Can I Sell a Jointly Owned House In Colorado

beautiful jointly owned house

As a homeowner, you have the freedom to list your house for sale whenever you feel like it. However, if the property is co-owned, the house cannot be sold without the consent of the other owner or owners.

Co-ownership of a house can become an issue if there is no agreement among the owners on whether to sell the home or not.

Table of Contents

Ways of Forcing the Sale of a Jointly Owned House

Negotiate a Buyout

The owner in need of selling can buy out the other owners to ensure they remain the only owners of the property.

Alternatively, you can let those owners who want to keep the house buy you out. It will allow the owner who did not want to sell to remain the only owner.

It is important to understand that a buyout on joint ownership property can only succeed if the owner who wants to buy out the other has the finances to do so.

Selling Your Shares to a Non-Owner

Just like other assets that have more than one owner, each owner has the right to some shares of the whole property. It means that the shareholder can sell shares of a house without the permission of the other owners.

However, most strangers will not be willing to co-own a property with someone they don’t know unless they like each other. Therefore selling property shares is not a feasible option. In certain situations, such as a marriage, the right to sell shares of a co-owned property is suspended.

Getting the Court Involved to Force a Sale

You can get the court to issue an order for the property with joint ownership to be sold if you have a good reason. Such an order for a forced sale is called a partition action. The court can easily divide community property, such as farmland, but the case becomes complicated regarding a house.

A house cannot be divided; therefore, a court order or partition lawsuit is issued for the house to be sold even if not all owners are willing to do so. The owners’ profits or losses gained from the sale are divided depending on their shares. However, the law is different when it involves a married couple.

When you have decided to sell a house or an entire property owned by more than one person, you have to be aware of what category of ownership your home falls into. Each type of ownership has specific advantages, disadvantages, and considerations.

couple packing before leaving house

Types of Ownership Scenarios

Tenancy in Common

A tenancy in common is a situation whereby several people own the house. In such an agreement, you can establish as many owners as you like, but they don’t have to split the investment equally. It is not a requirement to be married to get into a tenancy in common agreement.

When considering a tenancy in common, you need to understand that in most cases, you will not have the rights to survivorship (meaning in case of death to one owner, their property shares are passed on to their heirs). Such a situation can easily become complicated because you might find yourself co-owning a house with strangers.

Tenancy in common is recommended for multiple owners who want to share responsibilities or divide ownership. It can be used to set up ownership expectations for people who wish to contribute different amounts of money to the property.

In case you are selling a house listed as a tenancy in common, it is crucial to know exactly who owns what portion of the property, the person in charge of the costs, and any other home ownership detail in advance before you list the house.

Joint Tenancy

In this situation, all the co-owners have an equal share of the entire property. That means that no matter what you have contributed to the property, you still have an equal share with your partner(s). It is suitable for engaged people or siblings because the process is easy if one co-owner is incapacitated.

If one owner becomes unavailable, complete ownership transfers to the only remaining owner. The ownership will not go through probate because the contract transfer 100% of one person’s interest to the other.

It might be challenging to sell a house under joint tenancy, especially if one person thinks they have a larger stake in the property. They might demand a larger share of the total proceeds from the house sale.

To avoid disagreements during the sale of the house, it is important to have a contract that stipulates each person’s contribution, what happens in case one partner wants to sell, and what to do if something happens to one of the owners.

If no disputes are to be solved, selling a house under a joint tenancy is straightforward. You need to remember that all must agree to the sale or at least sign a transfer form before selling the house.

Some states may have slightly different laws. Therefore, it is recommended that you consult a local real estate professional to guide you through the sales process, depending on your situation.

Planning for a Home Sale With More Than One Property Owner

Before buying a house and sharing the ownership, you need to plan on how to sell the property with several owners. Waiting until you want to sell to start negotiations may be disastrous by causing disagreements, sabotaging your sales process, or leading to litigations.

Here are some questions that need to be answered when selling a house with more than one property owner.

