Regret is a hard emotion to process.
When making important decisions, we never truly know whether or not the outcome will be to our liking or not.
When things don’t turn out like we hoped they would after taking a risk, it’s almost natural to get sad and angry.
Many people even go so far as to blame others for what their past mistakes eventually cost them.
After the passing of their father, Redditor KeyAwareness3064 and their brother both got an equal share of their father’s estate.
The original poster (OP) saw the potential for a lucrative business possibility in their inheritance, which they offered to share with their brother.
Their brother, however, was not interested, willingly selling over his share.
When he saw what he had missed, however, the OP’s brother accused them of tricking him out of a fortune.
Wondering if they did anything wrong or unethical, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where they asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for ‘tricking’ my brother into selling me his half of our childhood home then demolishing it?”
The OP explained why their brother felt they were tricked out of a lucrative business deal:
“My mom and dad divorced when I was young.”
“My brother loved the fact that our mom had no rules for him, so he went with her.”
“I abided by the custody agreement because I had no choice in the matter.”
“My mom loves us both but she dotes on my brother like he farts perfume.”
“My dad kept the house.”
“He had to buy my mom out.”
“It was an old house built in 1953.”
“It had old wiring and was really less than suitable for modern life.”
“What it did have, though, was a huge yard that was great growing up.”
“My dad passed away during COVID.”
“He left everything equally between my brother and me.”
“I wanted the house.”
“I told my brother that we should tear it down and put in infill housing like that neighborhood is zoned for.”
“He just wanted money.”
“I bought out his half of the house at the market value.”
“It was sold as a teardown.”
“He took the money and bought a car and went on a vacation.”
“He still has money left.”
“Then I had the house demolished and built a fourplex.”
“Each unit has three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a small yard, and a garage.”
“I kept one unit for myself and rented each of the other units for $2,000 a month.”
“My mortgage is $1,800 a month for the entire thing.”
“So basically I live free and bank $4,000 a month.”
“My brother is pissed that I didn’t give him a unit to live in for him since it was his home too.”
“I actually offered to sell him one at cost and he said no.”
“I’m lost.”
“I offered him a partnership, I paid a fair price, I offered to sell him a unit, I did everything to try and be fair.”
“He thinks I tricked him because I get ‘free] money every month.”
“Our mom said she would be cutting me out of her will and giving everything to him if I didn’t give him a unit or the income from one.”
“I agreed that was fair and said that I would no longer feel the need to contribute to her upkeep or retirement when the time came.”
“I am being bombarded by the two of them, but I took the risks.”
“I took on the debt.”
“This is my money now.”
“AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole and not “trick” their brother in any way.
Everyone agreed that the OP couldn’t have been more transparent in their offer to their brother, agreeing that the OP’s brother was merely bitter for not thinking more carefully about his decisions.
“Let me get this straight: you bought out his share, put up your money to build this four-plex, he did not contribute a dime, yet wants you to give him an apartment rent-free?”
“NTA.”
“Unless you accede to his greedy & entitled demands.”
“You owe him nothing.”
“It appears your mother’s threat to write you out of her will won’t bother you, & you’ve informed her of the consequences.”
“Sorry you have to put up with these people.”- FunnyAnchor123
“NTA and I love that you told your mom, ‘Cool, but now you are also on your own’.”
“Good job and I do hope you follow through with that.”- LowBalance4404
“NTA.”
“You bought his half of the house, you paid him, he wanted the money.”
“His share of the money was spent buying cars and going on holiday, your share of the money was spent investing.”
“He’s just pissed and bitter because he made bad choices and you made better choices, and now he’s acting like he is entitled to your good decisions because ‘he’s your brother’.”
“Also mom is in the wrong for the heavy and outright blackmail ultimatum she put on you.”
“Money really does bring out the bad in people.”- Wrong_Midnight_1618
“Clearly NTA.”- WhyCommentQueasy
“NTA.”
“Let me guess: when you were kids, he’d eat his treats quickly, then demand that you share yours with him.”
“And your mother forced you to do it, because ‘faaaamily’.”
“You both got equal shares of the house.”
“There was no trick.”
“Your brother wanted the money, and he got it.”
“He wanted to spend it on a car and a vacation, and that’s what he did.”
“Meanwhile, you chose to invest it (and probably a boatload more of your own money + labor) into something that could generate value in the long term.”
“He didn’t invest a cent into that nor lifted a finger to contribute, yet he feels entitled to the benefits?”
“This isn’t ‘free’ money; it’s the profit from your investment, risk, and hard work.”
“Your answer to him and to your mother (who is enabling this shitty behavior) was perfect.”
“Stick to those boundaries.”
“And do not, under any circumstances, let either of them move into one of your units.”
“They won’t pay rent, and you won’t be able to get them out.”
“You should expect your mother to leave everything to your brother regardless of what you do.”
“Keep that in mind when deciding whether and how much to contribute to her upkeep.”
“Ask yourself this: if she has an inheritance to leave, why does she need you to support her?”
“Is it because she’s already giving her money to her Golden Child?”- Helpful_Hour1984
“You told your brother that tear down and infill was the way to go; he didn’t want the hassle; he just wanted his money out fast.”
“You bought him out, took on all the work and debt, and are now very comfortable.”
“Well done.”
“Absolutely NTA.”
“Since your brother farts perfume, it’s entirely possible that even if you were to give your brother what he’s asking for, your mom will still cut you out of her will.”
“Ignore your mom and brother. Let them cool off.”
“They will never see the situation for what it is, there will always be sour grapes and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”- Is-this-rabbit
“NTA.”
“He has remorse that he didn’t make the right choices.”- TheCheshireGhost
“NTA.”
“and what does your mother even have in her will if she needs you to subsidize her retirement?”-allorahdanyn
“NTA.”
“You gave your brother every chance to invest with you, but he refused and now wants something for nothing.”
“By the way, what kind of perfume?”- Puzzleheaded_Tiger_2
“NTA.”
“You legit TOLD HIM THE PLAN.”
“And what he wanted was the cash now and probably expected all along he’d come back to ask for what he felt he was ‘owed’ late.”
“You don’t get to have your cake and eat it too and him and mom are learning that currently.”
“If she isn’t happy she can build him whatever she feels he deserves and take all the risk.”
“Gosh money brings out the worst in people.”- duckoffthanks
“So your brother is used to having everything handed to him on a silver platter and unhappy that you’re not treating him like mom does?”
“Thoughts and prayers, bro.”
“NTA.”- Remarkable_Inchworm
“You did everything you reasonably could to get him to come in as a partner.”
“He refused.”
“You then offered him a unit at cost, which he also refused.”
“He wanted you to take all the risk and give him half of what you made.”
“NTA.”- baloo1970
“NTA.”
“Your mom and golden child brother deserve each other.”
“Congrats on the wise investment.”- ramaru115
It’s very frustrating to pass up a bad investment.
How the OP’s brother felt they were tricked is confusing, to say the least.
Their fancy car should remind them that missing out on this venture was his fault and his fault alone.