Should We Sell the House Before or After Divorce?

A difficult question when divorcing should we sell the house before or after divorce? The answer to whether to divorce or sell the house first.

In order, the best time for selling the house due to divorce is before, after, and lastly, during the divorce. Here, I will share the pros and cons of selling a home before, during, or after a divorce. I provided advice for each divorce timing scenario, too.

If selling your house during divorce can’t be avoided, make the best of a bit following a beneficial divorce home sale strategy. As a REALTOR® I have helped many people selling the house due to divorce in Northwest Indiana. Though, this advice is likely applicable regardless of where you are located.

How Divorces Affect a Home Sale?

Divorce home sales can attract lower offers and less favorable terms. This is because homebuyers know you need to sell the home and are likely motivated to sell relatively quickly.

The key to getting more of what you want is to hide the fact your home is being sold due to a divorce. You can do this by hiding the revealing signs of a divorce and quickly selling the home with a strong divorce home sale strategy.

Signs That Reveal You Are Selling the House Due to Divorce

We complain about how big tech has taken away our privacy. Unfortunately, the truth is technology has just made it easier to listen to what you have already said. Think about that for a moment, and you’ll know it’s true.

It amazes me how many homebuyers are amateur detectives. Our society has become very nosy. As a real estate agent I want to find my client an edge anywhere I can. Keep buyers and real estate agents in the dark about your divorce by knowing this:

• Public filings – I am a REALTOR® in Indiana. Every nosy person in the Hoosier state knows you can go online to search county records and find out who owns the home. Then, you take that name and type it into the Indiana courts database, click family court, and check for a divorce filing. Many states make it just that easy to determine if you are selling your house in a divorce.
• Social media posts – Keep your divorce off of social media. Leave relationship statuses unchanged, no vague posts for sympathy, and no sporty pictures with your new beau or belle if you’ve moved on that quickly.
• Obvious but easy to repair damage – Often divorce houses for sale have excessive wear and tear on items that most homeowners would have replaced or repaired before placing the home on the market. Often, it’s as if the divorced couple selling the house or soon-to-be-exes just don’t give a shit anymore. Don’t be like that.
• Missing clothes – Yes, we look in your closets. A red flag that a home is a divorce house sale is when Mr. and Mrs. Public own the home but the buyers don’t see a man’s clothes or a woman’s clothes in the closet.
• Sparsely furnished homes – It is good to have a thinned out home, but too few furnishings cause homebuyers to think that maybe someone has moved out and on. We see it. The pock marks in the carpet from a bed that sat in a room that is now empty, half the living room furniture gone, a home office that has decor on the walls but the computer desk, chair, and computer are now gone.

Selling the House Before Divorce

Selling the matrimonial home before divorce is the best way to go. This will shield you from any public record of a divorce filing.

Actions To Take When Selling the Home Before Divorce

If you can both stay in the home, do it. Real estate agents and homebuyers can pick up on the fact one of the spouses is no longer living in the home. However, I understand this may not work for every circumstance.

When selling your house before divorce if one of you needs to leave the home I encourage that person to leave some of their personal items at the home. Focus on leaving some clothes behind so the closet looks like both spouses are still living there.

Next, keep your upcoming divorce off of social media. Avoid posting or changing relationship statuses. Don’t make posts or vaguely illustrate that your marriage will be ending.

Pros to Selling Your House Before Divorce

• Buyers remain ignorant of your real motivations
• Protects value of home
• As the seller you have not appeared to give up any negotiating power
• Avoid disputes about who gets to stay in, pay for, and maintain the marital home

Cons to Selling Your House Before A Divorce

• The couple often tries to continue living together which can be difficult
• Both spouses are making future plans while still living together (i.e., making future living arrangements, moving out, etc.

Selling the House After Divorce

Selling the marital home after divorce is the second best option. Selling a house after divorce agreement just always seems to make things easier. Possibly one spouse was granted the house in the divorce leaving him or her alone to be the decision maker. Or, the divorce has been finalized with a remaining order to sell the home with the other spouse receiving some proceeds.

Additionally, if a prospective buyer or agent sees the divorce, the fact the divorce has already been completed changes everything. Now, buyers and real estate agents really do not know your motivation for selling. Maybe it’s a divorce house sale, but maybe it isn’t at all.

