TEXAS CITY – Galveston County resident Edwin Draviam and his company Saro Enterprises are in the business of flipping houses. His methods and tactics, though, are being tested after a couple from Galveston County filed suit in district court.
Also listed as defendants are Juan Aguilar and Tejas Superior Inspections. Plaintiffs in the case are Nicholas Scofield and Amanda Sanders.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs entered into a contract with Draviam on Dec. 12, 2016, for a residence on 12th Avenue North in Texas City.
According to the complaint, Draviam had hired a contractor to address foundation issues and this was before a contract was signed with the buyers. Contractor Christopher Melton allegedly informed Draviam that there was no supporting beam under the first-floor stairway wall and the kitchen floor and a brick wall were rotten.
According to the complaint, Draviam told Melton that he would have these items fixed later and only had him add a beam under the living room floor and some blocking to level the house.
Draviam then entered into a real estate contract with the plaintiffs and in a sellers’ disclosure notice, he said he was unaware of any problems with the property.
The plaintiffs then hired an inspector and the defendant Aguilar failed to report various defects at the property.
The complaint said, "before closing, Draviam agreed to make several electrical, foundation and plumbing repairs, some of which were never completed as promised."
On Jan. 10, the suit states the plaintiffs closed on the property and that the seller had been changed from Draviam to Saro Enterprises Inc., an entity owned by Draviam.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs noticed that several areas of the home that had defects had been concealed and not disclosed before the sale of the home.
According to the complaint, issues with the house included foundation, soil grading, inadequate support beams on the first floor, damage to exterior walls due to moisture and wood destroying insects, improperly sloped floors, and various electrical, plumbing and structural issues.
The complaint said these things were not noted by Aguilar in his inspection report. When Melton came to do some work on the property, he told the plaintiffs that none of the deficiencies were repaired and that new wood was put up to conceal the deficiencies
Plaintiffs are looking for damages of at least $200,000 and up to $1 million and a rescission of the transaction.
They also want a jury trial. A status conference is scheduled for early July.