Selling your home in the midst of a divorce is difficult, and that’s putting it mildly. The ability to work together in a business transaction with your ex-spouse is difficult to muster and requires patience, a lot of tongue biting, and a steely resolve to see it through as painlessly as possible. 

If either you or your ex-spouse is difficult and uncooperative, there is, of course, always legal recourse, but that’s only going to cost you more — more time, more money, more pain and suffering.

With that in mind, there are a few things you need to consider in order to avoid trouble. To eliminate any misunderstandings by you, your ex-spouse, your agent, or an interested buyer, discuss this list of potential trouble spots with your trusted agent.

• Selling your home before you are qualified to buy another — financial situations change along with loan requirements, especially in divorce, so make sure to be prepared.
• Guessing your mortgage payoff — be aware of any penalties that may be involved in paying off your mortgage.
• Underestimating closing costs — calculate fees, taxes, and commissions to be paid, and understand that remaining proceeds will be divided as agreed.
• Spending earnest money — if the sale falls through, what happens to the money? Avoid stress and hassle by working out these details ahead of time.
• Befriending potential buyers — if you confide that you are divorcing, they may assume you are desperate to sell, and that can affect the sale of your home. Make sure you and your Realtor® agree to both keep an eye out to avoid this pitfall!
• Low appraisals — you have options if this happens. Sometimes, judges will determine the value of a home, but most appraisals done by professionals are reasonable, so have a plan with your Realtor® for how to respond if you get hit with a low appraisal.
• Inspection requirements — know what is expected for your home to pass a home inspection.
• Prepare for closing — your agent and lawyer will — or at least should — inform you of what to expect. 
• Flexibility and readiness to show home — You really can’t say “no” to a showing, so get your home in show-ready condition, and keep it that way so that unexpected showings don’t send you into a panic. 
• Leave during showings — buyers prefer to view homes without the seller present. Your agent will be there to field any questions, so if you have any you really want to add to their list, make sure to discuss them beforehand. 
• Weed out unqualified buyers — you are well within your rights to request only qualified home buyers view your home.  If they are not eligible, even for creative financing, it is a waste of everyone’s time — especially yours.
  

If there is anything I can help you with or if you simply have questions, please feel free to reach out to me anytime.

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