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A woman is locked in a tense standoff with her sisters over their late grandmother’s $160,000 house, after a realtor demanded earnest money to “get the deal going.”

The original poster shared her dilemma on the r/RealEstate subreddit, saying the sale has turned into a confusing tug-of-war between her lender’s advice and her sisters’ insistence on keeping the realtor involved.

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Six months after agreeing to sell, the woman’s sisters decided to let her keep the property by buying out their one-third shares for about $53,335 each. She received pre-approval for a mortgage, but her lender later told her she couldn’t buy what she already partly owned. Instead, the transaction required a cash-out refinance — not a new purchase mortgage.

The lender also required a signed buyout agreement among all three siblings and for the home to be taken off the market before closing. Her sisters disagreed, saying the realtor must review every document, including her pre-approval letter, and handle all steps.

The lender, however, advised that a realtor isn’t needed in this situation. The woman, feeling caught between her family and the lender, turned to Reddit for help, writing, “Help! What can I do?”

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According to the lender, because the woman already co-owns the home, the process doesn’t qualify as a new purchase and doesn’t need a listing or earnest money.

Instead, the lender recommended hiring a real estate attorney or title company to manage the buyout paperwork. The woman expressed frustration, saying the realtor’s earlier advice was misleading and caused unnecessary delays.

“I was advised I needed a refinance with cash-out to facilitate the buyout of the other co-owners,” she wrote. “Why didn’t our agent advise us of this?” She added that she no longer trusts the realtor and wants the property delisted while the refinancing continues.

The realtor’s demand for earnest money, she said, doesn’t make sense when no outside buyer exists.