• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie policy (EU)
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Video
  • Write for us
Today Headline
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • POLITICS
    • News for today
    • Borisov news
  • FINANCE
    • Business
    • Insurance
  • Video
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • ENTERPRISE
  • LIFESTYLE
    • TRAVEL
    • HEALTH
    • ENTERTAINMENT
  • AUTOMOTIVE
  • SPORTS
  • Travel and Tourism
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • POLITICS
    • News for today
    • Borisov news
  • FINANCE
    • Business
    • Insurance
  • Video
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • ENTERPRISE
  • LIFESTYLE
    • TRAVEL
    • HEALTH
    • ENTERTAINMENT
  • AUTOMOTIVE
  • SPORTS
  • Travel and Tourism
No Result
View All Result
TodayHeadline
No Result
View All Result

My brother promised to sell me his home. I rented it and spent $20,000 on drywalling. Then he sold it to someone else. Do I have any recourse?

January 18, 2022
in Business
0
My boyfriend agreed to go part time to look after my teenage kids. I paid him $650 a month. We split up — now he’s crying foul
0
SHARES
3
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


In 2014, I was renting a three-bedroom duplex home from my brother located in Spring, Texas. Towards the end of 2015 I remarried. In late 2016 or early 2017, my brother said he would sell me the home for $55,000. I agreed.

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey struck Houston and the surrounding areas with 48 inches of rain. The home, which had never flooded before, took in approximately 18 inches of water. My brother did not have flood insurance.

Needless to say, the home was damaged as well as many of my personal belongings. My family and I went to stay at a hotel as the home was not livable. I told my brother, “Don’t worry, I will make the repairs myself.”

Because my wife and I were going to purchase the home, we wanted to do some remodeling anyway. I am by no means a professional carpenter or painter. I am sort of handy around the home, and can do handyman-type things.

I purchased a pop-up camper and parked it in the driveway, and worked in the home during my time off. (I work 40 hour work weeks.) My wife was not working during this time. I began putting up drywall. However, I found that I wasn’t fast enough.

“‘In 2019, the home was approximately 95% finished. That is when my brother called me and said he was going to sell the home.’”

I hired a contractor to replace the drywall, and texture it so I could make the home livable more quickly. To make a long story short, the repairs were much more than I anticipated and, in 2019, I told my brother I would need to file for bankruptcy.

In 2019, the home was approximately 95% finished. That is when my brother called me and said he was going to sell the home. I was devastated and in shock. After giving my brother two months notice, my family and I moved out in January 2020.

In June 2021, he sold the home. He owed $25,000 on the mortgage, and sold it for $120,000. I texted him, “Congratulations on selling your home. Now is your chance to do the right thing. Deposit $20,000 in my bank account, and we will call it even.”

His response was: “I know you think I have a lot of money. However, I haven’t been working and I fell nine months behind on the house payments. Maybe in the future.” He still should have had plenty of money left over to make good on my offer.

I kept many of my receipts. The cost was at least $20,000, not including labor. I paid him rent the entire time the work was going on. What, if any, recourse can I take? Can I take him to court to recoup my losses? What type of attorney would I look for?

The Other Brother

Dear Brother,

You got played and, to an extent, you also played yourself.

Oral contracts do not apply to real-estate deals in Texas. There are many requirements that must be fulfilled before a landlord is obligated to pay for repairs that are made by a tenant. “The tenant’s deduction for the cost of the repair or remedy may not exceed the amount of one month’s rent under the lease or $500, whichever is greater,” according to the regulations in your state.

Your brother had a choice to make to reimburse you for at least some of the money you spent on the renovations, given that he reneged on his promise to sell the home to you and your wife. Yes, it would be the decent thing to do. Did you keep him apprised of the work and the amount of money it was costing before spending it? After all, it was still your brother’s house, not yours.

You both acted in good faith, but you also both took liberties with your planned real-estate transaction, and your sibling relationship. He promised to sell you a home far below the market price, and you spent a lot of money on renovations, assuming the home would one day be yours and/or he would reimburse you if he decided not to go ahead with the agreement.

“‘What if you bought the house, and then sold it five years later for more than $120,000? Would you reimburse your brother?’”

People sometimes throw the rulebook out the window — relying on handshakes — because they’re dealing with family. Blood is thicker than water, and they act in the best interests of their relatives. But for others, those familial bonds are a fiction. Your brother acted as if he had your best interests at heart — and was putting them over his own financial interests — but he ultimately did what was best for him.

But you need to look at your own self-interest in this arrangement. You believed you were getting a house that’s worth far more than $55,000. A cursory look at other properties on the street would have told you this was a bargain. What if you bought the house, and then sold it five years later for more than $120,000? Would you reimburse your brother?

