More South Edgefield Neighbors Join Fight to Keep Disabled Resident in His Family Home

Let’s be clear. There’s nothing illegal about an investor, developer, or home flipper contacting a homeowner with hopes of purchasing a property and repurposing it. 

A problem arises, however, when predatory investors seek out the elderly or disabled and trick them into making the sale at well below market value under threat of eviction or legal action. 

And, in the case of Durwood “Woody” Brodie Jr., there’s another tangle in the spider web: He can’t verbally communicate due to injuries sustained in an accident, and his estranged brother may have signed over a deed years ago to a home the brother didn’t own. 

Disabled South Edgefield Resident’s Plight Shows How Shady Investors Are Harassing Homeowners

Woody Brodie Jr. is troubled by the threats that he’ll lose his family home, and his neighbors in the South Edgefield and Elmwood areas of North Oak Cliff have rallied around him. 

After this story was published last week, attorney Matt Glenn, also a neighbor, reached out and said he thought he might be able to help Woody.

Woody’s neighbors were thrilled. They’d been trying for months to find an estate attorney who could properly interpret deeds and a will showing that the homes of Brodie’s late mother and father, who were divorced, were signed over to him and not the brother. 

But there are always two or three sides to a story, and we wanted to talk to the investors who have been contacting Woody. 

Your Problem My Solution

The investor who has been trying to get Woody Brodie Jr. to sell his parents’ homes — a recent rebuild funded by the City of Dallas at 1137 Nolte Drive and a five-bedroom Austin stone on a triple lot at 1126 Nolte Drive — for a combined $8,000 is Nicholas Petroff at Your Problem My Solution.

The company on Canton Drive in Dallas advertises that it can “turn your title into cash” in the simplest and most timely manner possible. 

Petroff did not return repeated calls, emails, and text messages from CandysDirt.com. 

Petroff’s website shows that he has 23 years of experience and has completed $20 million in deals. 

“I can confidently say that I’m the problem-solver you’re looking for,” Petroff says on the site. “When you’re facing little issues that put your project on hold or keep you from profits, my team and I have you covered. Property disputes, heir disputes, and even obstructive liens are a hassle that nobody wants to deal with. But I’m ready to take it off your hands and give you a simple solution to a complicated dilemma.”

It appears at first glance that Petroff provided such a simple solution for Woody Brodie Jr.’s brother, who doesn’t own either home, according to paperwork provided by Woody’s neighbor Suzanne Felber, but created a complicated dilemma for Woody. 

It’s also possible that there’s much more to the story than we know, and that’s where attorney Matt Glenn comes in.

Friendly Neighbors of South Edgefield

We talked with Glenn on Aug. 21, the day Woody’s story appeared on CandysDirt.com. We gave the background we had, and Glenn — who lives in the neighborhood and practices real estate law, corporate litigation, and general business transactions — said he’d take the case pro bono.

“So there are some title issues,” Glenn said. “What does he want? Maybe he wants to sell one of his homes. Ultimately, we need something from Woody. If we can get some information that he wants to sell one of the homes, we can just work on getting him a fair price.” 

We circled back to Glenn on Friday, just prior to the publication deadline, but he didn’t have an update.

Mark Melton, founder of the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, also offered to look up the property records of Brodie’s homes on Nolte Drive.

“We see this all the time,” he said of investors trying to purchase homes for less than market value from the elderly and disabled. 

It’s a common challenge for Dallas residents who want to stay in a legacy family home but can’t afford to, Realtor Pamela Robison Mullins with Dave Perry-Miller told CandysDirt.com. 

The City of Dallas offers numerous assistance programs for senior citizens and those on a fixed income to repair their homes. In fact, the city stepped in when Woody Brodie Jr.’s mother’s home on Nolte Drive had a hole in the roof and several code violations. The city rebuilt the home at almost no cost, Felber said. 

Brodie’s current situation, however, is a matter of a will, a deed, and legal paperwork. The homes he owns on Nolte Drive are up to code and well-maintained, neighbors say. 

“I haven’t been that involved [with Woody], but if he wanted my help I would connect him with my corporate attorney,” Mullins said. “We’re not allowed to give legal advice. That’s the best avenue I have to make sure he’s getting the correct information. I think the difficulty has been that he’s not verbal. I applaud those who are helping him.”

Mullins is also well-versed in the matter of investors seeking to buy homes in established neighborhoods and rebuild new structures. 

It’s not always a bad thing, she said. 

Such activity is rampant in an area behind the Belmont Hotel and on Sylvan Avenue near the old Herrera’s Cafe, Mullins said.

These areas have traditionally housed low-income residents, the Realtor added.  

“Builders are coming in and buying those lots. They’re getting really good prices and they’re building three-story shotgun modern houses that go for like $570,000,” she said. “I did an open house on Toronto [Street] and I had my husband go with me because I was a little nervous. Young people who can afford it are buying homes and making an investment for the future. I think that neighborhood will be very much changed in the next few years. People who have lived downtown want to live in a house.”

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This is the second in a series on housing and development issues in the Elmwood and South Edgefield neighborhoods of Oak Cliff.