[Janis N.]

[ QUOTE ]
as a gesture of sympathy to a fellow almost Russian, I suggest learning to win at poker

[/ QUOTE ]He isn't an "almost Russian". He probably speaks Russian fluently and is obviously an ex-Soviet citizen, but calling him an "almost Russian" is quite inaccurate. This is akin to calling Russians "almost Germans" if by an unlucky turn of fate the Nazis would have won the WW2 (Goodwin's law FTW).

OP - what I would do given the Latvian probably-bubble real estate scene is:
a) have your dad pay for half the apartment and refinance the loan only in the name of your mom (that is pure profit)
b) THEN have your mom sell the apartment for $80k (would be tricky in this market, but this is the time to sell IMHO) OR refinance it to a 20 year loan
c) rent an apartment and then buy one later after the real estate market crashes OR buy a smaller apartment further from the center
d) $600 a month isn't that great any more; maybe your mom can shop around for better offers. Now is the time to look btw, not in a month or two.

Also:
e) Have your mom consider her relationship with your dad a "civil marriage" (look that up) and he gets to pay alimony I think.

DO NOT think of poker as a near-term solution; frankly you're not very good at it and it will take a while for you to get better at it. Lotteries are completely retarded.

Good luck; and I mean it.

P.S. Bonus advice - change your screen name and avatar to something less "Latvian".