It happened again today.?ÿ One of five heirs to a thirty-acre tract looking for a price to survey one-fifth of the entire tract.?ÿ Just as I had expected, the entire tract was left, as a whole, to the five heirs with undivided rights.?ÿ At present, four want to sell and one does not.?ÿ The one does not particularly want a fifth of it, he simply wants it to stay as it is, without buying out the other heirs.
I had to put on my Not-A-Lawyer hat to explain a few things about the uphill battle that will probably blow the family apart before all is said and one.
I even told her my personal story of responding to a real estate listing with a local firm for an 80-acre farm, way back in 1985.?ÿ This, too was a case of undivided rights but with eight heirs.?ÿ Seven were hot to sell.?ÿ One did not want to turn loose of the home farm.?ÿ I did not know that when I agreed to the full asking price and paid cash down equal to ten percent of the total amount.?ÿ Lined up my banker for the closing.?ÿ Then the real estate agent called to say the deal would not close due to the one obstinate heir.?ÿ Once I had access to her phone number, I gave her a call and we had a nice long chat about everything under the Sun, but no coaxing would change her mind.?ÿ A couple of years later they did sell it, but to a fellow who had grown up across the road from them, for 37 percent less than what they would have received from me.