A friend called to discuss her sister in another state who took care of their mother. The mother passed away, and the sister was conflicted about buying out the rest of the family and keeping their house. My friend added, “She doesn’t make much money, and it’s a large house. What are your thoughts?”
While vigorously avoiding dispensing financial advice (and advice in general), I shared with my friend that I never learned much about real estate while studying music in college. I added, “But I have learned (painfully) a lot about the cost of making business decisions based on emotional attachments.”
Going further, I offered, “If the house is a solid business venture for your sister, it might make sense for her to finance it, buy you out, and keep it as it grows in value. However, if she does this for emotional reasons, it will most likely be a physical and financial burden to her.”
Part of grieving is letting go. For this sister, the healthier path may be to sell it, mourn the loss, and rejoice at the weight she no longer carries.
Emotions and attachments can entangle issues and create long-term hardships that short-term (and healthy) mourning would prevent.
The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it. —Norman Schwarzkopf
If you are having a “Caregiver 911” moment, click here:
A friend called to discuss her sister in another state who took care of their mother. The mother passed away, and the sister was conflicted about buying out the rest of the family and keeping their house. My friend added, “She doesn’t make much money, and it’s a large house. What are your thoughts?”
While vigorously avoiding dispensing financial advice (and advice in general), I shared with my friend that I never learned much about real estate while studying music in college. I added, “But I have learned (painfully) a lot about the cost of making business decisions based on emotional attachments.”
Going further, I offered, “If the house is a solid business venture for your sister, it might make sense for her to finance it, buy you out, and keep it as it grows in value. However, if she does this for emotional reasons, it will most likely be a physical and financial burden to her.”
Part of grieving is letting go. For this sister, the healthier path may be to sell it, mourn the loss, and rejoice at the weight she no longer carries.
Emotions and attachments can entangle issues and create long-term hardships that short-term (and healthy) mourning would prevent.
The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it. —Norman Schwarzkopf
If you are having a “Caregiver 911” moment, click here: