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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1963)
New Homeowner Has Recourse Through FHA for Work Defects MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON WASHINGTON men tu i ... , 'wn mere n.nS Quite like that sink ing feeling a man gets when he begins to suspect that his new dr?m house is fa"'ng apart The Federal Housin Admin jatration (FHA) has some ad vice for customers who find themselves in this predicament. It boils down to this: "Keep in touch with the building, . .keep Dr. Keller Named To White City Post WHITE CITY The Veterans Administration Domiciliary, at mine uiy, nas announced the appointment of Dr. Emil T Keller to the position of staff physician. Dr. Keller, a nalivo nf ton, Minn., graduated from high school in that city. He received his undergraduate and medical work at the University of Min nesota and served his intern ship and residency at Ancker Hospital, St. Paul. Before accepting appointment at uie uomicwary, Dr. Keller was associated with the John- ouii v,iuuc, nugny, n.d., since January, 1941. Prior to that he practiced medicine in Leola, S.D., and in Rolette, N.D. During World War II he serv ed as Flight Surgeon for the 72nd Bombardment Squadron in the South Pacific. He was a .member of the armed forces .from May, 1942, to December, il945. J Dr. Keller is a past master of the Rugby Masonic Lodge; serv ,ed on the city council four years and as mayor two years. He belonged to the Lions Club 'and was a deacon at the First .Methodist Church. Dr. and Mrs. Keller, who re side in White City, have two sons, Reed, a physician at the General Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, and Kenneth, a second lieutenant in the Army, who is serving in Germany. in touch with us. . .and keep cool." The FHA insures only the homeowners' mortgage not his house but it has ways of making the builder live up to his bargain. Among other things, it requires the contrac tor 10 give the buyer a one year warranty that the house was built according to FHA standards. The FHA does not enforce this warranty personally. The warranty actually serves as a document which gives the home owner some legal recourse if he is dissatisfied with his new nome and he wants to sue the builder. Legally, the question of liv ing up to the warranty is a matter between the builder and me Buyer not the govern ment. FHA Can Hcln But practicaly speaking, the FHA gets very much into the act. It has an effective lever for making sure that the build er abides by the warranty. The FHA simply will not approve his next housing project until he lives up to his past commit ments. Most buildiers, being reputa ble businessmen, want to re main in operation in their com munities. They also like the "FHA approved" label on the tract sign and the low down payment it implies. So it's good business to live up to the war ranty. What can the FHA-insured homeowner do to make sure he does not get cheated on the construction quality of his new hove? Here is some advice from FHA officials: First, the new homeowner should read his "FHA's home owner's guide." This is a tight little report on the role of the FHA in the transaction. It can save time and confusion and might even have some future positive influence on his blood pressure. Secondly, when the "hues" start showing in the house the jammed lock, the peeling paint, the crack in the bookcase he should carefully note each one and give the list to the builder. Take Action Quickly This should be done as Quick ly as possible. The longer the family lives in the house, the more difficult it can become to prove that a defect was the result of a construction flaw. The builder can claim (and in some cases, rightly so) that trie unsightly crack or gouge is the product of naturally ram bunctious children, an overzeal ous pet or some of the other ravages of the everyday domes tic schedule. Third, if the builder refuses to correct a construction de fect, the homeowner should for ward the complaint to the FHA oifice that granted his insur ance commitment. This is im portant. The FHA regional office then will send out an inspector to determine whether the home owner's complaint is justified. And if the homeowner doesn't like the FHA's decision, he can slill haul the contractor into court and let a jury do the de ciding. One point ought to be stressed here: It's never too late to write that letter of complaint to the FHA. That's because the government still has that big stick the threat of turning down future projects which it holds over the builder. Chances are that only the more serious structural short comings will linger or show up at this late date, but it costs the homeowner only a 5-cent stamp and a little time to find out his rights. MONDAY, NOVEMBER II, 1963 ELECTED TO POST McMINNVILL E Stuart Young, son of Rev. and Mrs: Clifford Young, 1549 Lenora Ave., Medford. has been elected vice president of the freshman class at Linfield College. Young will cooperate in the leadership of all class activities during the year. They'll