Buying A Home With Family Or Friends – How To Make It Work
If you’ve been dreaming of buying a home but your finances aren’t strong enough to qualify, you may want to partner up with another family member or roommate in the same situation. By pooling your resources together, you’ll be in a much better position to buy a home. One benefit of cobuying with your roommates is there will be less adjustment because you’re already living together.
One type of property to consider is a dwelling with separate units, like a duplex or triplex. Each of you would enjoy the benefits of a separate entrance, kitchen, and more. While you may physically be living in separate units, you still have the joint responsibility regarding ownership and maintenance costs associated with the land and roof.
One cost effective option is to buy a single home and divide the living area into separate sections. The only problem with this setup is you lose the benefit of having your own private space. If possible, try to buy a house where the layout allows you to easily separate the living space.
Buying a home with a co-owner has unique concerns and major financial issues. Be sure to sit down and discuss all possible scenarios with your future co-owner. One major issues will be in regards to how the down payment and monthly expenditures will be divided. Will everyone agree to split everything equally or will there be a percentage split based upon the amount of down payment contributed, who gets the larger bedroom, and other issues. There can be tax implications depending on the division of ownership.
Another significant concern is what happens to a co-owner’s portion of the property when he or she dies? Will his or her heirs have rights to it? How will you deal with circumstances where one co-owner decides to move out-does he or she have the option to sell his or her portion of the home, require the other co-buyers to buy his or her portion out, or force the sale of the property?
Taking proper title to the property can have major consequences when not done wisely. It’s best to seek the advice of a trained attorney before deciding on what kind of ownership to list on the deed. Some popular ways to list ownership on a deed are joint tenants with rights of survivorship or tenants in common.
Other issues you should agree on include what length of time everyone plans to live in the house (also what options are available when a co-owner decides to marry or when an elderly parent needs constant care); what course of action should be taken when a co-owner becomes unemployed; what style to furnish the house; and house rules (such as cleanup, household supplies, sound level of music, and overnight guests).
Buying a home jointly with another party is a huge commitment and it’s vital you choose the right person to partner with. Be sure to discuss all issues with your future co-owner and put the agreement in writing with the help of an attorney.
Want to find out more about buying a home in Orange County, CA? Check out these and to help you find one!