A real-estate lawyer can answer your question in more detail, but you would have an uphill battle claiming $20,000 from your brother for those renovations. Texting is an inadequate form of communication, particularly for important matters such as this. Texting “congratulations” likely rang hollow with your brother. A face-to-face conversation is always more effective.

Meu can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions related to coronavirus at qfottrell@marketwatch.com, and follow Quentin Fottrell on Twitter.

Check out the Moneyist private Facebook group, where we look for answers to life’s thorniest money issues. Readers write in to me with all sorts of dilemmas. Post your questions, tell me what you want to know more about, or weigh in on the latest Moneyist columns.

The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.

More from Quentin Fottrell:

• ‘Our friends always yearned for a relationship like ours’: My husband of 16 years left me for another man. I don’t want them to live in our properties. What can I do?
• ‘She trusts me completely’: My sister offered to pay off my credit-card bill. I’ll repay her over the next 4 years. Am I taking advantage of our relationship?
• ‘He is the most computer-illiterate person I know’: I was my husband’s research analyst, caregiver, cook and housekeeper. Now he wants a divorce after 38 years.

Tags: brotherdrywallinghomepromisedrecourserentedSELLSoldspent
Previous Post

Matildas’ Kerr second best in FIFA award – FTBL | The home of football in Australia – The Women’s Game

Next Post

GRA THE GREAT Cites Eminem, Repablikan Syndicate As His Early Hip Hop Influences In New Interview

Related Posts

Out of the holiday loop? This is Money podcast summer travel special
Business

Out of the holiday loop? This is Money podcast summer travel special

We publish our podcast every...

Read more
Seeing into the future: six ways cutting-edge tech can help monitor sustainability | The whole picture
Business

Seeing into the future: six ways cutting-edge tech can help monitor sustainability | The whole picture

With all the talk about...

Read more
We’ve been married for 5 years. I pay two-thirds of my wife’s mortgage and spent $12,000 on repairs — but she says her daughter will inherit our home
Business

‘Something snapped inside him’: My contractor boyfriend of 2 years dumped me. He said I was using him to fix up my house.

I have been with my...

Read more
Paysafe Limited (PSFE) CEO Philip McHugh on Q2 2021 Results – Earnings Call Transcript
Business

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. 2022 Q1 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation (OTCMKTS:MHVYF)

This article was written byFollowSeeking...

Read more
Our neighbour removed their carpets, what can we do about noise?
Business

Our neighbour removed their carpets, what can we do about noise?

My partner and I live...

Read more
Load More
Next Post
KOONTA Delivers Post-‘Show Me The Money 10’ Single, ‘PROTO TYPE,’ Featuring BASICK And SAN E

GRA THE GREAT Cites Eminem, Repablikan Syndicate As His Early Hip Hop Influences In New Interview

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Six times actors really romped in sex scenes that make 365 DNI look tame

Six times actors really romped in sex scenes that make 365 DNI look tame

Epic Systems campus, a fantasyland of gardens and architecture, Part 1

Epic Systems campus, a fantasyland of gardens and architecture, Part 1

Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon looks unrecognisable on holiday in Italy with wife Yasmin

Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon looks unrecognisable on holiday in Italy with wife Yasmin

Do Sex Dolls Feel Real? – Answering Important Questions 

What Can I Give My Dog for Diarrhea? – Dogster

What Can I Give My Dog for Diarrhea? – Dogster

China threatens action over Pelosi's expected trip to Taiwan

The Mummy’s Brendan Fraser has returned to films after long absence

The Mummy’s Brendan Fraser has returned to films after long absence

Out of the holiday loop? This is Money podcast summer travel special

Out of the holiday loop? This is Money podcast summer travel special

About Us

Todayheadline the independent news and topics discovery
A home-grown and independent news and topic aggregation . displays breaking news linking to news websites all around the world.

Follow Us

Latest News

What Can I Give My Dog for Diarrhea? – Dogster

What Can I Give My Dog for Diarrhea? – Dogster

China threatens action over Pelosi's expected trip to Taiwan

What Can I Give My Dog for Diarrhea? – Dogster

What Can I Give My Dog for Diarrhea? – Dogster

China threatens action over Pelosi's expected trip to Taiwan

The Mummy’s Brendan Fraser has returned to films after long absence

The Mummy’s Brendan Fraser has returned to films after long absence

  • Real Estate
  • Education
  • Parenting
  • Cooking
  • NFL Games On TV Today
  • Travel and Tourism
  • Home & Garden
  • Pets
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
  • About

© 2021 All rights are reserved Todayheadline

No Result
View All Result
  • Real Estate
  • Education
  • Parenting
  • Cooking
  • NFL Games On TV Today
  • Travel and Tourism
  • Home & Garden
  • Pets
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
  • About

© 2021 All rights are reserved Todayheadline

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist