Family Landlords Raise the Rent to Force One Sister Out
My breath caught in my throat as I looked at the name printed on the transfer line.
The document was signed by both of my parents, their signatures neat and familiar.
But the new owner listed on the title was not a trust, and it was not a management company.
It was Vanessa.
I touched the edge of the page, my finger running over the embossed county seal at the top.
“Is there any record of a purchase price?” I asked.
“It was a gift transfer,” she said, checking her screen. “An advance inheritance, with no money exchanged.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“I would like a photocopy of this document, please,” I said, my voice sounding flat and distant.
“It will be five dollars,” the clerk said, closing the folder.
I handed her a five-dollar bill from my wallet, my fingers touching the cold metal of the counter.
She ran the page through a gray copy machine behind her, the light flashing twice against the wall.
She slid the warm paper across the counter to me.
