In most cases, the so-called house heir feels the inheritance of a property as a blessing, after all, this is a permanent asset. Whether as an owner-occupied home or capital investment, an inherited house proves to be extremely advantageous, so that for most house heirs the question of whether to reject the inheritance does not arise at all.
While most people save for a lifetime for their own four walls and thus work towards a home of their own, a home inheritance falls into their hands without any action on their part. Due to the inheritance, they come into the possession of a property and may be happy about at least a small fortune.
Dangers of real estate inheritance
Nevertheless, supposed house heirs should not approach the matter too naively and should also look at the inheritance realistically. Although the inheritance of a property is generally perceived as a blessing, one should keep an objective view, so as to be able to judge whether it is perhaps more of a curse and not a blessing after all.
A real estate inheritance goes finally also with certain dangers and risks, which have to be borne primarily by the house heir. If the house in question is encumbered with a mortgage or a loan, for example, the heir must take responsibility for these debts. In case the house heir does not want to sell the house, he has to resort to his private equity to be able to manage the repayment. Otherwise, it is also possible to take out a loan to settle the estate's liabilities.
In addition, it is also important to bear in mind that real estate always incurs costs. Any renovation, as well as the running costs and taxes, must of course be taken over by the house heir, so that a real estate inheritance is definitely associated with some obligations. House heirs who use the inherited property themselves and have only limited savings can quickly run into difficulties and financial problems, as it is difficult for them to meet their payment obligations.
Disputes in the community of heirs
If there is real estate in the estate, there are often disputes within the community of heirs. If, for example, several siblings inherit the parental house, a conflict easily arises with regard to who should receive the house. In principle, all heirs have the same claim, which is why it is often difficult to reach an agreement. The one who finally inherits the house and lives in it as the new owner or uses it as an investment must, however, pay off his co-heirs, after all, they also have a claim to their share of the inheritance. Supposed house heirs should therefore weigh up in advance whether they are at all in a position to pay out their share of the property to the other members of the community of heirs. The primary and most important goal is to achieve the settlement of the community of heirs as quickly as possible.