So, you know, my husband and I have been married for almost seven years now, and even before that, wed known each other for ages. Over all those years we both worked hard, saved every penny we could, and eventually managed to build our own house from scratch, just how we wanted it.
Before we moved in there, we were living in my husbands flat. Hed renovated it right before we got married, and honestly, it still looks lovelysurprisingly well-kept for all the years its been since.
So once we moved out to the new house, there wasnt really much question about what to do with the flat. We didnt fancy renting it out because we didnt want tenants messing up the place or things slowly falling apart, so we just decided to leave it empty and keep it nice.
Then, about six months ago, my parents gave us another flat, right in the city. There was no real need to sell itwed already sorted the main costs for the house, so it just didnt make sense.
Together, my husband and I figured wed do a bit of sprucing up eventuallya lick of paint, probably update the furniture a bit. Basically, prep the place for renting, but keep it simple and not too fancy.
Anyway, both flats just sat there, and that didnt go unnoticedespecially by my sister-in-law. We were having a family dinner one night when she brought it up.
She started going on about how weve got two flats just sitting there unused. She reckoned having one is fair enough, but two is just ridiculous, especially when others in the family are trying to get by.
The thing is, she and her husband are in the middle of trying to buy a place in a new housing estate, but they havent rushed to take out a mortgage because theyre both on pretty modest salaries.
The whole conversation started to veer in an awkward direction. My husbands sister explained her take on it: she thought we ought to sell one of our flats, give her and her husband the cash to help with their place, and just keep whats left in the bank for the interest. Mind you, she did say theyd pay us back eventually, but were talking several years down the line here.
I could tell my husband was feeling uncomfortablethe thing is, we already try our best to help out family when we can, not just in practical ways but with money too. This was a huge ask, though.
In the end, I just decided to speak up. I told her this isnt just a simple favourits a really big deal. She and her husband would end up with a flat, but wed lose one, and only have a bit of leftover money in the bank. What if we suddenly needed somewhere to live? And what if it took years to get the money backwho knows?
So I said, with things like this, you really have to be careful, even though were family. Its not something to take lightly.
No surprises, really, that the whole conversation felt a bit off for everyone. My sister-in-law was clearly put out, and my husband quickly tried to change the subject.
