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Let us try ALL of North and NW Las Vegas as one big expansive soil area. The Prez of KB Homes was interviewed by CNBC a few years back, where he stated that "That in some of our developments the soil of every home is tested (for expansive soil issues)." Yep tey are such good citizens, it just so happens the City of N LV REQUIRES that every lots has its soil tested and appropriate measures taken are taken to obviate expansive soil issiues.

Let us come to my own little development of homes...172 of them....Beofre i ever bought this home...13 homes filed Class Action suit against Rhodes Homes for Construction defect mostly concerning expansive soil issues. Ten of those homes were in buy back mode when I moved in in 2003. People do not believe what I tell them about the look of a home that has suffered expansive soil issues, it looks as if a bomb went off in a home. Drywall that is tearing multiple cracks that one could follow through out the house. Wall seperating from Base Boards and Ceilings. If one owned such a house there is NO WAY ONE COULD SELL IT...They look like wrecks....

Anyway faced with that prospect and upon hearing the 2 year history of my neighbors case across the street I filed suit within a month of purchase along with those neighbors against Rhodes HOmes and 1 1/2 years later I settled with them and proceeded to make substantial repairs around the foundation of my home. My neighbors settlement was for over $1M USD...after atorneys fees were paid. their hosue included a buy back, and said house is still empty after 3 years. Several other homeowners also filed suit in this time period as well, one case settled out for $290K with an estimated repair of $235K. These people had been reluctant to sue, Rhodes even moved them out of their home during their effort to make repairs. Two weeks after returning to a repaired home the situation was worse then before said repairs were made.

After my neighbors and I settled at least 50 other home owners have belatedly filed Class Action Suit against Rhodes Homes. They have reached a settlement of $2,000,000.00, but Rhodes Homes has filed BK so only the Rhodes Insurance Company is on the hook for its portion of the settlement...I estimate about 3/4 of it. That leaves in limbo another purported Class Action of some 20 odd homes whose disposition I don't know anything about as I have stopped following the cases very closely.

So the moral of this tale of woe is to be aware of an soil issues pertaining to a home purchase..better to be knowledgable then to be sorry.