Who Owns What Portion of the Sales Proceeds?

As stated earlier, some co-ownership titles do not necessarily depend on a person’s contribution to determine their share of the property. If one person has extra contribution in the house-owning process in terms of time or money, it may not be reflected in the final equity agreement.

That is why you need to agree on who owns what portion of the property and how much everyone is entitled to from the sale of the house.

What Mode Will You Use to Divide the Sale Costs?

Selling a house is not easy, and it might involve spending some money. You need to decide among yourself who will take charge of what cost. Failure to do this may result in some homeowners backing out during the sales process.

Is the House Attached to a Trust Ownership?

Most people create living trusts as a way of leaving behind property to their children when they are gone, getting estate tax protection and avoiding probate.

When selling trust ownership, you need to hand over a copy of the trust or a Certificate of Trust (stating who has the authority to sell) to the person conducting the closing. You should also have the authority of the trust available for the closing.

man opening house with key

Hire a Professional to Help With the Sales Process

When selling a house as a joint owner, it is advisable to use a reliable real estate professional to represent your interests and ensure you maximize the home value and have a successful sale.

You need to hire a neutral agent and avoid the ones referred to you by close family or friends when selling jointly owned property. If you do this, you avoid the other owners thinking that your voice and decisions will be considered more than theirs.

We Buy Houses in Denver is here to assist you. You can sell your house for cash and make it all quick and easy for you as a trusted cash home buyer in Denver, and with a dependable team, they are experts in the field.

Sell your house fast for cash and receive a cash offer right away. We pay cash for houses and strive to make the process as simple and painless as possible for you.

Appraise Your House Professionally

Having an appraised value for the house will ensure everyone is up to date and assist in clearing the air in case of a buyout of property ownership. To avoid confrontations, you should involve a professional to appraise the house, and they have to be neutral.

By having a professionally appraised value, you can calculate a fair price in case of any buyout.

Understand the Tax Benefits and Drawbacks of Co-Owning a House

The tax you will be charged as a joint property owner when you sell a co-owned house is determined by the ownership structure you set up when you bought the house, and it varies depending on the state.

Therefore, you need to consult your local tax or real estate professional to get an insight into the best options.

Taxes for Joint Tenancy

Selling a house under a joint tenancy means you will most likely pay capital gains tax. However, the amount will be split between all the property owners depending on the percentage of ownership. The tax advantage will not be felt by a married couple co-owning a house but filing single tax returns.

Taxes for Tenancy in Common

Here owners hold different percentages of the property. The tax write-offs and final income tax will depend on the size of your legal ownership. You must understand that you only file taxes depending on the ownership percentage reflected on your tenancy in a common agreement.

solution-to-sell-your-house-on-your-terms

Your solution to selling a jointly owned house

WeBuyHousesinDenver.org is a cash for houses company consisting of reliable cash buyer and we are experts at buying houses in Denver and all of Colorado. Our mission is to give the people of the Mile High city the best solution to sell any house.  When you sell your house to us there are:

There are even more benefits when you sell a house to  WeBuyHousesInDenver.org including:
  • Sell your house as-is (no repairs)
  • Sell my house fast for cash with no commission
  • Pay nothing out of pocket
  • Sell fast – you pick the closing date
  • Sell for cash – no bank fees or financing delays
  • 100% Free – no cost and NO STRESS!

This is how selling a house in Denver should be!

Fill out the form to get your no-obligation cash offer today. 

More Scintillating Articles About Real Estate

The latest real estate news, forecasts, insight, and advice are brought to you by the leading authorities in the Denver housing market. We have ears and boots on the ground in the Mile High reporting the facts. Extensive research goes into all our articles and we gather information from trusted real estate experts, renowned local Denver housing specialists, home buyers, and more. We buy houses Denver and as accomplished professionals with a proven track record, we now want to share our experiences with you.   Please enjoy!

best-solution-to-sell-your-house-in-Denver-