A reader writes:
My grandfather bought four acres on a hillside in St Ann when he came back from cutting cane in Florida. He planted it himself, pimento, coffee, some citrus, and he built the little house my father was born in. When Daddy died six years ago, the land came to the four of us children. Nobody has lived up there properly since. My second brother goes up now and then to check on it, and we pay a man to cut the bush.
Last year a developer approached my eldest brother about buying the whole piece for a housing scheme. The figure they mentioned is more money than any of us has ever seen. My three brothers want to take it. Two of them are in England and one is in Kingston, and they all have their reasons. One has a daughter starting university. One is behind on his own mortgage. The eldest just says the land is “doing nothing” and it’s foolishness to hold on to it.
I’m the only girl and I’m the one who lives closest, in Ocho Rios. I am not against selling for ever. But it’s happening so fast. They have not had the land valued by anybody except the developer. I don’t even know for sure the title is sorted out, because I remember Daddy saying something about a boundary with the neighbour that was never settled. And every time I ask a question, the WhatsApp group goes quiet and then somebody sends a voice note telling me I’m being selfish and that I’m “holding up everybody’s blessing”.
Honestly, part of me also just can’t stand the thought of Grandpa’s trees being bulldozed. I know that’s sentimental. I have prayed and I don’t feel peace either way. I feel guilty for slowing them down and guilty for wanting to give in just to stop the fighting. Is it wrong to hold out? How do I even start to handle this?
— Claudette, St Ann
Our response
Dear Claudette, thank you for writing so honestly. What you describe is common, and it is painful precisely because everyone involved loves something: their children, their security, their father’s memory, the land itself. Asking questions before a family sells a significant inheritance is not selfishness. It is responsibility.
It may help to separate the decision into three parts: the facts, the options and the family.
The facts
Before anyone can sensibly say yes or no, you all need to know what you actually own. An attorney-at-law can check the title, confirm who is legally entitled to the land now that your father has died, and advise whether his estate needs to be formally administered before any sale can go ahead. A commissioned land surveyor can look at that unsettled boundary. An independent valuation, arranged by the family rather than the buyer, will tell you whether the developer’s figure is fair. These steps cost something, but they protect everyone, including your brothers. A rushed sale on a clouded title can collapse later or leave the family exposed.
The options
Families in your position often assume there are only two choices: sell everything or keep everything. There may be others worth asking about, for example selling part and keeping part, one sibling buying out the others over time, or negotiating terms with the developer that respect something of your grandfather’s work. Whether any of these are practical depends on the land and the law, which is why professional advice matters.
The family
Group chats and voice notes are poor places for weighty decisions. Consider asking for one proper meeting, even by video call, with a clear agenda: what we know, what we still need to find out, and a reasonable timeline. A trusted pastor or an older relative everyone respects might chair it. Say plainly that you are not trying to block anyone, and that you want the same thing they do: a decision the family can live with.
Listen, too. Your brother’s mortgage and your niece’s fees are real. So is your grief. None of these cancels the others out.
Your own heart
You say you have no peace either way. That may simply mean you do not yet have enough information to feel settled. Proverbs reminds us that plans succeed with many counsellors (Proverbs 15:22). Gathering sound advice is part of seeking God’s wisdom, not a substitute for it. It is also fair to ask yourself whether any part of your hesitation is about control or about old family hurts, and to bring that honestly before God.
Whatever you decide together, try to make the decision in a way that leaves the relationships standing. Land can be sold and money spent; brothers and sisters are meant to be kept.
This article is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or other professional advice. Please speak to a qualified professional about your own circumstances.
Reader letters may be edited for length and clarity, and names and identifying details are changed.
Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com
Visit our YouTube Community ↗