Actions To Take When Selling Your Home After Divorce

First, try to keep the home furnished. Fill in voids with new, basic furniture, oversized artwork, and other low expense materials.

Second, treat this sale like any other real estate sale. Keep the home clean, free of clutter, and well maintained. These are the keys to selling a home quickly and for top dollar.

Pros Of Selling Your Home After Divorce

• Often one spouse is making all the decisions which is easier (you’re only arguing with yourself!)
• Easy to make plans for moving out
• Though the divorce could be found, your motivations actually are quite unclear
• You are likely more focused because you are likely through all of indecision of the changes you confronted during your divorce
• The spouse selling the home remains in control of the asset

Cons Of Selling Your Home After Divorce

• You are on your own to deal with everything
• May need to do some staging to fill in voids at in spaces at the home

Selling a House When Getting Divorced

The worst time to sell a home is during a divorce. So, the cat is out of the bag and savvy agents or inquisitive home buyers could find there is a pending divorce. Oh well. Sometimes, this just cannot be avoided. The key to successfully selling your house during a divorce is to proactively plan how you will sell the home. Let’s take a look at that.

Actions To Take When Selling the House During a Divorce

Most importantly you need to make sure the home looks well lived in and enjoyed. If a spouse is going to be living at home, it is important to keep as many things in the home as possible. Again, no voids. Keep closets full and fill out furnished rooms.

Successfully selling a home during a divorce requires some planning and decision making. Decisions needed include:

• Who will be paying the mortgage, insurance, and property taxes?
• Who is responsible for maintaining the home?
• When will the home be available for showing requests?
• Who will be responsible for approving showing requests?
• How will the home be kept in show ready condition?
• Who will pay for repairs the buyer requests after a home inspection?
• Where are you moving once the home sells?

Planning all of this ahead of time allows both you and your spouse to avoid conflict and miss opportunities to show the home to prospective home buyers.

If you are selling a home during a divorce you might find my divorce home sale strategy to be helpful.

Pros to Selling the House During a Divorce

• There really aren’t any

Cons to Selling the House During a Divorce

• Prospective buyers and agents could learn of the divorce and use it as leverage
• May have to hold a spouse accountable for actions he or she agreed to take to help get the home sold
• More likely a spouse has left meaning possible voids in the home
• Higher chance of receiving a lower offer for the home due to buyers detecting the need to sell

Conclusion

When you are selling the house due to divorce the timing can affect the home sale. The best time to sell a house because of a divorce is before the divorce even starts. The divorce is a signal to homebuyers that you need to sell the home. This could cause buyers to make lower offers and less favorable terms.

The key to selling a house during divorce is hiding the divorce as much as possible. If you need to sell a home during a divorce take actions to keep the divorce from being obvious. If a spouse has left the home, have that spouse leave some things behind, especially clothes. Also, avoid clearing out rooms and breaking up furniture sets.

My divorce home sale strategy is designed to deliver a fast sale and a higher price. If you will be selling a home anywhere in Northwest Indiana consider contacting me. I have experience selling homes due to a divorce and offer low real estate commission fees.

Divorce Home Sales FAQ

Should we sell the house before or after divorce?

When selling the marital home because of divorce, the best time to sell the home is before the divorce begins. Opportunistic homebuyers who learn of the divorce may try to make lower offers and less favorable terms because they know you need to sell the home.

Should you sell your house before filing for divorce?

Divorcing couples should sell their home before filing for divorce. This is because many states make it very easy for the public to search public court records including divorce filings.

Can I sell my house before divorce?

Yes, you can sell your home before divorce. The divorcing couple should be in agreement about what is to happen with the proceeds from the home sale.

About Quadwalls.com

Quadwalls.com is a real estate website founded in Valparaiso, IN. We are the smarter way to real estate. We are committed to helping home buyers and sellers save money and make better decisions when buying or selling real estate.

We are a team of real estate agents in Northwest Indiana, too. We have the lowest listing rates in Northwest Indiana. We provide full-service home selling services.

If you are interested in learning more about us or would like a confidential discussion about selling your home, please, contact us.