anticipates having 100 percent in the near future.
The site is updated and maintained online as the
single authoritative source of soil survey
information.
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Texas Real Estate Commission
http://www.trec.state.tx.us/
This State agency protects consumers through
programs of education, licensing, and industry
regulation. It licenses realtors, sales agents, and
inspectors involved in the sale of existing homes
but has no jurisdiction over homebuilders and
construction trades.
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Texas Residential Construction
Commission
http://www.trcc.state.tx.us/default.asp
The stated mission of
the TRCC is "to promote quality construction for
Texans by registering industry members and
residential construction projects; providing
information and educating homeowners and the
residential construction industry; acting as a
resource for complainants; and offering a neutral,
technical review of alleged post-construction
defects." Unfortunately, the agency currently
regulates homeowners more than they do
builders.
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