Las Vegas, NV asked in Real Estate Law, Estate Planning and Probate for North Carolina

Q: My father died with a will. He inherited land from my moms family. How do I separate my share from my nephews?

The land was not a part of the will. I do not want to have any financial connection to my nephew. I offered to buy him out, as he cant afford to pay the taxes on the land. He refused. I want to split the land so I can sell my portion back to my cousin who owns the land around my moms land and not be financially responsible for my nephews part. What are my options in NC? Thanks!

1 Lawyer Answer

A: If I understand this correctly, the current owners are you and your nephew. And your nephew wants to keep his portion of the land.

You really have two options, the first you have attempted, you buy out your nephew, but he has to agree to this option.

The second is that you file a partition motion and ask that the land be divided or sold at public auction. I do not know if it would be possible to divide the land fairly, but a public auction is always an option. The advantage here is that this method sometimes brings parties to the negotiating table, and they may agree to sell.

My advice is to contact a lawyer who practices in the county where the land lies and hire them to start a partition motion.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.