Katharina Buczek
This 29-year-old man bought his very first home one year ago, and at the time, his parents offered to give him $20,000 for the down payment. They framed the money as a gift, and he realized how generous it was.
“I was extremely grateful, as they knew I’d been saving for years and wanted a place to call my own,” he recalled.
“I’d even invited them to celebrate with me the day I got the keys, and everything seemed fine.”
Then, just three months ago, his dad unexpectedly lost his job, and his mom’s part-time income wasn’t enough to make ends meet. This pushed his parents to call him randomly one day and claim they’d be moving in with him until they could get back on their feet.
He was totally taken aback since his parents never actually asked to stay with him. They simply assumed he’d be okay with it.
Plus, when he had some hesitations about letting them move in, his parents threw the $20,000 in his face and stated it was time he “paid them back by helping them out.”
“This was news to me. They’d repeatedly assured me it was a gift, no strings attached, and they were just happy to help me achieve my dream of homeownership,” he explained.
Yet, his parents were suddenly calling the money a “loan,” despite never mentioning any repayment or the expectation that they’d be able to move in with him someday.
He tried to talk to his parents about his concerns and said they could stay with him temporarily. Nonetheless, they disregarded him and insisted on moving in indefinitely until their finances turned around.
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