Selling a house after divorce is rarely fun. Divorce is hard, messy, emotional, and draining. It’s rife with all kinds of difficult decisions, tense conversations, and stressful paperwork. Add a house to the mix, and you open the floodgates to everything from financial stress to fresh conflict.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
If you are going through a divorce (or even if you’re just thinking about it) while trying to sell your shared home, you know what I mean. Between the legal stuff and the emotional stuff, you’re pretty much walking through quicksand. Here’s what you need to know about selling the marital home while the divorce is pending, plus one option you may not have considered before.
Step One: Get on the Same Page
The most important thing you can do, before you do anything else, is sit down with your spouse and agree, at least in the basic sense, on how the house is going to be sold.
This is not the time to drag up old arguments, disagree about details, or stand on principle. Selling a house is hard enough with an agreement on all sides. It takes even more communication, compromise, and cooperation with a divorce in the mix. But if you two are not communicating, you can’t sell the house.
Sit down together (or on the phone, if necessary), and have the following conversation:
- Who stays in the home while it’s on the market? If one of you is staying in the home, that person will have to handle maintenance and showings. Otherwise, the house will have to be empty.
- Who pays the mortgage and bills in the meantime? You’re both still on the mortgage, which means you’re both on the hook for payments, insurance, taxes, and utilities. How will that be handled?
- How will the proceeds be split? 50/50 is the most common split, but it might not be fair for a number of reasons. Maybe one spouse contributed more to the down payment, for example, or paid more toward renovations or repairs.
- Will you list the house with a realtor, or sell it off-market? A traditional listing may net you a higher sale price, but it’s also going to take more time and more communication between you and your spouse.
These are only a few questions to consider and discuss when selling a house after divorce. Some of them may already be in your divorce paperwork or court filings. If not, it’s important to work through them and make decisions before taking any other steps.
Sell Before or After the Divorce Is Final?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Selling before the divorce is finalized can simplify the financial separation. You sell the house, split the proceeds, and go your separate ways. Done.
But in some cases, it makes sense to wait. Maybe one spouse wants to keep living in the home until the kids are out of school. Maybe the market isn’t in your favor. Or maybe you simply haven’t resolved who will get what.
Whatever your choice, make sure to loop in your divorce attorney. Selling a marital asset without the proper legal protections in place can backfire, especially if one party feels slighted or changes their mind mid-deal. You need clarity and legal backing before signing anything.
The Traditional Route Isn’t Always the Easiest
The most obvious way to sell a house after divorce is the traditional way—with a realtor. Theoretically, that works just fine.
In practice, listing a home during a divorce can create an extra burden on both sides of the deal. In particular, because it forces you to be constantly in communication about the details of the sale.
Here are some of the downsides of the traditional route for selling a house during divorce:
Communication: You’ll need to be able to agree on price, staging, showings, which offers to accept, and so on. If your relationship is already tense, the sale can devolve into a constant source of new arguments.
Condition of the home: The house needs to be in “show condition,” which can be tough if one person has moved out, if there are kids involved, or if emotions are high.
Timing: A traditional sale takes a long time. You’ll have to wait for the right buyer, go through buyer financing, and coordinate the closing. All of which can be delayed at the last minute. If you’re trying to sell to finalize the divorce, this can stall everything.
The traditional sale route works just fine if you can both be civil, you’re able to communicate effectively, and neither of you has strong feelings about the house itself. If that’s not the case, it’s time to consider some alternatives.
A Faster, Simpler Option: Sell to SFR Unlimited
If you want a less stressful way to sell your shared home, consider working with a direct home buyer like SFR Unlimited.
We buy homes directly from homeowners, which means no realtor commissions, no showings, and no months-long negotiations. We work with divorcing couples all the time and understand the unique challenges of selling a house when a marriage is falling apart.
Here are a few of the key benefits of working with SFR Unlimited instead of a traditional sale:
Cash offers in as little as 7 days. We’re never going to lowball you, and we’ll work with you to get the best possible offer for your home. Once we agree on an offer, we can usually close in as little as 7 days.
Sell as-is. You won’t need to clean the house, make repairs, or worry about staging the property. We buy houses in any condition.
Save money by selling direct. No realtor means no commissions and a better price for you and your spouse. It’s a win-win.
Neutral and professional. We work with divorcing couples all the time, and we’re not here to take sides. We work with both of you and walk both of you through the process.
A house is a big financial asset, and sometimes it’s the biggest one. Letting go of it can be painful. But in almost all cases, it’s better to let it go than to let it drag out.
Choose the fastest, fairest way to move on, and don’t put yourself through months or years of unnecessary hassle.
It’s Not Just a House: It’s a Shared Life
The most important thing to know about selling the family home during a divorce is this: don’t let it become a bigger issue than it already is. Selling a house is hard at the best of times. When your marriage is already on the rocks, it can become all-consuming.
Take a step back, evaluate the situation, and make a choice. Get a fair price, split the proceeds, and move on with your lives.
SFR Unlimited Has Helped Dozens of Divorcing Couples
Divorce is hard, but when a house is involved, it can be a thousand times worse. I’ve worked with divorcing couples in every stage of the process. Some are amicable; others are not.
But no matter the situation, SFR Unlimited has the option to help you.
Fair, fast, and as little stress as possible. That’s our promise to you and to your spouse. If you need to sell the house during or after a divorce, get in touch. We’ll be happy to help.
Ready to Sell Without the Drama?
Get in touch with SFR Unlimited today. We’ll give you a fair cash offer, walk you through the process, and help you both move on with your lives, on your terms and in your timeline.
It’s one less thing to argue about. It’s one less stressor on an already complicated and stressful situation.
Get in touch, let us help, and turn the page.
Contact SFR Unlimited today.