Inheritance semi-detached house - Will or land register decisive?

But that's what the expert report is for - to determine the value. Sure, if someone really wants to block the process, they can say "Personally, I think the house is worth €1,000,000." You simply have no way to counter that at first, because that's no longer constructive. However, then the house just sits there for years, unused and losing value. And he won't see any money from it either. I can't imagine that. If anything, it will be more about his own son using it.

But that's what the appraisal is supposed to be for - to determine the value.

The appraiser writes the appraisal exactly as you commission him. You yourself say you want to determine a middle (realistic) value. The value is completely different from the maximum selling price. And the value differs even more if the appraiser is supposed to badmouth the house in order to get the value as low as possible from a buyer’s perspective. The range between these three values is enormous. I mean, I gave you the example above of how you can easily get €100,000 more. Depending on the share of the third son, it’s worth it, and for the extra money you can forget about a joint appraiser and hire someone yourself who maximizes the price. If there really is discord instead of agreement in the family, it could go like this. Money ends friendship, and since disinheritance already happened, the friendship certainly won’t be rekindled in this situation. This is me painting a black picture again. Of course, it can also proceed in a civilized and amicable manner with all those involved.

But that's what the appraisal is supposed to be for – for the valuation.

The problem is that you can twist an appraisal any way you want. It starts with the question of whether you adjust the standard land value, goes over to the question of how you classify the condition of floors, bathrooms, etc., whether you include an old oil burner that the new owner will 99% replace anyway... We once looked at a house for which a valuation appraisal was available. A friend of my parents is on the appraisal committee, and I showed it to him. That’s when I really understood what assumptions were made in the appraisal, which a layperson doesn’t understand. And after five minutes it was clear that the appraiser assumed the value-increasing variant everywhere. Sometimes even bordering on cheating, 50-year-old totally scratched parquet flooring is not 80% like new.

Ah okay, I understand ... I had imagined that an independent expert would also independently determine a value apart from what the client gives him as a target. The good thing is that I can theoretically still buy the house, even if it goes to auction or is sold through an agent. It just takes a bit longer then, but well, that's just how it is. As I said, maybe they will somehow come to an agreement ... The brothers still actually get along pretty well with each other. But as mentioned here already - when it comes to money ... ;-)

Regardless of the expert, a party can also simply say, "I want amount x," no matter what the expert says. Take it or leave it, then the only option left is the legal route through the auction.

Yes, of course - as I said, my father could also say "I want €1,000,000". But that is no longer constructive, it only drags everything out and costs money. We will now see how the party positions itself there. If that is the case, there will probably be no other option. Then I will try to auction the property or acquire it on the open market.