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Consumer Information Resources

We have compiled the following list of links that we think you may find useful. Whether you are currently a homeowner, contemplating a purchase, researching communities, addressing safety issues or planning a home project, there's something for you within these pages.

These links are provided as a courtesy, for your convenience. While we have tried to ensure that information published in these sites is accurate, we cannot be responsible for the accuracy or content of any information published in these other sites.

Note: Each link will open in a separate window (you may need to disable pop-up blockers for this page).

Homeland Security / Office of Emergency Management
Link Description
The home page for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission
Harris County Harris County Office of Homeland Security Emergency Management
Montgomery County Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management
Fort Bend County Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management
US Consumer Product Safety Commission & Related
Link Description
CPSC Main Site The home page for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission
Listing of National Recalled Products A "one stop shop" for U.S. Government recalls.
Older Brass Gas Connectors CPSC warning regarding brass flexible gas appliance connectors.
Metal Chimneys: Safety Alert Special safety alert concerning chimneys used with woodburning stoves and fireplaces
Chimneys: Safety Alert Safety alert concerning fires in chimneys used with woodburning stoves, fireplaces and inserts.
Overheated Clothes Dryers Can Cause Fires CPSC estimates that in the five year period from 1999 through 2003, clothes dryers were associated with 55,000 fires. This document provide guidance on how you can reduce the potential for these fires.
Hot Water Dispensers Recall to Repair Instant Hot Water Dispensers sold under various brand names, including In-Sink- Erator®, ISE®, Steamin' Hot®, Emerson®, Dayton™, ACE™, Kenmore® and Kohler™.
Andersen Window Latches CPSC, Andersen Corporation, of Bayport, Minn., is voluntarily recalling for in-home repair tilt latches on about 400,000 windows
Environmental Protection Agency
Link Description
EPA Main Site US Environmental Protection Agency home page
Envirofacts Data Warehouse Single point of access to select U.S. EPA environmental data. This website provides access to several EPA databases covering air, water and land across the US.
Where You Live Retrieve environmental information about your community.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Link Description
HUD Main Site U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development home page.
For Your Protection Get a Home Inspection HUD recommendation: Why a Buyer Needs a Home Inspection.
100 Q & A About Buying a Home 100 Questions & Answers About Buying A New Home
Mortgage glossary HUD has compiled a glossary of mortgage terms
Buying a Home Compilation of HUD articles and guides for first time homebuyers.
Educational Resources
Link Description
Texas A&M Real Estate Center The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University is the nation's largest publicly funded organization devoted to real estate research
Texas Real Estate Commission
Link Description
TREC Main Site Texas Real Estate Commission home page.
Home Inspection Standards Texas Standards Of Practice governing Inspectors
Licensee Info Search Look-up license information for Brokers, Salespersons and Inspectors.
Consumer Guide A Guide for Buyers and Sellers of Real Estate in Texas
Houston Association of Realtors
Link Description
HAR Main Site Houston Association of Realtors home page
Find a home Search not only for new home, but research schools, neighborhoods, recent sales, golf courses, etc.
Member Finder Find an agent, inspector or other affiliate member
HAR Consumer Tools A broad assortment of tools to assist in researching and buying a home in the Houston area
County Appraisal District Information
Link Description
Harris County Appraisal District Property Information On-line records, maps, forms, etc for properties within the Harris County Appraisal District.
Montgomery Central Appraisal District Information On-line records, maps, forms, etc for properties within the Montgomery Central Appraisal District.
Brazoria County Appraisal District On-line records, maps, forms, etc for properties within the Brazoria County Appraisal District.
Galveston Central Appraisal District Property Information On-line records, maps, forms, etc for properties within the Galveston Central Appraisal District.
Fort Bend Central Appraisal District Information On-line records, maps, forms, etc for properties within the Galveston Central Appraisal District.
Waller County Appraisal District Information On-line records, maps, forms, etc for properties within the Waller County Appraisal District.
Historical and Statistical Information about Texas and Houston
Link Description
Texas Best - Houston Houston City/Community Information.
Handbook of Texas Online Online encyclopedia comprising more than 23,000 articles on people, places, events, history, institutions, and a host of other topic categories.
Key to the City Statistics and facts for nearly every Texas city or town.
US 2000 Census Data Your gateway to the US 2000 census data.
Maps On-line
Link Description
Google Maps - Houston, TX stuff
Google Earth Combines Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings  Requires a free software download from the folks a Google.
MapQuest - Houston, TX stuff
Yahoo Maps - Houston, TX stuff
TerraServer Aerial photographs of your community.
TerraServer-USA Aerial photographs and Topo-maps of your community.
TerraFly Virtually "Fly" over the entire earth (bandwidth intensive).
Houston TranStar Real-time traffic maps.
Maptech Mapserve Generate and save, print or email Topo-maps.
Flooding
Link Description
FloodSmart.Gov Official site of the National Flood Insurance Program.
FEMA Map Service Center View FEMA Maps Online.
