What is a fair buyout for a table my roommate and I bought together?
Money"I paid $200, so you can pay me $200 and keep it," my roommate said, tapping the dining table.
We bought it for $400 two years ago and split the cost equally. She's moving out; I'm staying and would like to keep it. An offer from a local second-hand dealer would give us $180 for the whole table if we sold it now. Neither of us has accepted that offer.
I suggested paying her $90, half of the available sale price. She pointed out that she'd then need to put another $110 towards a replacement as expensive as her original share. I pointed out that paying her $200 would leave me having spent the full original $400 on a table we've both already used for two years.
We're trying to reach an agreement, not arguing about a legal entitlement. Would you use the current sale offer, negotiate something between $90 and $200, or sell it and split the money so neither person sets a private price? Keeping the table would be convenient, but I don't want that convenience to become a number we both resent.