Charlotte contractor faces foreclosure on new homes he’s trying to sell to potential buyers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Two modern duplexes on Julia Maulden Place near Optimist Hall have been under construction for a long time by Charlotte standards.

Mecklenburg County records show the original permit was pulled in July of 2020.

In that time, potential homebuyers have come and gone, complained about catastrophic construction defects and been dragged into the financial entanglements of construction company City View Terraces.

A WBTV Investigation found dozens of lawsuits, liens and judgements filed against the company that could prevent homebuyers from closing on new homes and threatens their deposits.

Real estate attorney Ralph McMillian got an up-close look at the volume of judgements and liens when a real estate agent reached out to him to help close on one of City View’s properties. His findings were detailed in a complaint filed with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.

City View Terraces’ legal name is R-Cubed Charlotte Investment Group, and the company is owned by Chris Bradshaw. Bradshaw is licensed in North Carolina as both a realtor and general contractor.

City View’s website touts its luxury homes in some of Charlotte’s hottest neighborhoods.

Building those homes is expensive and records uncovered by WBTV suggest the company is in massive debt.

“Oh, it was horrible. He had so many liens against him frankly, I did not think we would close this loan at all,” McMillian said.

In his more than four decades of legal practice, McMillian said it was one of the most complicated closings he’s ever completed.

To close on a home, you must have what’s called “clear title” meaning there are no liens or judgements against the property.

But WBTV found dozens of liens and judgements filed against Bradshaw and R-Cubed over the last three years.

“That’s his business model is to pay you later. Just, point blank, file a lien,” Garage Door Doctor owner Mark Brummond said.

Brummond completed work on several homes for Bradshaw. In a complaint he filed with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, Brummond said he had trouble getting Bradshaw to pay the bills and that Bradshaw just told him to file a lien against him.

The licensing board didn’t take any action on Brummond’s complaint.

But Brummond is not the only one complaining or trying to get Bradshaw to pay up.

Court records show more than a dozen subcontractors filed liens against R-Cubed properties or sued them for failing to pay on time.

WBTV asked Bradshaw for an interview for this story, his attorney answered our questions instead via email.

The attorney claimed that all the liens filed against R-Cubed had been paid. In North Carolina, court records are not available online, making the verification of this claim extremely difficult. WBTV found several liens and judgements that appeared to be outstanding and were filed as recently as December 2021.

In an email to WBTV sent Thursday, Bradshaw also claimed there were no outstanding liens.

“He’s not going to change so I would run,” Brummond advised fellow subcontractors.

Records show many prospective homebuyers don’t know this information until it’s too late.

In one complaint filed with the Real Estate Commission a homebuyer describes paying a $25,000 deposit to only later find out that Bradshaw’s company has more than $1.5 million in judgements, liens and lawsuits filed against him, hanging over the property. The complainant said Bradshaw denied allegations about the liens and “did not disclose the judgements that would prevent him from closing.”

Bradshaw’s attorney disputed this complaint and said “the (complainant) is confused as to what is and is not a lien impacting title.” He said the home closed last year.

In another complaint filed with the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, a homebuyer claims to have entered into a contract for one of the condos on Julia Maulden Pl and paid a $30,000 deposit. But inspections conducted by the homebuyer found major construction flaws and the “deposit is being held hostage by Bradshaw.”

A third-party inspector hired by the homeowner detailed numerous issues with the construction and wrote a scathing review.

“I’ve been doing home inspection since 1986 and I have never seen anything like this,” the inspector wrote.

Referencing pictures of the construction work, the inspector noted the following.

“This is supposed to be engineered trusses at an angle which were not ordered and installed, and someone has tried to make something up after the fact that I’m afraid will collapse in the near future.”

Bradshaw’s attorney claimed the framing issues were ultimately repaired and, after WBTV started asking questions, the homebuyer was refunded $28,000 of the deposit, a number they previously had suggested but were not given.

In a lawsuit still pending in court, a homebuyer claims the closing of one of R-Cubed’s properties was so delayed by Bradshaw trying to clear title, that the homebuyer ended up paying thousands of dollars extra to keep their mortgage rate locked in.

Bradshaw’s attorney says the claim is categorically false and wrote “title was conveyed to the buyer as per the deed.”

He also said that two other lawsuits against Bradshaw that WBTV found had been paid out for “all costs to correct any alleged defects associated with their homes and then some.”

For as long as the condos have been under construction near Optimist Hall, they’re about to enter a new phase.

Court records show that R-Cubed’s lender has filed two notices of foreclosure. The total amount Bradshaw borrowed for the two properties is nearly $1.4 million. The hearing for the foreclosures is scheduled for February 1st.

In an email Bradshaw’s attorney wrote “There were delays associated with construction as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and a subcontractor passing away…however, these units will be out of foreclosure within the next few weeks as more progress is made on completion.”

Real estate records also show that multiple people have entered into contracts for the same properties on Julia Maulden Pl. It is unclear whether multiple buyers currently have a stake in the same property.

In an email to WBTV Bradshaw wrote “If any buyer is not happy, we will simply refund their deposit and re-list the property for 5-10% more.”

WBTV also obtained copies of Bradshaw’s applications and renewal forms with the NCLBGC. The forms show that over a period of four years, Bradshaw did not disclose any of the liens or judgements against him.

WBTV also found a bankruptcy filed by Bradshaw in Massachusetts in 2010. That also was not disclosed in his application.

WBTV has previously investigated contractors falsifying forms submitted to the NCLBGC and lawmakers even took action to allow the licensing board to conduct background checks.

In his email to WBTV, Bradshaw said “I asked if I need to amend my application, they don’t care.”

The licensing board confirmed that Bradshaw called but would not comment on his ongoing case.

WBTV has previously reported on an example of the licensing board filing their own complaint after discovering that a contractor had falsified application and renewal forms.

Both the NCLBGC and NCREC complaints filed in 2021 against Bradshaw are still under investigation.

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