Do It Every Time By Jimmy Hatlo HOWCUM? FLASH PINSTER CAH CO THE LEN(5TH OF THE FIELD FOR A TOUCHDOWM.IN RECORO SPRINT TIME" But is me first across the coal line ? nope.' old fatso, the ref, 13 two yards ahead all the way FHA Endorses Act For Responsibility InH ome Defects By JOSEPH D. IIUTNYAN WASHINGTON (UPI) - The Federal Housing Administration if HA) has endorsed legislation intended to give it some re sponsibility for patching up FHA-insured homes which de velop serious structural defects. However, this authoritv would be a last-resort device that would be used only in connec tion with what some FHA of ficials informally refer to as the "horror" case. This is the instance where something in the house col lapses to the point where it is practically unlivable. Introduction of the bill has stirred up some old misunder standings that have caused con fusion almost since the day the r s-st-x V ' -; - , . ,vw t rfHietw vvr' a -im . i?sw!c r. s "!.-si?"ri.r. M&&o K-. .T:"W.7:SSBsSC::..'iV.i:' A V-vWutflMH III HIM III I III r X-aSMS js -..-i . Engine trouble, and not a service station in sight ll ivus such a tiny speck on the ocean that our tanker almost missed it! FHA was born. One of these in volves the significance of the imprint "FHA insured" on a builder's sign. Just what is the buyer getting? Actually, the FHA does not insure a house. It insures only the mortgage. However, by set ting minimum construction standards to qualify for the mortgage insurance, the --;en-cy does have something to say about the kind of house that is built. And it accepts additional responsibility by sending its in spectors around periodically to make certain its standards are being met. Refuses New Projects The FHA already has a very effective technique for weeding out the builder who falls to re spond to legitimate customer complaints. It simply refuses to approve a new project for FHA insurance until he remedies all of the defects in his present project. The blank spot in FHA cov erage seems to be those few cases where a builder just re fuses to take any action at all. Either he drops the FHA com pletely or just goes out of busi ness. The FHA feels that since its Inspectors approved the house in such, a situation, It docs have some responsibility for making sure that the customer does not get cheated. Administrator Robert C. Weaver of the Housing and Home Finance Agency already has testified in favor of legis lation that would extend the FHA's liability along these lines. The bill is still pending in Congress. It will have to be passed and signed by the Presi dent before the homeowner gets this additional protection. Stresses Two Points Weaver stressed two things in connection with this new ob igation. First, the kind of cases it would cover involve only a very small portion of FHA business. He said builders generally were reliable businessmen in terested in maintaining a good reputation in the community. The second point is that this new FHA obiigational authority would be used only where the defect is of a near catastrophic type. It is not intended to re dress the grievance o( the man with the leaky faucet or the stuck door. The contractor us ually will handle such com plaints anyway. Letters written to the FHA strongly suggest there is more confusion on this issue than just about any other in the housing field. loo many homeowners lust aren't aware of what they are getting when they receive an FHA insurance commitment on their house. The biggest prob lem involves construction grievances. As a result, the FHA gets in undated with letters of com plaint from persons who should be settling their problems with the builder. The other extreme is that some homeowners, who are unaware of their rights, are not getting the quality for which they paid. Far out in the Sulu Sea, beyond the direct ship lanes, the little Ermedita ran into trouble: a shat tered crankshaft. The captain and some of the crewmen left in small boats for help but help never came. Seven days had gone by. There was no radio, just a while flag fluttering from the mast. Not a ship had passed. Supplies were rimninjr low. And hope, too. Aboard our tanker, outbound to Sumatra, a lookout thought he saw a flash of white on the far horizon. The captain altered his course to investigate. They found seven shocked, tired men, took them aboard, gave them medical care, and towed their stricken vessel to the Philippines, saving their means of livelihood. It's only one of many times our tanker men have made friends for our Company by giving aid at sea. On land, Standard men and women seek to make equally good friends for our Company-by the char acter of our public services, the integrity of our products, and our behavior as a citizen. STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA Labor Unions Lose 3 NLRB Elections PORTLAND - (UPI) -Labor unions lost three representation elections conducted by the Na tional Labor Relations Board last week. In Eugene, production, main tenance and transportation workers at Cascade Fibre Co. ejected representation by the