For people in North Carolina and across the United States, divorce can lead to an array of financial stresses and major life changes. One of these changes can include the selling of the marital home in order to divide the value of the proceeds accurately among the divorcing spouses. Moving and selling a home can carry unique stresses when they accompany the end of a marriage.
Surveys have estimated that 61 percent of divorces result in the sale of the family home. Sometimes this is accomplished by one spouse buying out the other, but on many occasions, the home relies on both partners’ incomes; selling it to start fresh can be the best choice for moving forward. Home sales during a divorce can be particularly emotionally fraught in ways that typical house sales are not. Because of this, it can be important to work with a real estate agent for a plan between both spouses in which the agent is aware of the divorce considerations.
It is important for both divorcing spouses to agree on major decisions, like the agreement to accept certain offers or decisions about what kind of expenses can be put into the house before selling it. It is also a good idea to keep the real estate agent insulated from emotional and personal conflicts related to the divorce; the agent needs to focus on selling the home and doing the best job for both clients.
During a divorce, a team of professionals can help to ease the process for each spouse. A family law attorney may be able to work with the real estate agent as well as provide counsel and representation to protect their client’s interests in this important matter for property division. A lawyer might represent a divorcing spouse not only on the assets that must be divided the end of a marriage but also on important issues like child custody and spousal support.