Chapter 21 - The business settlement
Property mediation lasted two days.
House:
Appraised $652,000.
Mortgage:
$319,000 by then.
Estimated net equity after hypothetical sale costs:
Around $290,000.
Could I keep it?
Yes if refinance/buyout manageable.
Did I want to?
At first.
Then I realized:
The stairs.
The basement.
Judith’s fingerprints on every room.
I did not want the house enough to tie up most of my liquid assets.
We agreed to sell.
Not immediately.
List after minor repairs.
Then business.
Neutral value adjusted for Eli’s new stake and bank refinance:
Graham’s remaining marital ownership value:
Approximately $365,000.
He would keep business.
I receive offset through house proceeds, retirement, and investment accounts.
Retirement:
Division by qualified order.
Savings:
Split with credits.
Judith’s disputed $38,400 family advance.
We settled classification:
$20,000 recognized marital repayment obligation to Judith based on documented mortgage support and my own “we’ll pay you back” text.
Remaining claimed amount treated as gift/unsupported.
Judith accepted because litigating ambiguity cost more.
That $20,000 paid from sale proceeds.
No family debt haunting us.
Then Graham’s legal fees.
His.
Mine.
May you like
Each responsible mostly own.
No punitive wipeout.