Lumber 4 Sawmill Workers un ion of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. The vote was 29 to 19. Employes of Smoke CrafLs. Inc., Albany, voted 18 to 8 against representation by Amal gamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen, Local 324. Employes of the automobile bumper replating plant of Allied Plating, inc., Portland, were 9 to 6 against representation by International Association of Ma chinists Lodge 1432. Wrap On! 2V-AVA 01 II LOOK smart, FEEL comfort able, GO everywhere in a wrap skirt proportioned perfectly for half - size figures. For wool blend, denim. Printed Pattern 9258: Waist Sizes 29, 31, 33, 35, 37', 40, 42'4 inches. Waist Size 31 takes 2H yards 45-inch. FIFTY CENTS in coins for this pattern add 15 cents for each pattern for first class mailing and special handling. Send to Marian Martin, Medford Mail Tribune, Pattern Dept., 232 West 18th St., New York 11, N.Y. Print plainly NAME, ADDRESS with SIZE and STYLE NUM BER. CLIP COUPON FOR 50c FREE PATTERN in big, new Fall - Winter Pattern Catalog, just out! 354 design ideas. Send 50c for Catalog. SAVE 50 OR MORE! ECON-O-CLEAN Professional Dry Cleaning With Coin Operative Economy! 38 lb. MINIMUM ORDER $1.90 Cleaning and Spotting Onlyl Dumas Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaners 30-32 N. Rivanida Madford USE OUR DRIVE-IN SERVICE "Nolhinj Mikti Clolhn n Citin ll a Laundry" Psychology Subject Of Television Show ASHLAND "Perspectives in Psychology," will be the title of the new Insieht series, whirh is a program sponsored bv Southern Oregon College under the supervision of Dr. Jon Pow ell, on KMED-TV, from 8:30 to a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The program will be present ed by the psychology depart ment of SOC and designed to noint out that nxvrhnlnpv ic much broader than merely the treatment of the mentally ill. The show will also use live sub jects to best demonstrate theory. A 3- Portland Scene Of Five Conventions PORTLAND (UPI)-Five na- tional, regional andjtate con ventions will open here this week. The National Grange starts a nine day meeting today. About 1,500 delegates are expected The Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission begins a four -day meeting Tuesday. Some 150 per sons are due. The Oreeon School Rnaivt As. sociation opens a three day con vention with about 600 delegates Wednesday. The Holstein Fnesian Assnpin. tion starts a two-day regional convention of some 50 persons Friday. 1 Another 100 rlploaaioe a- v c c pected when the Credit Women of the Northwest open a two day meeting Saturday. LIVE AT THE HOTEL GRAND THIS WINTER " Steam heated rooms TV in the lobby Frae Phones Parking Area $50.00 per month HOTEL GRAND It never touches a drop. 1 Ohi&lM OF AMtftlCA, INC. ' The Volkswagen is cooled by air. Not water. An ingenious advantage. . Since air cannot freeze, the Volks wagen engine cannot. Even at tempera tures below zero, il ii safe and sound. . The VW hat no radiator problemi . for an eloquently simple reason. It has no radiator. Viz.- It never needs onli-freeze. It never needs flushing out. There is no radiator hose to crack and leak and possibly lose expensive onli-freeze. When drivers line up for anti-freeze etc. on the first bitter wlnler day, the VW owner is spared the annoyance. : Not to mention the expense. The Volkswagen has an equal advan tage tn hot weather. Air cannot boil any more than It tan freeze. ., , Neither eon the VW. ' fn. bumpeMo-bu.nper tragic, when tempers, and water grow short, when cars sit at the side of the road waiting to cool, the lillle Volkswagen goes right on past. It is above It all. Riding on air. MORSE MOTORS 6th & Ivy Phone 772-7155 please care , . . So others may eat every 81 delivers' a Food Crusade package to hungry people across the world Mare lltan half die people on 'eerth do not . hftve enough to enl. Throuprh CAREi Food CruiBili, ton help feed million! nt the hungry not for Juit a meal or two but lung enough, (o gle them strenglh to help thrnmelvri. . From our form akundanre, the U.S. donate Food for' Peare. CARE arldi other -Maplea, parka varloui until to :; matth errantry needt. Every II yon glye nVllveri a packafie Maligned to nourlnh , ichoo) dillrlreni InfanUi. orphani, refu ten, dliintrf lrllm, dmllntr, famllln. F.viry parkage ynu provldr bran yonr ': name and arfdroti, in that the recipient! know their frlenrli In Amcrira. CARE'i , Ameriran itan in each area luperviari ' drUreriM to llioir ho need help moat. II, I0. MOO give what yon can! :7. H M r L;, nil .. . . irt:. i . - I " ii (4 As near us your nuiilliov The ilnllari on lend In CAI1E bring 5our prrinnnl brlii tn the ncr-ily In other lands. For Knnd Criimilr gifti, jou may rhoote any nf iheie deiliiialjonii Afxh-inislitl Hritith Hnndum Colombia Cypruj Crrere Hong Kong India lrn luly Jordin " Korei Macau Mrxiro. PAi-lan Pnlind Sierra l.eone Tuniiia Turkey Vietnam Yugoslavia '"""" . fr the Food Cr-.'- I i Here i , , J (MnU check. - ,"") I ,dlre I . . ' n (,AHK ..'boo.c c".'r '' , n I orcfer "-' ' ' 1 """""medford "maTl tribune
