{"id":4511,"date":"2018-06-28T12:43:37","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T19:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=4511"},"modified":"2026-03-18T10:46:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T17:46:24","slug":"divorce-selling-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/divorce-selling-house\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Tips for Going Through Divorce and Selling Your House"},"content":{"rendered":"

Facing a new emotional and financial reality, divorcing couples often have to make a host of difficult decisions before they can move on with their lives.<\/p>\n

At the top of the priority list is, number one, thinking about the kids, followed by figuring out what to do with the house, according to Jordan Bennett<\/a>, a top 1% real estate agent in Mission Viejo, CA, who is a certified specialist in working with divorcing couples to sell their homes.<\/p>\n

In Bennett\u2019s experience, it\u2019s usually the case that one or both spouses want to keep the home\u2014 desirability isn\u2019t the issue.<\/p>\n

However, while it\u2019s fairly simple to remove someone\u2019s name from the title of a home, getting somebody off the mortgage is more complex. If both spouses originally qualified for the mortgage, it\u2019s possible that neither would qualify on their own, especially in more expensive markets.<\/p>\n

That leads many divorcing couples into what may be their only option: to put their home on the market and sell it.<\/p>\n

Talk about stressful. According to Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale<\/a>, a tool mental health professionals use to categorize taxing life events, divorce is the second-most stressful life event, and moving is among the top 30. Together? Well, that\u2019s going to be a lot to handle at once.<\/p>\n

As Bennett explains, above all, you don\u2019t want to let the stress of the divorce impact the marketability of your home.<\/p>\n

Here are some top tips selling your home in a divorce quickly, successfully, and without creating any more strain during an already-trying time in your life.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Move Out Too Soon When Selling Your Home in a Divorce<\/h2>\n

Oftentimes, Bennett says, divorcing couples are ready to move out of the home they\u2019re selling and move on, but that can be a mistake. \u201cI suggest at least one party stay in the house,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

The problem with both spouses disappearing is that they\u2019ll usually take their stuff with them, leaving behind an empty house that\u2019s less attractive to buyers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You could stage the home, a strategy that 39% of seller\u2019s agents say can greatly decrease your time on market, according to research from the National Association of Realtors. But there\u2019s a catch to that.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaging is quite expensive,\u201d says Bennett, whose clients often spend thousands on staging empty homes. If it\u2019s possible to keep some nice furniture, fixtures, and accessories in the home, that will immediately bring down your expenses.<\/p>\n

Another benefit of having at least one person living in the home until it sells is keeping your monthly housing expenses in check\u2014three housing payments every month between divorcing couples is typically not sustainable.<\/p>\n

On average, homes in Los Angeles spend 79 days on the market<\/a>. In Miami, homes spend an average 113 days on the market<\/a>. Point is: that\u2019s a long time to pay two rents and a mortgage, and your home could take even longer to sell depending on your market and specific house.<\/p>\n

Bennett advises couples to wait until their trip to the closing table is guaranteed before both moving out of the house. After all, getting divorced isn\u2019t cheap<\/a>: the average mediated divorce costs couples $5,000, and the average contested divorce is more like $15,000-$30,000.<\/p>\n

Save where you can!<\/p>\n

Find an Agent With Experience in Divorce To Help Sell Your Home<\/h2>\n

Like with any home sale, your first step will be to find an agent to help you sell your home.<\/a> It\u2019s worth it to find someone who specializes in working with separating couples, a situation that presents some unique challenges.<\/p>\n

Number one, according to Bennett, is that your real estate agent will double as a mediator. \u201cPeople going through a divorce require more hand-holding,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople are coming to the table with mistrust, fear, and anger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find an agent that you both can trust and feel comfortable with, so that as the process goes on, neither of you feels that the agent is on the other person\u2019s \u201cside.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s more the soft skills than the technical skills that are required,\u201d he explains. \u201cBeing able to deal with high emotionally charged conversations, being able to be diplomatic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Selling your home during a divorce is an emotional rollercoaster, but the last thing you want is to blow the deal. With the help of this guide, you won\u2019t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":9447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[430,319],"tags":[491,776],"class_list":["post-4511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-divorce","category-selling-advice","tag-basics","tag-do-i-have-to-sell-my-house-in-a-divorce"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 Tips for Going Through Divorce and Selling Your House<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Selling your home during a divorce is an emotional rollercoaster, but the last thing you want is to blow the deal. 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