Answer: You have the right to sell your half, but it might be difficult to find a buyer who wants to be partners with your cousins. You also have the right to go to court and ask for "partition." With acreage involved, that might mean physical separation of your share from theirs, so you'd each own five acres. If that's not practical, the court will order a public auction of the property and division of the proceeds. It would involve legal expenses, and a cash auction doesn't usually yield full value.
LADY FRIEND DIED
Dear Ms. Lank: My lady friend and I were both widowed, and after awhile, we decided to sell our houses and build a new one, each as co-owner.
She recently passed away. Her children are anxious to sell the house and get their half, so I would have to find another place to live, which I am not in a hurry to do.
Can I delay this process? Can you tell me what rights I have as a half owner (or don't have)? -- B.V.
Answer: Depending on how the deed was written when you and your lady bought the house, you may be a co-owner with her children now or you might even own the whole house yourself. If the deed said the place was owned by "B.V. and Lady Friend as joint tenants" or "as joint tenants with right of survivorship," then when she died, you automatically became sole owner.
If the deed didn't contain that wording, then you simply remain half-owner. The others have the legal right to force a sale, and the only delay would involve a court procedure. That's not a pleasant route to go. Perhaps, instead you could get a mortgage loan for half the value of the property and use the money to buy them out.
A single session with a lawyer should tell you where you stand. Take along all the your documents for an efficient interview.