Dear Eric: Before he passed years ago, my father transferred his beach house to his six adult kids. We did not ask to become owners of a shared house, and I always thought it was a horrible idea.
Most of us kids tend to travel to different places, while one has always loved to vacation at the beach house. The five siblings who didn’t want the house said it should be sold. Years went by.
The brother who wants the house was unable to buy it or maintain it on his own. He promised it would impact our relationship if we forced the sale, which we ultimately did, and he kept his word. Of course, the proceeds from the house were shared equally, after the legal fees.
Close family friends have heard my brother’s side and have mentioned to me that I could have afforded the house and shouldn’t have agreed to the sale. I’m hurt by the judgment and don’t know what to say.
Eric says: Why should you bear the burden of upkeep on a house you don’t want? Were you supposed to take on the expense by yourself and buy your other siblings out of the house? The math isn’t working. Tell your family friends that.
Language cop
Dear Eric: I started a new relationship a couple years ago that has recently grown serious. I really love my girlfriend, and she is so sweet and kind. In fact, everybody loves her.
The issue is that nearly every day, she mispronounces a word or uses one incorrectly. Sometimes cringingly so.
I am fortunate to be highly educated with a professional job and to have come from a family that valued speaking properly. She has limited education, was married young and has established herself in a trade where she works for herself.