When going through a divorce, the last thing you want is extra added stress and nosey neighbors. Knowing how to keep your things under wraps while prepping your home for sale may help you avoid a lot of complications throughout the entire process.
It is important that you know you have absolutely no obligation to disclose your divorce to any buyers, or friends and family. You should work with an agent who you will trust to keep this information confidential.
If you take all the necessary steps, you should be able to move through the process of selling your home as any other seller would, keeping your personal affairs private. In this blog, we’ll talk about how to do just that, coming from the perspective of a Certified Divorce Real Estate agent who has been through this countless times.
Prepare Your House
Taking the time to prepare your house before allowing prospective purchasers and their agents to tour your house is an important step and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
This is an important step in the selling process no matter the situation. Everyone who is looking for a new home wants to be able to walk in and envision themselves and their family in the home. If the house is unwelcoming in any way, that could alter their overall feelings of the home and make it harder for them to see themselves in it.
It’s vital to work with a real estate broker who understands all the nuances of selling a home during divorce. Make sure your agent knows how to stage the property where it doesn’t look like one person just vacated the premises. If your soon-to-be-ex is living in the basement bedroom, make sure there are clothes in the primary closet as well.
Buyers are always looking for deals and it’s best not to have the home perceived as a fire-sale. Also, buyers are nosey, so putting away family photos or anything with your family’s name on it is probably the best bet to keep your divorce private while your house is on the market.
As is usual before any home showing, if repairs are needed, get them done beforehand. If the house is in anything but near-perfect condition, the buyers can use that to negotiate a better deal for themselves, which means a lower profit for you.
Find Another Place to Stay During the Process
Going through a divorce isn’t easy, and the healing process could be even harder when there are large assets involved, such as a house. Making sure you take care of yourself during this tough time will be best when it comes to keeping your divorce private during a sale.
Consider living with friends and family during the process of selling your home. It is expensive to move out of the house right away before it is sold, but it can also be painful to remain. Homes are usually things we attach ourselves to because we build our lives within them. Because of this, it may be hard to detach.
Through many years of experience working in divorce real estate, Leslie Glazier Group makes our clients aware that staying in your home while trying to sell it and going through a divorce may make the healing process harder on yourself. You do not have to be “ok” in a house that held so many memories!
It’s hard to know how you are going to react to your house being sold when you’re going through a divorce, so play it safe. Look for another place to live while your house is in the process of being sold so you can work on healing yourself and look forward to the next chapter.
Use Social Media Wisely
When it comes to keeping your divorce private while your house is on the market, sometimes the only people you are worried about finding out are not only the buyers but friends and families too. So, use social media wisely!
If a friend or family happens to come across your house listed, they may go immediately to your social media. We know all too well that is how the world works nowadays.
You certainly do not have to take a full hiatus from social media, but proceed with caution if you want your divorce to be private. Think before you post, and don’t give anyone any reason to create stories in their own heads. Leave no doubt of your situation, so people don’t start gossipping or asking you questions.
With social media, you have complete control of what you put out into the world. You get to decide how much or how little people know about your divorce, so keep that in mind. You hold the power.
Prioritize Yourself
In addition to managing your social media life, know that you have control over who you speak to about your divorce and how much information you put out there.
Family and friends might ask questions or have suspicions, but you do not have to tell them. Going through the divorce itself is a challenge. Selling your house is another challenge. You do not need another challenge of explaining yourself and sharing your story with everyone who asks.
Doing yourself the favor of choosing who you share information with and what information you share will help you not only sell your house while keeping your divorce private, but it will help you heal better in the long run.
Use the Resources and Professionals Available to You
Consider using professionals to help you sell your home. Doing so will protect the privacy of your divorce, allow you space to heal, and give you the best shot in selling your home.
The first step would be to hire an agent. Even better, a real estate agent that specializes in divorce sales. Certified Divorce Real Estate Agents (CDRE’s) know what needs to be done to sell a house, and they can refer you to other professionals who can get your home in the best shape possible.
Enlisting the help of a real estate agent who not only is able to provide a fair home valuation but is working for the house will help the whole process go as quickly as possible. This is important when it comes to selling the primary residence during divorce. Financial aspects and working up the courage to sell the house can be difficult, but with the right professionals, it doesn’t have to be.
Using a professional stager is a great idea. With your house having a lot of sentimental value, it’s probably best to remove the things in the house. After that, a professional stager can stage the home in a way that will be inviting, leave no traces of your divorce, and help visitors envision themselves living in the home.
Hiring a professional to fix any repairs and make improvements will take so much responsibility off of your hands and give you time to process the divorce. You will also be able to rest easy knowing the repairs are being done by a professional, and fewer negotiations will be able to be brought up by buyers because of this. If you’re in the Chicago area and need a recommendation for someone who can help around the house, check out our Trusted Venders List.
We suggest using a divorce attorney who will know how to handle the house as an asset as well as all of your other assets. This will make the divorce process smoother and, specifically, the sale of your home smoother. A divorce attorney will help make sure everything, such as the divorce settlement, is done fairly and can provide legal advice at any point during the process.
Overall, hiring professionals may cost you more money but will ensure you when you sell the house, you will have less responsibility on your shoulders. This allows you space to heal and keep your divorce as private as possible.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, no matter what the reasons are for wanting to keep your divorce private while your house is on the market, it is definitely attainable if you take the necessary precautions.
There are plenty of resources out there to help you with this process. Don’t allow more stress to be added on, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am an expert in divorce real estate, a professional stager, and simply understand your situation. Whatever it is you need while selling your house during a divorce, you can contact me here.