Paid $9,055 to save cousin's home, court upheld oral deal over $150K offer
The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled that a verbal agreement between two cousins regarding the sale of a house is legally binding. The decision follows a dispute where the owner attempted to sell the property to a third party despite a prior oral arrangement with his cousin.
Why it matters
This case serves as a reminder of the legal risks associated with informal property agreements and the importance of written contracts in real estate.
A Kansas man who received a $150,000 offer for his property has lost a legal battle with his cousin, who claimed he had already agreed to sell her the house and about five acres of land four years earlier. Tiffany Miller said she took responsibility for the property in 2020 after discovering that her cousin, Aaron Harvey, had fallen behind on mortgage payments. Although they never signed a sale agreement, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that their verbal arrangement could be enforced.The dispute began when Harvey decided to sell the property in 2024. By then, Miller and her son had been paying the mortgage and looking after the house for several years. They had also spent money repairing the building and improving the surrounding land.
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