Hang Tight -- It Can't Be This Bad Forever

Then subtract the mortgage from the value of the property and include those costs that you would have had to pay if you and your partner had sold the home. The costs of the sale might include real estate brokerage commissions, transfer taxes and other fees that a seller ordinarily pays to sell a home. What's left is a number that you can split in half (or nearly in half, if you are factoring in the other costs of a sale). Or you can subtract the cash that each of you put down on the property and then divide the equity that remains.

This may not be an easy conversation for you and your ex-partner, but it's a necessary one. You should also discuss how the transfer of ownership would take place. I suggest that it happen at the refinancing table. You can find a mortgage lender who will work with you and arrange to have your share of the equity paid to you at the closing, which is where you would sign away your ownership interests in the property.

I have a neighbor who burns freshly cut and wet grass constantly. The spot she burns in is directly across the street from my house. It's on the back corner of her property, far from her house.

The smoke is horrible, and the smell is disgusting. It has caused me to have two asthma attacks this week. I can't let the kids out to play. We either have to leave the area or stay inside with all the windows closed. The fire lasts at least a week. It smolders, then a wind will start kicking up smoke again. The smell lasts the entire week.

We have tried to talk to her, but it didn't do any good. She has at least two acres, and she cuts her grass almost daily and bags and burns every bit of it. Her burning starts in the early spring and continues through fall.

We live in the country, so there are no city laws that apply to us. The county law states there will be no open burning: "No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit open burning of refuse composed of animal, fruit, or vegetable matter, garbage, offal, or any other nauseous matter of organic or inorganic matter at any time except within a furnace or incinerator, and then not in a manner which permits the escape or discharge of noxious odors."

And yet, my neighbor said the county health department said she could burn as much landscape waste as she wants. Is there anything we can do to stop this?

Why are you taking her version of what the county health department says as gospel? You already know what the law says, and if what you've quoted is accurate, it seems that she should not be burning grass clippings.

Instead of fuming silently, visit your county's health and building departments. Have a conversation about what your neighbor is burning, and ask whether it is against the law. You can provide photos or even a video.

You can push the county to enforce its rules, and perhaps it will fine your neighbor, but your neighbor still may not stop. At that point, you should sit down with a lawyer who can advise you as to your legal options, if there are any. In addition to the local ordinance, there may be other laws that could be used to challenge your neighbor's burning.

Finally, even if you are right and your neighbor is wrong, you may just have to consider selling and moving if the burning of her yard waste is making you physically ill. The most important consideration should be your health.

I live in California and plan on getting married. My boyfriend wants me to sign a prenuptial agreement. We're also looking into buying a home. His credit is awful, while mine is very good. We have both signed the loan papers for a preapproved bank loan, but now I'm having doubts about going through with the purchase. He makes more money than I do, and if he decides to leave me, I don't want to be stuck with a mortgage I can't afford. Is it better to take my name off the loan and still be on the title? Or should I just remove myself entirely?