If you want to maintain a shred of goodwill with your family, here’s a revolutionary idea: never own property together. Sharing a streaming password? Fine. Splitting holiday leftovers? Manageable. Co-owning real estate with a sibling who once hoarded the LEGOs and declared themselves Pharaoh of the Playroom? Catastrophic.  

Siblings are genetically programmed to argue over everything. If you couldn’t survive a road trip without a treaty over who controlled the center backseat, why would you think co-signing a mortgage would be smoother? Inheriting a house together is like handing two raccoons a Faberge egg, it’s only a matter of time before someone acrobatically ruins everything.

The delusion that shared property equals shared responsibility is cute, right up until someone forgets the insurance exists and leaves you legally exposed when their dog mistakes the mailman for a chew toy.