As a couple goes through the process of a divorce, deciding what to do with a shared home can be tricky. Sometimes one person may wish to keep the house by buying the other spouse out, or they may decide to keep the home and sell it after the divorce is finalized. In other situations, couples may choose to sell their home during the divorce — potentially because neither of them wants to stay in the family home, or perhaps, neither can afford to buy out the other. In this situation, it may be best to consider selling a house during a divorce. 

There are benefits to selling the house in the midst of the divorce process, both financially and personally. Let’s take a look at the things to consider when evaluating your house selling options during a divorce. 

1. Communication

Once you’ve decided to sell your home, you’ll be faced with a lengthy and detailed process. Selling a home takes hard work in the best of times, but the emotional turbulence that comes with divorce doesn’t make things any easier.

For some couples, divorce is as mutual as it can be. For others, the situation is a bit more complicated. Whatever the case might be, it’s important to establish clear communication with your spouse throughout the process.

It’s important to note that selling a house during a divorce does not mean you have to constantly talk to each other to have good communication. The key to successful communication during this time is to ensure your contact remains intentional. 

You both want to sell the home. You both want to close this chapter of your lives and check one thing off the to-do list for your divorce. Now, it’s all about approaching each other the right way.

One of the best ways to do this is to establish clear boundaries. Tell one another how you prefer to communicate and when it’s acceptable to reach out about the home selling process. When one of you does reach out, give the other person all the time that they need to respond. If you/they feel rushed or pressured, it can heighten the tension. 

The best strategy to approach this is to simply focus on selling the house and nothing more. Control what you can control. Learn about all your options for selling the house, then communicate that with your spouse.

2. Find a Cash House Buyer

Here’s the thing about selling a home during a divorce: you’re going to want to do it fast. The quicker you sell the home, the less you have to communicate with each other and the less likely it is to break out in an argument.

Unfortunately, the traditional home selling process doesn’t give you control of your timeline. It could be months before you sell your home (depending on the housing market at the time). Fortunately, there is a way to streamline the selling process, sell your home quickly, and receive a fair offer: sell your home to a cash buyer.

A trusted cash buyer is someone that will purchase your home without requiring you to make any repairs or renovations. They purchase it as is to fix it up themselves and collect a profit later on. This means you the process to sell a house quick is simple and efficient.

With John Buys Houses Ohio, we pride ourselves on our fast and efficient home selling process. Simply reach out to tell us about your house. From there, we’ll schedule a time to inspect your property, evaluate it, then make an offer. As soon as you accept the offer, we’ll work on finalizing the deal. Generally speaking, most closings occur within five to 15 business days.

3. Keep Your Emotions in Check

Easier said than done, right? Make no mistake about it, selling your home will be one of the hardest parts of the divorce.

You and your spouse likely have emotional ties to the property; some good, some bad. If you aren’t careful, things can spiral out of control. Little disagreements here and there can turn into an all-out debate.

Don’t let it come to that. Using a cash home buyer focuses your attention on getting the home sold as quickly as possible. As soon as you’re offered a fair cash offer, you can start to close the book on this part of the divorce.

Remember, you and your spouse want the same thing: to move on. So, keep those emotions in check for just a little while longer.

4. Streamline the Process

One of the biggest decisions in the sale of your home is how much you will get out of it. Discuss your asking price with your spouse early in the process . Settle on a price range both of you are comfortable with, or, if you cannot agree, try to find a third-party advisor such as a real estate agent or property inspector. You should also discuss this with your divorce attorney.

At John Buys Houses, we understand the desire for a timely closing process so we make it easy to sell your house fast for cash. After you contact us, we will look at comparable properties in the local area and their sale price, condition, and recent upgrades. We will then schedule a time to inspect the current condition of the home that you are selling.

Once we’ve seen the property, we will review our notes with our rehab team and determine the time and money that will be required to ensure that the property can be sold at a comparable price to other homes in the area. Then, we’ll make you a fair cash value for your house.

 

 

5. Discuss the Offer Amicably

Once the offer comes in, get ready to have some serious discussions with your spouse, as well as your divorce attorney. If there are disagreements about whether to accept or decline the offers, you may be able to seek advice from your attorney for advice in order to avoid unnecessary contention. Remember, this is what they are there for.

Fortunately, some divorcing couples may not find selling a house together too difficult because both spouses ultimately want a timely, profitable sale. It will help you both get closure.

Remember, this is the last stage in the process. As hard as it might be, you’ll be able to close this chapter of your life after you’ve sold your house for cash.

Selling a House During a Divorce: Be Mindful of Each Other

Now that you have seen several key tips on what to do when selling a house during a divorce, be sure to use them effectively.

Looking to learn more about cash home buyers? Visit this page to meet our team and learn why you can trust us with this process.

For more inquiries, please be sure to reach out to us either by phone at 614-420-2069 or by email at sales@coredevelopmentsllc.com.