Shoddy home construction.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)

Your in-depth article "Housewrecked" in the January issue was well done and helpful to consumers everywhere. Here in Florida, we have a special problem with new-home construction: the Florida Construction Lien Lave It allows subcontractors and suppliers to go after the homeowner if the builder fails to pay them--even if the homeowner can prove the builder was paid in full.

CASIMER J. SMERECKI,

FLORIDA ALLIANCE FOR LIEN LAW REFORM

INVERNESS, FL

Homeowners can protect themselves with a " release of lien," a statement that removes the property from the threat of a lien.

Your article "Housewrecked" did a serious disservice to American home buyers and unfairly maligned the high quality and value of new homes today The isolated incidents highlighted in the story are not emblematic of the industry that built nearly a million new homes last year. Rather, they demonstrate that CONSUMER REPORTS developed this story with preconceived notions and reported on only the issues that supported a deeply flawed thesis, Excluded from the story was any mention of the independent consumer satisfaction surveys showing that the majority of new-home buyers are satisfied with their purchase and would ...