[quote]I will give you my experience. It is a little different, but there are many similarities.
My ex and I had a house built before we were married. The home was bought with an inheritance from ex's father, 100%. There was no mortgage. By the time we closed, we were married and my name was put on the deed (although my attorney said that didn't matter). The inheritance was from before our marriage, but the house was purchased after for 157k. The utilities were all in m ex's name.
When we divorced 4 years later, the house was worth $265k. According to his lawyer I was entitled to only half of the equity, which using their formula would have been half of the increase in value minus the purchase price. So, the house was worth $265k, minus the $155 purchase price, so I was entitled to half of the 110k difference, which is $55k.
To make a long story short, my attorney argued I was entitled to half of the house outright. We ended up settling out of court. He gave me $83k to buy me out. We both didn't want to take our chances in court.
Now, your ex has a decent claim on the formula used above.
Finally, paying for the cable, he appliances, painting a room, gardening, cooking, cleaning give her some right to the home. I agree not 100%.
Also, I am guessing she used her money for other things in the marriage such as vacations, cars, etc.
Just throwing in my 2 cents.
Good luck. [/quote]
Thanks for your reply.
What state do you live in?
I think your husband would have won in court if he tried.
No she never paid for any vacations and I paid for my car !00%.
We never had any joint credit cards or bank accounts.
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