Family no longer knows who owns late-sibling's house

Q. My sister, who I hadn't seen in years, died recently in North Dakota. The neighbor who phoned me said the house was vacant when she died. I don't know if she still owned it. How can I find out without making a trip to North Dakota?

A. If you went there, you could find out by looking at the public records - documents on file in the recorder's office of that county. These days, most counties have the same information available on the Internet. If you don't know how to search online, perhaps a younger relative or friend can help.

More efficient, though, is contacting a lawyer in that town. Your attorney will investigate the situation and advise whether you should take any action.

Q. We were very young - that is our excuse for falling prey to a timeshare salesperson. Now, 32 years later, the place is nothing but a white elephant. We can no longer travel, we have yearly expenses to keep it, and we can't seem to sell it.

Last year we were contacted by an agency that sells timeshares. It cost $600 to list with them and nothing happened. This is a real burden, and, of course, the children don't want it.

A. You probably enjoyed that timeshare, and I'll bet the family did, too, for many of those 32 years. Think of it not as an investment, but as a source of good memories.

You've already broken the first rule about getting rid of a timeshare. Never pay anyone an advance fee to put it on the market. Now it's time to search the Internet - or have the kids do it - to see if similar timeshares in that area are being sold. More to the point, are they being bought? If so, try placing a classified ad down there. Don't bother contacting real estate agents - there's not usually enough commission involved to warrant their time.

If selling fails, make up your minds to give the place away. Sometimes the management company will agree to take it back. Sometimes, again, a classified ad will turn up someone willing to take it over. And if none of that works, consult your own lawyer about what is likely to happen if you just abandon the property and ignore future bills.

Q. We have owned an empty lot for 40 years. It has a boundary line fence on one side, which was maintained by both parties with no problems. I have the survey with the fence clearly marked as the boundary.

Recently our neighbor sold to someone who immediately contacted me to rebuild the fence as three of "my" posts were leaning into his yard. I hired a company to fix the posts at my expense (putting them in the exact same holes).

And as soon as I did, my new neighbor bolted a satellite dish to my side of the fence post jutting into my yard. It's an eyesore and a nuisance when using the riding lawn mower and I nicely asked him to remove it. He refuses, saying he doesn't want to mess up his yard, and all I have is an empty lot "so it doesn't hurt anything."

The dish company refuses to remove it without his consent but they told me I could legally remove it if it is jutting out on to my property. Should I do this, or must I go through court?

A. If I were you, I'd try to get the company's opinion - that you can remove an encroaching dish - in writing. And it'd be nice if you also had the neighbor's opinion - that those are your fence posts - in writing. And I'd take some pictures. But I'm not a lawyer, and I suspect this is one time when I'd better not tell you what to do next.

Q. I read your reply to a young couple who is moving out of state and asked about how to go about buying a home in a three-day trip. Your advice was good, but had I been giving them advice (as a Navy wife who, thankfully, never owned a house until my husband retired), I would tell them to rent for six months to a year. They will get the "feel" of the community, schools, etc., and there's always the chance the job situation may not pan out.

A. Not sure I agree. But when it's older folks planning to retire in a strange place, then I often do advise renting before uprooting themselves completely, to see if the new community feels right.

• Edith Lank will respond to questions sent to her at 240 Hemingway Drive, Rochester, N.Y. 14620 (include a stamped return envelope), or readers may email her through askedith.com.

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