An update to this post:
I just cracked open my first glass of American IPA (kit from Williams Brewing) and the taste was AMAZING - really! It tasted every bit as good as a local brewpub IPA with absolutely no off flavors that ALL of my past home brews had. I would pay money for this and finally don't have any reservations about giving friends a glass of this homebrew. Based on the info I have read on this site, and the replies I got from this thread - here is what I did differently:
LARGER BOIL - I could only get three gallong to boil on my electric stove, but was at least a gallon more than before. I also removed the pot from the burner when adding the malt until it was fully desolved - I have never done that before. SPRING WATER - I have experimented with drinking water, but not Spring Water (I think). I got the water report for my tap water, and the only thing that stood out was a 8.3 PH. I figured I would try Spring Water to keep some of the minerals. STAR SAN - I always used common bleach for sanitizing, and I don't think I was rinsing as well as I should have based on the things I have heard here. Not sure why I have not discovered this product before! FRESH INGREDIENTS - I have always bought from my LHBS and this is the first mail order kit I have used. I could tell instantly that the ingredients were much fresher on the Williams kit by smell and look. I do prefer to support the local guys, but the ingredients need to be fresh. LIQUID YEAST - I have used this before, but only a few times. I think I am sold on the quality liquid yeast gives the beer. FERMENTED COOLER - I usually just set the fermenter in a dark corner at room temps (78 degrees, I live in Texas). I put it in a large tub of water and put a white t-shirt over it and set it under a fan. This reduced the fermetation temps to about 70-72 degrees.
Not sure which process or combination did the trick - but that annoying house flavor that all of my previous home brews had is finally GONE! Thanks guys for all your help and suggestions, this is the type of beer I have always wanted to make. And by the way - you CAN make excellent extract only beers! I was beginning to think it wasn't possible until I found this site.
Dan