[bluemoco]

Sconly,

I would strongly suggest that you & your sister do not rely on anything told you by others who have a vested interest. You deserve what is yours, your mom would want it that way.

I don't see how you & sis would not be entitled to half the sales price of the house minus costs & mortgage payoff, and the step dad had better not have refied any additional debt on it, and it better not be sold to the step dad's "heirs" in some kind of sweatheart deal.

All that said, its almost never a bad idea to take a chunk of cash & see if you can afford a cheap house/condo yourself. Depending on your circumstances, it may be hard to come up with a chunk of cash, & it may not be worth it to whittle it away on small stuff.

Good advice here. And, I also agree with those who suggest a lawyer - you are likely entitled to more than just a simple $20k if the house gets sold. You need a good advocate, and you shouldn't be afraid to hire a lawyer (and maybe split the fees with your big sister?).

Pay off your debts, and then look at how you can invest the windfall $$ into your future -- a house or condo would be a great idea.

I hate to pee on the parade, but I'd wait on the purchase of a new S4Rs. You're at a point in your life when you can make some good financial decisions to set up your long-term financial security. Paying cash for a new, expensive bike (that will depreciate substantially) is not a sound plan. :-\ My vote would be to pay cash for a nice, used, low-mileage S4 and bank the rest of the $$ (or put it toward a house/condo).

Good luck, and keep us posted on how things play out.