Attachment to family home and refusal to sell or part with

B

Bronte

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Many times on here we have people who do not wish to sell the family home for sentimental reasons, they will try to hold on to it with other family members and despite all logic, do not want to sell it. It leads only to grief and family infighting.

Where are all these homes, that are in the family for generations? That people want to hang onto.

Is it a refusal to get past the grief of a parent's decease, or is it to not let a sibling get the better of one.

Other than family farms, and most houses on those are now modern bungalows, of relatively recent build, I don't see this attachment. Standard rectangular 3 bed houses with no redeeming features. In any case the family farm and home is generally left to the child who is the farmer.
 
Hi Bronte

I don't think it's usually for sentimental reasons. People like their home and want to keep the family in it. They don't want to admit the shame and failure of losing their home. Nor do they want to face the uncertainty over where they will live.

They know that there are 100,000 on the social housing list and they don't want to live in social housing anyway. They know it can be difficult to rent family homes in the area they want to live.

So all in all, they love hearing every politican saying "People must not lose their family home"

But I absolutely agree with your key point. There are probably 20,000 families out there who would be better off getting rid of their family home and, in time, getting rid of the mortgage shortfall associated with it.

I have seen completely irrational behaviour from people determined to hang onto their home. One was a single woman with a 2,000 sq ft house. The house is probably worth €200k and the mortgage is around €800k. She was unemployed and a perfect candidate for UK bankruptcy but she said "she would fight to the death" to hang onto her home.

She could have gone to the UK and gone bankrupt. Then she could have worked overseas for a few years and saved up enough to probably buy a house in the same estate for cash.

Brendan
 
Are you saying that actions/decisions taken for sentimental reasons are somehow invalid?

Just because you "don't see this attachment" doesn't mean that someone else isn't entitled to feel how they do about something that would bear no significance to you.

I don't mean to attack you personally, it's certainly an interesting topic - but if one takes your view to a purely logical conclusion we'd all be robots, taking calculated and emotionless decisions about everything.

Anyway, even if no-one actually had a sentimental reason for wanting to hold onto the property, there would still be plenty of scope for feuding - families tend not to need much excuse!

If I could offer my tuppenceworth, I would say that maybe some people see that particular place as an anchor, that gives them a sense of place/belonging. If you've moved around a lot in your life you mightn't feel the need for such an anchor, but as someone who has never been away from my birthplace for more than about 10 days, I can understand that mindset although I'm not sure that I'd subscribe to it.
 
I think you are talking about two different things - Bronte is referring to adult children who inherit the (historic) family home.

That said, BB's scenario is the more interesting and relevant. There is a "retain at all costs" mindset prevalent that may not be healthy at all for the homeowners. This is being encouraged by various disaprate groups.

A lot of people are going to feel the consequences of this down the line. Instead of getting it out of the way now and starting afresh we will probably see a stready stream of issues when things don't improve in x years, or when tracker rates rise.
 
bugler said:
I think you are talking about two different things - Bronte is referring to adult children who inherit the (historic) family home.
Click to expand...

Yes Bugler, that was what I was referring to.

The issue of debt and family homes is a different matter. I can well see why people don't want to give up a place they a) lived in b) have added value to c) are happy in d) don't want to leave the location e) have set down roots f) have support systems in place g) like the neighbours h) kids are happy i) don't want to rent j) consider renting as shameful etc.
 
For me who has inherited part of my parents home & don't want to let it go as it is a sentimental issue. I am in my late 20's born & raised there, we bought a house in an area we could afford with the view to live there for a couple of years and then move back & build a house in the area i am from. For personal reasons this did not work out & i moved back home which is where i am now. My family & friends live in the area & this is where i am happiest. Yes i could sell the house we bought, sell my parents home pay off the negative equity and rent but i cant. A house may be just a standard rectangular building to some people but not to me.
 
Some people built their family home, or someone in the family built it. Theres that attachment too.,
 
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