divorce, Grand Rapids, Michigan

How to sell your home during a divorce in Grand Rapids Michigan

how-to-sell-your-home-during-a-divorce-in-grand-rapids-michigan
share post
Nobody wants to get a divorce. It can be one of the most stressful things in life. Selling your property can also be very stressful. This article will show you how to sell your home during a divorce in Grand Rapids, MI.

Reasons to sell your home during a divorce

Emotional reasons

You might decide to keep the house because of its emotional value. You might have built a happy life in your home, including children and pets. With your spouse no longer living in the home, the happiness and joy of living in the home can become unpleasant and sad. Memories can change the way you feel while living in the house. This is something people do not take into consideration when thinking of keeping the home.
Emotional-how-to-sell-your-house-during-a-divorce-in-grand-rapids-michigan

Liability reasons

If one spouse wants to continue living in the home, they could take over the mortgage. If the spouse is making enough money, they could take over the loan and make the payments. You would have to talk to your lender and refinance the house. If you can do this, it eliminates your spouse’s liability. Usually, this does not happen due to the lack of income.

Determine if you are actually going to sell

You have to communicate with your spouse. You both have to be on the same terms to sell your house. If you both want to sell, then it will work out. If that is not the case, you will have to figure it out and make an agreement.

The three things couples do when getting a divorce

dividing-how-to-sell-your-home-during-a-divorce-in-grand-rapids-michigan
Usually, when a couple gets divorced, they do one of these three things. The home is sold as soon as possible, and the equity is split up. Another thing that happens is one of the spouses buys out the other and keeps the home. The last thing that happens is that one of the spouses keeps occupancy of the house until the youngest child turns eighteen and eventually sells the home.

How to sell your marital home during a divorce

Selling your home during a divorce is similar to selling real estate at any other time, except that you have to determine who gets what. You have to decide on how the money from the sale will be divided up. A good idea for this decision to be made would be through your attorneys. Once it is decided, you should bring in a real estate agent.

Choosing the right agent

real-estate-agent-how-to-sell-your-home-during-a-divorce-in-grand-rapids-michigan

If you can not agree on a real estate agent, you could each choose a relative, and they could choose for you. You could also go with the agent who helped you buy the house if you wanted. More than likely, you will want to bring in a real estate agent who has dealt with divorces before. They will need to have exceptional communication skills and patience because, more than likely, they will be dealing with two parties. Once you decide what agent you will work with, you will need to figure out how much your home is worth. Take into consideration any repairs or any major upgrades you have done to your house. After you find the value of your home, you can put it on the market. Follow your real estate agent’s advice.

If you need to sell immediately

If you do not have enough time to sell with an agent, which will typically take three to twelve months, you could sell with an investor in Grand Rapids. An investor will give you a cash offer and could have your home bought in as little as a week. You will probably not make as much as you would when selling with an agent, but if you need to sell the house fast, going with an investor is your best bet. You are probably wondering, “would an investor actually give us cash?” Investors almost always pay in cash, so if you sold with an investor in Grand Rapids, you could have cash in your hand in a short amount of time.

Clean the house

Walk around your house and clean up anything lying around or doesn’t belong where it is. Mop and vacuum the floors. Clean out closets to try to give them as much space as possible.

Paint the house

painting-how-to-sell-your-home-during-a-divorce-in-grand-rapids-michigan
Giving the walls a fresh coat of paint can make the house look more presentable. If there are any chips or stains on the walls, then painting them is a great idea.

Make the outside presentable

The last little tip to help you sell your house faster is making your yard more presentable. Buy flowers and mulch to give your yard a fresher and more welcoming look.

Reviewing offers

When you are reviewing offers, you will have to make the decision together. Your real estate agent can advise you, but you will have to agree and decide with your spouse.

Dividing the money

dividing-money-how-to-sell-your-home-during-a-divorce-in-grand-rapids-michigan

Finally, you have to figure out how you will divide the money equally, which usually isn’t too hard. The escrow company can distribute the money equally.

Selling your home during a divorce in Grand Rapids Michigan

Selling your home while going through a divorce can be super stressful. If you stay calm and relaxed, the process can go smoothly. The first thing you want to do is find the right real estate agent for you. Preferably you want an agent that has experience with helping divorced couples sell their home. After that, you want to figure out the value of your home and put it up on the market. If you need to sell your house fast, you could sell to an investor who would give you a cash offer instead of selling with an agent. They could have your home sold in a week. Once you decide how you will sell, you have to figure out how you are going to split up the cash.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Receive an exclusive once-a-month insider real estate market update. Stay up to date on trends and future forecasts. Market updates every month.

Every hour a homeowners requests a cash offer from Connect Home Buyers

Stay Informed

Subscribe to receive an exclusive once-a-month insider real estate market update. Stay up to date on trends and future forecasts. Market updates every month