Selling a house during divorce: Issues to consider

If you’re selling a house during a divorce there are some very important issues to consider including how to resolve a joint mortgage or buying your partner out.

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Selling whilst divorcing: some commonly asked questions

Divorce is a stressful situation, and when it’s tied to selling a house it can be even more overwhelming. Here are some common questions we hear about that combination:

Questions when selling house during divorce

✅ Is there a quick way to sell my home if I'm divorcing my partner?

Yes. If you need a fast sale you could speak to a trustworthy property buyer, who’ll pay you in cash and not charge any fees to buy your home on a speedy schedule. Reputable property buying companies should be members of The Property Ombudsman (TPO), so check with the TPO for a list of its members.

✅ Are there any alternatives to jointly dividing the proceeds from selling our house?

Yes. If you’re divorcing you have a number of options for how you proceed with a sale, including the possibility of buying your partner out and taking over complete ownership of the property. If you have the financial ability to do this, you can then sell the house and receive all of the proceeds if you are the only homeowner.

✅ Can my partner and I postpone a house sale until a later date?

Yes. Even if you’re divorcing there is no urgent deadline for you to sell if you’d rather wait until a later date. You can even obtain a court order known as a Mesher order that will specify that the house you jointly own cannot be sold until a certain date or events occurs, such as the youngest of your children leaving the home.

✅ If my home has a problem, should I pay to fix it before selling?

This answer will depend on many factors that are unique to your situation, including whether you have the time and money available to fix whatever problem – such as dry rot or other structural issues – exists, and how quickly your divorcing partner wants to sell. In many cases, it will be less stressful to simply try finding a buyer for the home in its current condition.

✅ Will I have to pay commission when selling a home during divorce?

It depends on the method that you choose for selling, because using an estate agent or a property auctioneer will require you to pay commission if they sell your property, and that will reduce your net sale profit. You won’t have to pay any fees if you decide to use a fast home buyer like LDN Properties, which means you get to retain all of the property sale profit.

✅ Am I blocked from finding a buyer if my partner refuses to sell the home?

Potentially, at least in the short term. Depending on your specific situation, both divorcing partners are likely to have a stake in the property and if one of them refuses to sell the home, it can delay the process significantly. You should always aim to reach an agreement on selling, because the ultimate alternative is lengthy and costly litigation in order to force a sale.

✅ Should I attempt to find a buyer for my property on my own?

Only if you have previous experience with selling properties, or have someone with that knowledge who is willing to help you. Otherwise, it will likely be stressful time as you’ll have to handle every aspect of the sale from the initial listing through to hosting the viewings and exchanging contracts, and you’ll have to pay for the many expenses that are involved.

Are you and your partner divorcing? Sell your home to us and reduce your stress

At LDN Properties we have worked with discretion and compassion helping divorcing couples to sell their homes. If you’re in this situation, call us today at 020 7183 3022 or click on the "Request Offer" button and we can have a chat with you about making a fast cash offer on your home. It’s a simple way to sell your home that we promise will be stress-free.

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