Is It Better to Sell Your House Before or After a Divorce?

Marriage is indeed a beautiful thing, two people pair up and commit to spending the rest of their lives together. It is a symbol of love and affection. However, what happens when that love starts to fade away? What happens when two people who once swore to be there for each other can't stand being around each other anymore? Divorce! Nothing is quite as heartbreaking. Even if it's for the best, getting a divorce is always going to be a painful experience. Legal proceedings, property division, and child custody can quickly turn what should be a peaceful process into a nightmare.

No one enters a marriage expecting to get divorced but unfortunately, it is a reality for many couples. If you find yourself in this situation, remember you are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people are going through the same thing.

It happens all too often: In the process of divorce, one spouse is ready to sell the marital or family home but the other isn’t—and so the latter decides to obstruct the sale. If you find yourself caught in this situation, or you want to avoid such a scenario in the future, it’s important to understand the potential issues involved and put safeguards into place to work toward a positive outcome. (1)

A family home is often the most valuable asset that a couple has. So, what happens to the property during and after a divorce? Who gets to stay in the house? What if neither of you can afford to keep the house? A lot has to be taken into consideration. In today's blog post, we will discuss whether it is better to sell your house before or after a divorce, so stay tuned!

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If you were to sell a house today, would you be getting the best possible price for it? Or how much you'd net? So compare it to what you would've gotten if you waited a few months or even a year to sell. Obviously, there are a lot of variables at play here. No one can predict the future exactly, but it's important to be aware of the real estate market conditions as well as your own personal timeline. 

Although the benefits of selling a house may sound great, it has a huge impact on divorce proceedings because buyers won't just come out of nowhere. Finding a buyer takes time, so you have to be prepared for a long and drawn-out process.

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Both of you have made up your mind about selling a house once and for all. To get things done as efficiently as possible, take some time to prepare the house for sale. Few key pointers:

• Try to come to an agreement with your ex-spouse about how you're going to show the house. You'll want to be on the same page when it comes to open houses, scheduling appointments, and negotiating with buyers.
• Take some time to declutter and depersonalize the space. Get rid of any personal items or family photos that might make buyers feel uncomfortable.
• Fix any minor repairs that need to be addressed. For e.g a hole in the wall, a dripping faucet, etc.
• If you have any pets, it's probably best to make arrangements for them to stay elsewhere while people are coming to see the house.
  

If you are like most Americans, the home you bought is the most expensive purchase you will ever make. Selling the house before getting divorced seems like the best way to handle things. Let's have a look at the pros and cons:

Pros

• Once you have agreed to the divorce, you should plan on selling the house as soon as possible. It requires time to find the right buyer and negotiate a fair price, so the sooner you start, the better. Putting your house on the market early on will draw more interested buyers and hence, more offers.
• Selling the house before getting divorced allows you to move on emotionally from your unsuccessful marriage. It can be difficult to live in a house that reminds you of all the happy memories (and sometimes, not-so-happy memories) you shared with your ex. Living separately makes it much easier to deal with the divorce emotionally.
• Conflicts can happen, which is not any different when two people are divorcing and own a house together. However, if you sell the house before a divorce, you can avoid such conflicts altogether. Once you have agreed on a fair price and divided up the proceeds, there will be no need to revisit the issue later on.

Cons

• We all dream of getting a sale quickly, but the reality is different. In a divorce, there is already enough stress and paperwork to handle. When house selling gets involved, it can be just too much for some people. Dividing the property before a divorce delays the whole process.
• Cooperation from both spouses is essential to selling the house before getting divorced. You guys have to discuss the asking price, work with the real estate agent, agree on a schedule for showings and open houses, and more. If you can't get along or communicate with your ex,  it won't work.
• You are already in an emotionally vulnerable state and now you have to deal with the stress of finding a new place to live.
  

We have discussed the advantages and drawbacks of going ahead with a sale before the divorce is final. Now let's see how selling after a divorce can affect things:

Pros

• Time heals all wounds, they say. Selling after a divorce would be a good idea if you need some time to improve communication with your ex and sort out your emotions. Anger, resentment, and sadness are all perfectly normal reactions to going through a divorce. Give yourself some time to work through those emotions before you try to work with your ex on selling the house.
• Selling later may get you a higher price for a home. Property value might have gone up in those months or years. In addition, you would have time to make some home improvements and upgrades, so waiting a bit can get you more money.
• You can live in the house until it sells. This gives you stability during a time when your life is probably feeling pretty uncertain. At least you don't have to worry about finding a new place right away.



Cons

• Capital gains tax is a hefty price to pay. Waiting means you could have to pay more in taxes when you eventually do sell.
• Delaying the sale of your home could tie you to your ex financially. Mortgages, home equity loans, and other debts associated with the property would still need to be paid, even if you're no longer living in the house. This could put a strain on your finances, as well as your relationship with your ex.
• Dividing the money from the sale can be complicated and stressful.
  

Just because your marriage didn't work out, doesn't mean you failed. Sometimes marriages just really aren't meant to be, no matter how hard you try. It doesn't make you a bad person, or a terrible partner. You just weren't compatible. Maybe you and your ex just didn't see eye to eye on things. Maybe you wanted different things out of life. 

Whatever the reason, it doesn't mean that you're a failure. Whether you sell the house before or after getting divorced, just know that it's not the end of the world. You're going to be okay. Tampa Home Buyers believe in second chances, so even if your house is in really bad shape and you think it's worthless, we buy ugly houses Tampa. Your home's condition doesn't matter to us, we will still give you a fair all-cash offer.