Comments by "MarcosElMalo2" (@MarcosElMalo2) on "FOX 13 Investigates: Newly-constructed home buyers find Utah gives them few options to fix defects" video.

The 5-year warranty is built into the price of the car. The reason the home is priced at $350k is that it has a minimal warranty. It might cost $400k for a longer warranty. In many cases, honest builders are responding to consumer demand for lower priced homes with shorter warranties. Also, as the lawyer said, these home warranties are worded to protect the seller more than they protect the buyer. The National Electric Code (NEC) is more like a set of guidelines for local and state governments. While the NEC gets updated frequently (I think the latest was 2014), county or state government building codes lag behind. I’m somewhat troubled that the homeowner here hasn’t upgraded his circuit breakers (which would cost him $300-$1000, depending on whether he did it himself or hired an electrician) for his family’s safety. (And he’d probably want to hire an electrician if he wants to recover his cost from the builder.) Unfortunately, there are too many dishonest builders out there that undercut the honest ones on price, and homebuyers are choosing the cheaper homes. Until or unless the voters pressure their local and state governments to update their building codes and strengthen homebuyer protections, its “caveat emptor”—buyer beware. (And as always, “you get what you pay for” and “if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is”.) Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions many Americans will ever make. It’s surprising that they are not educating themselves nor doing their own visual inspections before signing the dotted line. Two of the defects in the video segment on that one house could have been detected by the buyer BEFORE or during escrow, especially the bay window misalignment. Things like cracked drywall or ineffective weather proofing might not show up for years, however. Sometimes it’s the owners’ fault if they’re not doing proper maintenance. In summary, dishonest builders are certainly a major part of the problem, but local government and the buyers themselves bear some responsibility. Local government is the responsibility of the voters, and voters that equate consumer protection and government regulation with “socialism” are also part of the problem. We conservatives have allowed ourselves to become extreme beyond common sense for the sake of party politics, enabling dishonesty in all aspects of business and industry, so we bear ultimate responsibility.
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@normsimpson2342 The media doesn’t install politicians, despite what the conspiracy theorists tell you. It’s up to the voters to elect politicians willing to change state and county building regulations to protect the homebuyer. Unfortunately, we live in a political environment where consumer protection is “communism”. If dishonest politicians are the problem, it’s ultimately the voters’ responsibility. Extremist conservatism is winning out over common sense conservatism due to party politics.
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Lol, something he could have done himself BEFORE he signed on the dotted line. However, no homes are perfectly square, and you wouldn’t want to use a T-square, which won’t fit into some corners. (However, there are now phone apps that can check walls and corners for right angles.) I think it’s a no brainer to spend $2.99 on an app before making a $350k purchase.
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That’s going to depend on local and state consumer protections and building regulations. For example, the NEC (national electrical code) is more of a set of guidelines, periodically updated. It’s up to county and state governments to implement these guidelines. The federal government doesn’t have jurisdiction over local building regulations. Ultimately, it’s up to the voters. Unfortunately, we live in a time where government regulation and consumer protections are equated with communism, and voters are swayed by emotional extremist arguments. Conservative politicians that look out for the little guy are smeared as RINOs. Your point can also be applied to the buyers, who are making these purchases without doing their homework. I don’t know about you, but I’d want to be an educated buyer if hundreds of thousands of dollars are on the line. I can hear people saying, “But how is the consumer supposed to know? I’m not a lawyer, how am I to decipher the legalese in the contract or warranty?”. If you’re spending that sort of money, you damn well better educate yourself, from building codes to the basics of contract law. Or hire a competent inspector and competent lawyer.
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@tripac3392 I agree. (Also, it’s tract home, not track home.) Wouldn’t you agree that some of the responsibility rests on the homebuyer? Some of the defects in that house could have been detected with a visual inspection, before signing on the line or during escrow. If one is going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home, shouldn’t one take the time to educate themselves and do a bit of research about circuit breakers? Too many buyers are rushing into shoddily constructed homes based on price—this puts pressure on the ethical builders to use lower quality materials and less skilled subs.
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