What Do We Do With the House?
The marital home is often one of the most significant and complex issues to navigate during separation. Understanding the real estate options available can help separating couples make informed decisions and bring greater transparency and understanding to the home sale process. They are intended to complement, not replace, the independent legal, financial, tax, and other professional advice each party receives.
When you’re separating, the family home can quickly become one of the biggest questions you have to deal with.
Do we sell?
Can one of us keep it?
Can one spouse buy the other out?
What is the home actually worth?
What happens if we can’t agree?
Do we have to wait before we can move forward?
You don’t have to have all the answers before you start gathering information.
My role is to help you understand the real-estate side of your situation, so you can have clearer information to discuss with your lawyer, mortgage professional and other advisors.
Two Resources Designed to Help:
Divorce Property Analysis Report
Understand Your Options Before Making a Decision
The Divorce Property Analysis Report is a neutral, non-appraisal report that provides an overview of the real estate considerations during separation or divorce. It is designed for homeowners who are needing a clearer picture of their property’s real-estate situation. The report brings together relevant property and market information to help you understand the potential implications of different real-estate options, current market information, market value, equity, market conditions, strategic selling scenarios, market forecast, timing considerations and potential process risks. The report is intended to help clients make informed real estate decisions and decide whether to keep the home, sell the home or delay the sale. This will complement not replace, the legal and financial advice they receive from their professionals.
Interim Marital Home Sale Agreement
When You’ve Decided the Home Needs to Be Sold.
Agreeing that the house should be sold is sometimes only the beginning. Divorcing and separating spouses can still disagree about home preparation, repairs, listing price, mortgage, carrying cost and the framework for the selling process. The Interim Marital Home Sale Agreement is designed to help facilitate the listing and sale of the marital home before the separation agreement is finalized. It establishes a clear structured framework for the practical real-estate process of selling the home, including matters such as listing procedures, showings, offer presentations, price adjustments, and other practical decisions. It is not a substitute for a separation agreement, but rather a tool to help reduce delays, improve transparency, and minimize conflict while the legal process continues.
The goal is to establish greater clarity around the responsibilities, expectations and process involved in preparing and selling the property. This can be particularly helpful when communication between spouses is difficult or when both parties want a clear understanding of how the sale will be handled.
You May Benefit From These Resources If:
You’re Separating and Don’t Know What to Do With Your Home
You’re trying to understand whether selling, keeping the home or exploring a buyout may be an option.
You and Your Spouse Can’t Agree About the Property
You disagree about the home’s value, timing, selling process or what should happen next.
You’ve Agreed to Sell but Don’t Know How to Move Forward
You both agree the house needs to be sold but want a clearer process for preparing, listing and completing the sale.
What If We’re Still Waiting for a Separation Agreement?
You may not need to wait until every aspect of your separation has been resolved before gathering real-estate information and understanding your options. A Divorce Property Analysis Report can help you understand the property side of the situation while you continue working with your legal and financial professional.
You Don’t Have to Figure Out the House Alone. Separation can make even straightforward decisions feel complicated. The goal of these resources isn’t to tell you what decision to make, it’s to help you understand the real-estate side of the decision. You can then take that information to the people advising you on the legal, financial and personal aspects of your separation. My goal is to bring clarity to the house when everything else feels uncertain.
About Judith Vandenberg
I am Certified Real Estate Divorce Specialist with Royal LePage Wolstencroft since 2016. I specialize in helping separating and divorcing homeowners navigate the real-estate side of separation. My focus is helping clients understand their property options, prepare for a potential sale and navigate the practical challenges that can arise when two people are dealing with one home. Whether you’re just beginning to think about what happens to the house or you’re ready to sell, I’m here to help you understand your real-estate options.
Disclaimer
The Divorce Property Analysis Report provides real-estate information and analysis. It is not an appraisal and does not provide legal, financial, tax or other professional advice.
The Interim Marital Home Sale Agreement is intended to address the practical real-estate process of selling a home. It is not a separation agreement and does not replace independent legal advice.
Every separation is different. You should obtain independent legal, financial, mortgage and tax advice as appropriate to your circumstances.