Homeowners are hopping mad about smaller homes going up nearby
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Cutting corners is backfiring for home builders. From Reuters on Wednesday:
Builders desperate to put up smaller, cheaper homes are incurring extra expense and customers’ wrath by redesigning communities, even when people are already living in them. As the U.S. housing slump accelerates, homebuilders from California to New Jersey are now being forced back to the drawing board and the local planning board to downsize the American dream. ‘You can end up with a lot of angry homeowners when you’re midway through a project and try to change direction,’ said Jody Kahn of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, based in Irvine, California.
No kidding. The story details angry homeowners in Vacaville, Calif., who are fighting their builder.
Apparently this strategy has been employed in previous downturns after avenues such as pulling extras have been tried. OK, angry homeowners, would you rather have small homes built nearby, or no homes? (See photo.)
--Lauren Beale
Thoughts? Comments?
