I have a situation that really makes me mad. My wife and I, when we got married, were deeded a house from her grandmother . We never paid for it other than $15,000 for home improvement. We are currently building a new house and if her grandmother wanted it back that was fine she gave it to us we would give it back to her.

Her parents are now wanting us to give them the house free of charge. This makes me mad because they don't need it. My wife and I needed a place to live and offered to buy the house from her grandmother. It was her decission to give it to us. All I want from her parents is the money we spent to do the re model. Am I asking to much?

Her parents have a nice house, no debt, and were going to rent their current house and keep the income. I am fixing to have a house payment along with other debt. I want the rent money or something to help ease our own bills.

I'd keep it and rent it out myself...it's yours to do with how you see fit (IMHO)

I think you are being more than fair if you only ask for the $ you put into it. If you spent that time and money improving it, I dont think you are out of line asking for that back. Why are her parents so hot to get it-are they trying to keep it in the family? And are they balking about giving you the 15k?

I would also ask for the appreciation value from the time it was acquired, plus the improvements.

Our house has central heating and air and sits further away from the road. That is the only difference. They are sorta complaining that we would ask them for the money, but it is not like we are asking them to buy it outright!! My wife is really upset because it is family.

Her parents. She just doens't want any tension.

Gotta love the inlaws. They cant expect you to be out the 15k. They keeping their house?

The house was given to you and your wife. Are your in-laws "jealous" that the two of you received the house free of charge and now have the opportunity to make some income off of it? Keep the house, rent it out and keep the income. They'll get over it, eventually!

You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose but not your in-laws! Sounds like a lose - lose situation to me. Either they are going to be p....... or your wife will be.

This is another case of the male partner being required to say "yes dear" for the sake of harmony in the home. And even that is no guarantee the decision will not be brought up at a later time when she says, "Why didn't you say no!"

You cannot win my friend!

ok, guys, move over, a wife's weighing in here. First, I'm with Fraudman on the appreciation value.

Second, you're young, aren't you? Standing up to her parents is not something a young wife can do. And saying 'yes dear' bites now and can come back on you later. Tell your wife and her parents that you just want to be fair in this.

Their house is probably worth less than yours due to location and ammenities so offer to trade them and sell theirs. You get the first $15,000 and hopefully the appreciation $$ and her parents get the rest. Get it done and over with. Renting would only drag out the possiblity of future fights and aggitation within the family. Appeal to her parents as future grandparents. Tell them you want to set the $$ aside for their grandchildrens' future. Pull out all the stops! Be very understanding of your wife's position but don't cave.

This isn't a situation to be won. It's an opportunity to hone your negotiation skills. It can be done. Good luck!

As a "wife", I do not feel that her parents have any claim to yours and your wife's property. I think they have a lot of "balls" to even suggest this.

Jeezzzz.....

You evidently had a plan on what to do with this house when you decided to purchase another home. I would go with that plan. If you were going to keep the house and rent it out, then go with that plan. Her parents are being selfish. Tell them that keeping this home and renting it will help you provide a better life for your family and that if you and your wife decide to get rid of the home in future, you will give your inlaws first bid on the purchase.

In laws, in laws. What can you say? They stink. Mine are the same way. They want everything for free. They are loaded, and my husband live paycheck to paycheck. He is in school still and when we got married they decided to unload every thing on us. They did not help my parents with the wedding, they did not help my family and us when we bought a house, no money no help moving, and they dump $20,000 in school bills on us right after we bought the house. If we knew we were going to have to pay all of that, we would have waited on the house thing. We sold some furniture and a deep freeze and they wanted it for the step daughter and expected us to just give it away to them. We said we wanted $$ and they said we ought to be ashamed of ourselves for asking them to pay for our "hand me downs". My husband is so upset all the because he can't understand why my family is so willing to help as a young newly wed couple and his family won't and my family's bank accounts don't even put a dent in his family's.

You know the difference between in laws and outlaws...

Outlaws are wanted!!!

What does the Grandmother say?

Interesting none of us gave a second thought to her still being around, anon.

While I agree with DQ et al regarding the parents chutzpah, the fact remains, Piano Man has already made offers in a different direction. I was merely trying to encourage him along his chosen path. The reality is that he's going to be dealing with his inlaws for years to come. Whether life is continually aggrevating for all parties or not comes down to how much he's willing to pay for peace and sanity... not to mention a happy wife.

Here's another suggestion. The inlaws can live in the house and rent theirs but you retain the deed to the house and whatever improvements they do to the house will not be reimbursed by you. When they move (or pass on) you have the house to sell or rent and it is not part of their estate.