It would be a shame if you had to sell the property that has been in the family for over 230 years. Keeping up with two places is tough. Before we moved to the farm we also owned another home in NJ. Trying to keep up with both places was a real chore.
If you and your sister bought out your other two siblings hopefully the court will dismiss this issue before it costs you any money. Lawyers, always a good thing to avoid them at any cost.
The place sounds like it needs a lot of work, but what a great location, especially if it is lakefront. Great idea not to cut down any black walnuts unless it's totally necessary.
We have a black walnut plantation that we planted 12 years ago, about 120 trees. One day they will be worth a boatload of money. This will not be in my lifetime, but our children or grandchildren should reap the benefits which is exactly the plan since we planted them.
Depending on the size and quality of the walnut trees on your property, they may be extremely valuable. If they are old-growth trees, even one of them could be worth a few thousand dollars. If you ever decide to look into harvesting them the first step would be to contact a professional forester. Here is a link explaining why this would be the first step and how one should go about it. You can contact a state or private forester.
Good luck with this ordeal, my friend.
Thanks for the tips, and I believe you forgot to provide the link. I'll have someone come look at the walnuts. We have a lot of black locusts too. Buckthorn threatens it all, and has already killed quite a few cherry trees. This is something that I think needs immediate control.
Here's the link that I meant to send.
black Locust is another valuable tree.https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g5051
Thank you!
You're welcome!