Going through a divorce can be a very difficult situation. When the sale of a home is involved, this makes the process even more challenging.
Selling your house in a divorce can be incredibly overwhelming, leaving many seeking answers. Normally there is the question of selling a house before divorce or selling a house after divorce.
Many people question whether they should consider selling property before a divorce settlement. Let’s examine this in detail.
Can I Sell My House Before Divorce?
You can decide to sell a house before or after a divorce. Ultimately, the final decision is up to the separating couple to reach an agreement.
Both carry their own positives and negatives. To answer the question of whether to sell the house first or divorce first, we will examine selling the house first.
Sell House Before or After Divorce: Choosing to Sell First
Many people consider selling the home first a better option than selling the house after divorce. There are several reasons for making this choice when contemplating whether to sell a house before or after divorce.
Selling the home before a divorce avoids the negative stigma associated with this type of purchase. Many times, buyers will shy away from buying a house with a divorce attached to it.
These are some of the additional benefits of selling before the divorce takes place:
- Buyers remain oblivious to the fact you are selling because of the divorce.
- The value remains higher.
- You don’t relinquish any negotiating power.
- Avoid disputes regarding who remains in the house.
Of course, no situation comes without disadvantages. These are the major negatives when it comes to selling before divorce.
- Couples tend to continue living together, which can present problems.
- Couples make future plans while living together. This can cause jealousy issues.
It seems that most of the issues that present themselves by selling prior to divorce are personal. If both parties can remain civil and private, it seems like a mutually beneficial situation.
What about the other side of the coin? Let’s dive into selling a house after divorce.
Sell House Before or After Divorce: Selling After
When it comes to the question of whether to sell the house first or divorce first, selling after divorce isn’t as beneficial as selling before. However, it is better than selling during a divorce.
After a divorce, there is normally one person placed in charge of the property. This makes the sale process smoother at times but has the potential to only benefit one party.
Although selling after the divorce may not be mutually beneficial, there are still pros. These are the benefits of selling agree a divorce:
- One spouse makes all the decisions normally. This leads to virtually no chance of a dispute.
- Plans to move out are made easier with one party.
- The divorce can be seen by buyers, but there’s no proof that’s what led to the sale.
- The selling party is more clear-headed.
What about the disadvantages of selling after a divorce?
- There’s a record of a divorce, which could potentially cause the value to drop.
- You deal with everything on your own.
What happens when a divorce happens during a home sale? When it comes to the question of selling your home before or after a divorce, this is the worst possible scenario.
Sell House First or Divorce First: What Happens When Neither Happen?
Sometimes the unthinkable happens, and a divorce moves forward during the middle of a home sale. This scenario has several negative ramifications with hardly any benefits.
- It could disrupt the sale process entirely.
- Showing the home could be difficult.
- The home dynamic becomes quite awkward.
- Decisions can be extremely difficult to reach.
Reaching agreements on certain elements of the home sale can be difficult in this situation. There is likely already animosity, and coexisting can be quite difficult. Use the following tips to survive this challenging situation.
- Stay in separate parts of the house.
- Continue to approach the sale as you normally would.
- Depending on the situation, you could smooth things over with buyers.
When the choice to sell the house before or after a divorce is gone, things depend heavily on the specifics. Did the home sale take place during the divorce without control, or was the home up for sale, then the divorce was triggered.
If the situation leans more toward the latter, it’s possible to tell cash home buyers the sale is not a result of the divorce. This could be explained away as a bad timing situation, in which case the home can still hold value.
Additional Tips on Whether to Sell a House Before or After a Divorce
“Should I sell my house before or after a divorce?” “Should I sell my house first or divorce first?” Sometimes, you aren’t able to decide the outcome of these questions. Use these tips to prepare yourself and make the best of the situation.
- Try to remain as civil as possible.
- Give yourself plenty of distance, but communicate regarding important matters.
- Try to stay out of one another’s affairs unless it involves the home.
- Keep the home sale as normal as possible.
- Avoid letting neighbors or friends in on your situation. This is how rumors get started.
- Keep things as normal as possible if kids are involved. Let them know what’s going on, but avoid confrontations.
- Make a plan regarding the home and future. Nobody wants to deal with this, but it must be discussed.
Clearly, selling the home before a divorce is the ideal situation. You should aim for this if you have a choice in the matter. However, if you must sell after, the best option is to ensure things are fair in court. By being civil and avoiding confrontations, you can avoid one party being left out of a fair share of the property. For more information, feel free to reach out to us.