You and your soon-to-be ex have decided to sell your home and downsize. Given that the median home sale price in Brooklyn is just under $1 million, you should both be able to walk away with a nice bit of money.
Deciding to sell the home may be the easiest part of the process. Now you have to find a way to work together to get the home ready to sell and eventually agree on what offer to accept. That means getting a real estate agent you both trust to be impartial.
It’s best to find an agent with experience working with divorcing couples. There are real estate divorce specialists who have training in dealing with the unique financial, legal, tax and emotional issues of selling a home during the divorce process and in working with clients who at times may barely be on speaking terms.
They can help you keep the focus on what’s important – which is getting a good price for your home without unnecessary delays. Let’s look at a few tips from these professionals:
Agree on what upgrades and repairs to make
Then work out how you’re going to split the cost or which of you is going to do them. If one of you wants to sell the house as-is and the other wants to put some money into it to get a better price, you’ll probably need to compromise on which are worth the investment.
Agree on an asking price and what you’ll accept
This will help prevent conflict later. If you’re lucky, there will be a bidding war for your home. If that’s the case, you’ll ultimately need to decide which offer to accept.
Decide which of you is staying in the home until it’s sold
One of you may have already moved out. If so, it’s better for the other to remain. Homes sell for more when it doesn’t look like the owners have moved on and are anxious to unload them. Whoever’s staying will need to keep it clean and well maintained.
When you and your spouse disagree on things during the process, as you ultimately will, it’s best to commit to listening to your real estate agent. Their goal is to get the best price for you with a minimum of drama. This can help you focus on the other assets you and your spouse need to divide.
