A good solution is for one of the heirs to buy the property from the others. Ordinarily, if you inherit the home with your siblings without any remaining mortgage, the rule is that ownership is to be evenly split unless otherwise stated in the will. If one of the siblings is interested in keeping it while the others want to sell it, the interested sibling can buy out the others using conventional financing. The cost involved in this process can be minimal and includes the appraiser’s fees and the closing costs. If this will work, you pay your siblings in cash for their shares and get the title of the property transferred into your sole name through a deed. Alternatively, a private agreement can prove useful under some circumstances. For instance, if you or your sibling cannot qualify for a mortgage, the one who does not wish to keep the house can finance the transaction. This will mean you will not need a home loan or incur out of pocket expenses. For a private agreement, you make a promissory note to your sibling for his or her share of the value as assessed by the appraisal. The amount due to him or her can be paid in monthly installments along with interest. With this arrangement, you can buy out the property over time. If necessary, you may also make a deed of trust that grants the power to foreclose if you default on payments. Renting the property could be the solution if none of the siblings are interested in keeping the property personally, but as a group the heirs see benefit in the house as rental or investment property. If you have a friendly relationship and can get along for a long period as co-owners of the property, you can rent out the property and take your share out of the proceeds monthly. If one of the siblings manages the collection of rental payments and arranges maintenance for the property, the effort can be rewarded by the others with an increased share. Whatever the terms are, though, it is advisable to record them in a written agreement to forestall
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