Who to hire when buying out a co-owner?
When a co-ownership relationship turns sour, hiring a traditional attorney often escalates the conflict because lawyers can only represent one side. Instead, people looking to divide property fairly need a neutral third party, such as a mediator or real estate professional, who can guide both sides through common terms and draft a binding agreement without forcing an adversarial battle.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Hiring a real estate attorney instead of a real estate agent
- 2Each co-owner getting their own lawyer
- 3Having one person engage an attorney to draft the agreement and the other hire a separate attorney to review it.
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I would like to get a contract in place before I move but I’m not sure who to go to for that.”source ↗
“I called an attorney but they said they can only represent one side and that feels contentious for my situation.”source ↗
“We just need someone to talk us through what’s common and what’s fair and draw something up in writing.”source ↗
“I co-own a property with another person, and the relationship has turned badly.”source ↗
“However, neither side really trusts each other, and I think the best thing to do for me is to hire the help of a professional, to either do the negotiating for me or to advise me during the process.”source ↗
Where this came up
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