So, my grandma passed away recently, and her estate is being divided between my mom and her brother (my uncle). My mom has declined her share, so now my brother and I will each receive 25% of the value of the house, and my uncle will get 50%.
Here’s where things start to get complicated. My uncle had originally agreed to give me $30,000 in cash after the house was sold. This was because my brother wanted a separate property (not the house) that’s worth around $30,000. So, in the original plan, I would receive $30,000 in cash when the house sold, and my brother would get that other property instead of taking part of the house’s value.
But now my brother has changed his mind. He wants to buy the house outright. He says I’ll still only get $30,000, even though the house is worth about $180,000. He claims this is fair because I “agreed” to that amount with our uncle, and I shouldn’t be asking for more. Here’s where things get a bit tricky: if he gives me $30,000 and then gives my uncle $100,000 (to make up the 50% of the house’s value), he’ll essentially be able to resell the house for the full $180,000 and pocket the rest of the money as profit. So he gets the house, gives me the $30k I asked for, and ends up with a good deal.
I’ve tried to explain to him that my original plan was to make sure our uncle received a fair amount—meaning, I didn’t want to take more than what our uncle was getting. I wanted to make sure that the $30,000 I was asking for didn’t come out of the overall value of the house, but rather from the sale, so no one was being shortchanged. I didn’t want to end up selling the house with our uncle for more money and having a situation where I walk away with more than him. But my brother doesn’t seem to get that, and now he’s saying, “Why can’t I just do the same for him?” and calling me greedy for wanting more money.
To be honest, I’m really not sure if I’m being unreasonable here. I feel like the way things are being handled isn’t really fair, but my brother keeps pushing back and saying I was fine with the original agreement. Is it unreasonable for me to want a larger share now that my brother wants to buy the house, or am I just overthinking it?
I basically only wanted the amount my brother was getting. He was getting a different property and I checked what that is worth (30k) and said okay, fine, if he only wants that property I don’t want full “25%” of the house when its sold. My max limit was 30k once sold and if he sells for 300.000 I still only get 30.000 because my brother is only getting a property that is worth 30.000.
Well now I guess I fcked up. But is there a way to get out of this without coming off as greedy? I would have been happy with 30.000 if my oncle would have gotten “more” but now that my oncle will only get 100.000 and me only 30.000 I feel kind of ripped off. Well I am never being ripped off anyways since I am getting free 30.000. But still… this is weird.
I hope you guys understand. My grandma has a Property A and a Property B + House. Property A = my brother (worth 30.000). Property B (+ House) = my oncle and me, but me limited to 30.000 once sold (not 25%) so I won’t get 50.000 or more since my brother is “only” getting a property worth 30.000. I thought it would be unfair if I’d get way more by selling the house and also felt sorry for my uncle cause he messed up the paperwork. Normally my brother and I would get NOTHING.
My brothers wife also said that I am greedy for now wanting 25% of the house instead of 30.000. She even said that I should consider a family price and give it for free since it is “staying in the family”. I said no I have bills to pay and paying off my own house. But I also said that the 30.000 were a completly different deal. I “made up” the 30.000 € for my uncle so he knows that I won’t want more than my brother and we all get the same even though its not 25% of what I could LEGALY recieve. I could also tell my oncle screw it I want 25% of the house but I never wanted that much in the first place. But now this feels so bad cause my brother wants to buy it cheap (he owns 25%, has to pay me only 30.000 and my oncle the 50% of the house (90.000). And my 25% would be atleast 45.000.
There’s a bunch of stuff in here that just confuses things.
So you have an estate worth 210k that is being divided.
So your uncle gets 105k.
You get 52.5k.
Your brother gets 52.5k.You are whole if you walk away from the deal with cash and properties totaling that. End of story.
If you want to complicate things by making sure your uncle and brother each get their proper share, your brother gives you 17.5k and your uncle gives you 35k and you have no further interest in the properties and your uncle owns 2/3 and your brother owns 1/3. And your brother can buy or your uncle from there. If your brother wants to buy the one house from your uncle, he pays 120k to your uncle. At this point he has paid 137.5k and he has a property worth 180k plus 10k interest on the second property. That is his share (52.5k).
A more likely scenario is your brother pays 110k and gives up his 10k interest in the second property.
If you instead agree to give up your 52.5k for 30k, your interest is done. The rest is between them. You’re trying to give your released interest to your uncle instead of your brother but your uncle is giving it to your brother.
This is why it’s better to just get your actual share you are owed and then if you want to give away money go ahead. But even then you couldn’t stop your uncle from giving that money to your brother.
Legally, you’re entitled to 25% of the house. End of story. All the rest about “oh you earlier agreeded to blah blah bullshit” has no legal standing. It’s just things people said and can be changed at any time. Forget about all that, get your 25%, walk away.
At the end of the day, what your brother wants results in him getting 180k in assets and you getting 30k. No, that is not fair, and I would not agree to it. He is being selfish and trying to take advantage of you. This is unfortunately very common with inheritances.
Am I right in understanding that, legally, your mother is still the one inheriting half of the house? I hope so because the best solution would be for her to go through with her original plan of giving you and your brother each half of what she is getting. Otherwise, you may end up needing an attorney.
Nope she declined. It got passed on to me and my brother (her 50%)… so he is getting 25 and me 25%. But the deal was we will also not accept it if our oncle gives my brother the PROPERTY A and me the Property A in Cash.
Property A (about 30.000) Property B (House + Property) About 180.000.
Total = 210.000 (estimated).
I would get 55k if I want my 25%. My oncle would get 110.000 and my brother would have to pay us 155k to be fair.
So legaly if everything is estimated correctly. But the plan NEVER was that he was going to buy it. It was always him getting property A and me 30.000 for my uncle because I wanted him to still have more than 50% of everything. So I wanted about 16% (30.000) from 180.000. Only the Property A that my brother wants.
Now the deal is new and my brother is saying that I was happy with 30.000 why I want more now.
I would leave Property A between your uncle and your brother, since it sounds like it is your uncle’s property and not part of the inheritance (is that correct?).
And I’m sorry, but your brother is absolutely trying to take advantage of the situation to your detriment.
Property A and B both belonged to grandma.
Yeah I think so too… but now I feel like I am being greedy and not respecting the family. He said he doesnt want the house but would buy it to “keep it in the family”… I dunno what to think of this.
It’s interesting how “keeping it in the family” serves his own interests. Which isn’t to be disrespectful, but it’s easy to honor your family legacy when you’re making money doing it.
Would he want to keep it in the family if you were the one keeping it?
Your brother sounds like a dirty turd burglar. The terms on which you agreed to accept the 30k have changed. Get what is due to you. Funny that he’s calling you “greedy”. He’s projecting hard.
