Family Matters - Blog IV - Mid-October

It appears I need to do some housekeeping. A few people informed me they really enjoyed the previous blog, but it was a bit long. I suggested that it was simply a "short story". They suggested blogs are meant to be shorter. I suggested they find something else to read. Actually, I listened and pondered what they said. Who knew there were rules for blogs? I am not one that even likes rules. In their defense I do call it a “blog” and I like to listen to the readers. The readers suggested it be shorter. What do you think I did? I checked the word count on the three blogs. And the results:?

?Blog 1: 549 words and 2944 characters?

Blog 2: 810 words and 4411 characters?

Blog 3: 1369 words and 7327 characters

Wow! That is a lot more. I suppose I should keep these blogs to around 750 words or less. Otherwise, I may not be allowed to call it a blog. That would be unfortunate.
Well, that’s a wrap for this twice-a-month blog! See you again on November first!??

Haha. Wait! Don’t go away. I really do have more to share. This blog is titled “Family Matters”, so I better at least touch on it. I will have multiple blogs on this topic and they will come and go as new experiences arise.?

?Just as I find humans fascinating, they can be a bit strange. Believe me, I know this from a personal experience with the mirror every day. But, this isn’t about me. This is about my real estate experiences. Did you know money and family create some interesting situations? Emotions can run high. As the saying goes, “Where there’s a will there’s a relative!” And, I have found … where there's no will, well, there's no relative.?

?The first one I will share was really recent. We were purchasing a house … this can get confusing REALLY fast. So, I will make it simple. Is a list better? Or, is paragraph form better? I have no idea. I am going with a list:?

The Addams Family?

• Property was acquired by brothers Robert and James Addams as joint tenants with right of survivorship?.
• Robert was married to Sally.?
• Sally disclaimed interest in the property.?
• Robert is deceased.?
• Sally is deceased.?
• Timmy (son of Robert & Sally) & his wife Mary state they got the property through probate.?
• Mary is trying very hard to sell the property. She wants to do quiet title action. I am suspicious.?
• James’ whereabouts is unknown. Is he alive??
• Based on the title report Timmy has no right to the property and Mary has no right to sell it. James still owns it.??

To simplify further, brothers Robert and James were the sole owners of the property and the "right of survivorship" after the death of Robert grants the property to James, and not to the children of Robert. Timmy and his wife say that James had sold the property to Robert and they got the property through probate. However, the chain of title tells a different story. It is a mess. The young couple is not cooperating.

It gets stranger. They say that James has been found, is in a home and suffers from dementia. We asked to locate the home and perhaps the caregivers have some paperwork as to who is handling his financial affairs; perhaps THEY could help us out. Days go by. Suddenly, without warning, James Addams is no longer suffering from dementia, is no longer in a care home, and has been located in another state! (no pun intended) He has agreed to sign any paperwork needed to correctly transfer the property to the heirs of his deceased brother. But, before we go into celebratory mode, we must be cautious. You see, the mobile notary shows up to have him sign the paperwork and he has no idea who this Timmy Addams fellow is - even though Timmy is his very own nephew! So, perhaps he really is in another state. (pun clearly intended)

After further discussion with the family he DOES recall that his brother had a son Timmy and agrees to sign the necessary paperwork. The transaction is cleared up and we close. (whew!)?

?Life, often stranger than fiction.

And that is real estate in my corner of the globe. (Nailed it! 741 words.)

~Bruce Wuollet