A pair of reports from the Arizona Republic. "State and local officials are investigating a months-long work stoppage that has left about 200 unfinished houses in Casa Grande and Maricopa withering in Arizona's summer as home buyers wonder whether they'll ever be able to move in."

"As the Valley's housing market ebbs, smaller builders like Turner-Dunn, which may have arrived late to capitalize on Pinal County's gangbusters housing market, are more prone to failures, said Jay Butler, at Arizona State University. Unlike big builders, they can't absorb rising labor and materials costs, struggle with credit and sometimes lack experienced management that can deal with a cooling market, Butler said."

"'If you look at the numbers nationally, the market is slowing tremendously,' Butler said. 'With small builders, the problems just cascade.'"

"It's unclear with Turner-Dunn whether there was fiscal malfeasance or the company was knocked down by the market. But one thing is fairly certain: Turner-Dunn is unlikely to step in and help buyers and owners solve their problems, consumer real estate attorney Chris Combs said."

"'If a builder doesn't even have the money to build a house, I'm pretty sure the buyer isn't going to see their earnest money,' Combs said. 'And if they paid for home upgrades, those are probably long gone too.'"

"In the meantime, insulation yellows in the sun, motorists slalom through streets with 4-foot piles of decorative gravel, wood frames warp and twist like rubbery candy, sun-bleached work orders stapled to walls show work last performed in March. Frustration builds with buyers whose contracts have no timelines for completion while nearby, half-finished homes are cannibalized by new residents for doorknobs and other fixtures."

"At least eight subcontractors have filed about 100 liens for more than $1 million on finished or unfinished homes in Turner-Dunn Construction Inc. developments in the Pinal County cities of Casa Grande and Maricopa."

"With liens, the homeowners' credit can be ruined, and they can't sell their houses, Richard Marsh, former president of the Land Title Association of Arizona said. 'This happens a lot when the residential real estate market slows down and smaller builders become overextended,' Marsh said. 'It penalizes the homeowner, but the idea is to protect the (subcontractors).'"

"David and Sharon Bickford, who moved into their Casa Grande house in April, have been hit with two liens totaling about $4,000. 'They could actually take our house,' said David, who hopes his title insurance will cover the liens."