Strategies To Keep In Mind When You're Selling Your House During A Divorce
When you and your spouse are co-owners of your home and decide to get divorced, one of the challenging aspects that you'll face is selling the house. On one hand, you may wish to sell the residence as quickly as you can — but on the other hand, you still want to get fair price for the dwelling, and this could cause the house to remain on the market for a while. If it's evident that you're getting divorced, buyers may suspect that you're in a hurry to make a deal, and this could cause them to submit offers well below your list price. Here are some strategies that you can use to avoid this scenario.
Don't Mention It In Your Listing
A big no-no is to list that you're getting divorced in your online real estate listing. If you're working with a listing agent, he or she will likely make sure that this message isn't present in your listing. However, if you've decided that you want to sell the house yourselves, this is an area that you may overlook. You want to avoid sending a message that you're getting divorced, and making sure that you don't share this private matter outright is critical.
Make It Look As Though Two People Live There
When you and your spouse decide to get divorced, one of you might continue to live in the house while the other may move out. In this scenario, the person who moves out may take his or her clothing, decorations, furniture, and other items. The result can be that the house looks partly vacant. For example, if one partner had a home office and has moved out with the contents, buyers will question why this room sits empty. Even if it's difficult to do, you should pledge that the person who moves out will keep at least some of his or her possessions in the house while it's for sale.
Keep Some Photos Around
Most houses have at least some photos of the married couple on display. Getting rid of the photos of you and your soon-to-be former spouse might be a top priority for you, but this can also send a message that a divorce is going on. While it might be a tough pill to swallow to keep some of your photos up, doing so is worthwhile. If a prospective buyer already suspects that a divorce is taking place, he or she will often look for photos — if they're present, it may suggest that the buyer's suspicion was wrong.
For more help and tips, talk with an agent who professionally shows real estate for sale.
Share