FEMA Flood Hazard Mapping Help homeowners locate and obtain copies of their flood maps.
The National Flood Insurance Program FEMA Flood Insurance Program main page. f
Online Hazard Maps Generate an online hazard map your area of interest. stuff
Harris County Flood Maps FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Provided by the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project (TSARP)
Houston Area Flood Maps Including Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties.
Radon
Link Description
EPA Radon Page US Environmental Protection Agency radon main page.
EPA Map of Radon Zones for Texas EPA map displays radon potential by county.
NSC Radon Page National Safety Council's Radon portal page.
Asbestos
Link Description
CPSC Asbestos in the Home US Consumer Products Safety Commission publication.
Asbestos & Vermiculite US Environmental Protection Agency Asbestos home page.
Carbon Monoxide
Link Description
CDC Carbon Monoxide Poisoning National Center for Environmental Health carbon monoxide resource page.
CPSC Carbon Monoxide Q&A US Consumer Product Safety Commission carbon monoxide questions and answers.
Carbon Monoxide Quiz Take this multi-media carbon monoxide awareness quiz.
Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Commercial CO information site.
CPSC Vent Pipe Recall Consumer Product Safety Commission vent pipe corrective action program to Prevent CO Poisonings.
Mold
Link Description
NYC Mold Fact Sheet NYC Department of Health document.
Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments NYC Department of Health document.
CDC Mold Home Page US Center for Disease Control and Prevention Mold resource pages with fact sheets and guidelines on cleanup and remediation.
Mold-help.org A non-commercial site with an extensive collection of mold elated articles.
US EPA Mold Resources Page US Environmental Protection Agency general mold information guide.
US EPA Brief Guide to Mold Moisture and Your Home US Environmental Protection Agency article.
US EPA Flood Cleanup US Environmental Protection Agency downloadable guide "Flood Cleanup and the Air In Your Home".
Got Mold? FAQ WA State Division of Environmental Health article - include clean-up guidelines.
Texas Department of Insurance Mold Information Page The title says it all.
Lead Paint
Link Description
Texas Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Texas Department of State Health Services library of downloadable document (English & Spanish).
Real Estate Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Program EPA & HUD lead paint disclosure rule. Section 1018 of Title X.
EPA Lead Information Page US Environmental Protection Agency lead poisoning prevention home page.
HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control US Department of Housing and Urban Development lead poisoning prevention home page.
NSC Lead Page National Safety Council lead page.
Overhead Garage Door and Garage Door Opener Safet
Link Description
Consumer Product Safety Alert Consumer Product Safety Commission identifies hazards related to garage doors that do not reverse and provides important testing and safety advice.
Automatic Garage Door Opener and Garage Door Safety & Maintenance Guide Safety guide published by the International Garage Door Association.
Garage Door System Safety Guidelines A garage door is the largest moving object in the home. here are several safety guidelines to help prevent accidents.
10 Safety Tips for Garage Door Openers Important safety tips for garage doors equipped with automatic openers.
11 Safety Tips for Garage Doors Important safety tips for all garage doors.
Garage Door and Opener Maintenance Guide Advice on testing and maintaining garage doors and openers.
Gate Opener Safety
Link Description
Automated Gate System Safety Guide Safety guide published by the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association.
Gate opener Safety Tips Important safety advice for automatic gate openers.
Federal Pacific Stab-lok Electrical Panels
Link Description
CPSCPUB PREREL prhtml83 83008.html Federal Pacific Stab Lok Electric Panels
FPE Panels - Hazard or Hype Excellent article identifying man of the issues associated with federal Pacific panels by Doug Hansen.
Home Improvement and Maintenance
Link Description
Do It Yourself Loads of home improvement and how-to information. Excellent forums where you can get expert advice for your toughest questions.
Home improvement articles and related information Browse HomeRenovationsCenter.com to find articles and tutorials on home repair, improvement and renovations. Check out our thorough directory on any home renovation topic you can think of.
Lowe's Home improvement retailer
The Home Depot Home improvement retailer
Hometime Source of How-to info from the TV show.
Today's Homeowner Website for Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford TV show
How Stuff Works Great site to learn about how your home and lots of other stuff works.
Home Tips Don Vandervort's HomeTips site.
Texas Toolbox Do-It-Herself Has some great home repair and improvement articles written by women.
Energy Conservation
Link Description
US Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Site operated by he DOE with numerous tips, information and resources for conserving energy.
Energy Star Link to the federal Energy Star home page.
Home Energy Saver Excellent site sponsored by the Department Of Energy and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Includes a detailed energy calculator for estimating energy costs and targeting savings opportunities.
Construction
Link Description
Texas Windstorm Construction Code Windstorm Inspection Program by the Texas Department of Insurance.
Texas Residential Construction Commission This is the state organization charged with providing Texas homeowners and the residential construction industry an opportunity to resolve differences. 
TRCC Warranties and Performance Standards Texas Residential Construction Commission document that details, in plain language, warrantees and performance standards for new home construction.