Selling a Home During Divorce
Two people, one number. You get a neutral valuation, the same information to both sides at the same time, and a properly marketed sale.
The difficulty is not the house
Two people have to agree on one number. That is the whole of it.
In an ordinary sale a seller can be optimistic about price and the market corrects them gently over a few weeks. Here an optimistic number is not a private mistake. It is evidence in a disagreement, and once two people are holding different figures, every conversation after that gets harder.
My job is deliberately narrow: get to a number both of you can look at, market the home properly, give both parties the same information at the same time, and keep the transaction moving while other things are being decided elsewhere.
This page describes how I work. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and decisions in a divorce belong with your attorneys.
Get A Number Both Of You Can See
Why the valuations disagree, and it is usually not bad faith
Each of the three towns I work has a specific way this goes wrong, and none of them involves anybody lying.
Farmington is split by I-15 into two housing markets. Two people can pull perfectly real comparables a mile apart and land hundreds of thousands apart. One of them crossed the freeway.
Kaysville has a southwest corner of large homes on large lots that trades separately from the rest of town. One of you finds the town median, the other finds what the neighbours on large lots actually got.
Centerville breaks the county rule of thumb that prices climb toward Salt Lake. It came in nearly $100,000 below Farmington last year, so one of you produces a Farmington comparable in complete good faith and the other looks like they are lowballing.
Understanding which of those is happening usually takes most of the heat out of it.
How I handle both sides
The same information reaches both of you at the same time. Every showing, every piece of feedback, every offer. Nobody finds out second.
I do not take a side and I do not carry messages. Anything that needs negotiating between you is what your attorneys are for. Anything that needs deciding about the house, I put in front of both of you.
The marketing does not get compromised. Professional photography, videography and drone footage, then a funded advertising campaign that has put each home in front of 36,000 to over 138,000 people. A difficult timeline is not a reason to accept less exposure, and a stronger sale is the one thing here that helps both parties equally.
Discretion is the default. Nothing about why the home is selling appears in the marketing, and I do not discuss a client's situation with anyone outside the transaction.
I am a Principal Broker and I own my brokerage, so when a transaction gets complicated, and these do, there is nobody I have to go and ask. More than 1,300 homes sold personally, and Certified Negotiation Expert, a designation few agents hold.
Where to start
With the number, because almost everything else waits on it. A real valuation is free and commits neither of you to anything, and it is priced against the right part of the right town rather than the nearest sale.
If a court has already ordered the sale, or your attorneys have agreed terms, bring me what has been decided and I will work inside it.
Pace is worth knowing too. Farmington sold at a median of 31 days last year, Kaysville 28, Centerville 38. If the house is holding up other decisions, that difference is not trivial.
Tell me where things stand and I will tell you plainly what the house is worth and what happens next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we have two completely different valuations?
Usually a town-specific reason rather than bad faith. Farmington is split by I-15 into two price tiers. Kaysville's southwest corner trades separately from the town median. Centerville prices below Farmington despite being closer to Salt Lake, which catches out anyone using the county rule of thumb.
Will you take sides?
No. The same information reaches both of you at the same time, and anything needing negotiation between you goes to your attorneys. My job is the house.
Can one of us list without the other?
That is a legal question for your attorney rather than one for me to answer. Bring me what has been agreed or ordered and I will work inside it.
Will people know why we are selling?
Not from the marketing and not from me. Nothing about the reason appears anywhere, and I do not discuss a client's situation with anyone outside the transaction.
How long will it take?
Depends on the town. Kaysville's median was 28 days last year, Farmington's 31 and Centerville's 38. If the sale is holding up other decisions, that difference matters.
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