Divorce is seldom easy and simple. Even once things are settled in court, you are still left with some unfinished tasks. Selling your Tampa house after a divorce is just one of the emotionally difficult processes that are waiting for you. However, it doesn’t have to be that difficult and stressful if you follow our advice. We’ll help you find ways to sell your Tampa home fast and have a smooth process you and your ex will both benefit from.
Options for your family home after the divorce
Before you make a final decision to sell your Tampa house, you should consider all your options and discuss them with your ex. Here are your other options:
- Buy out – If one of you wants to continue living in the family house, the other party can sell their part of the home to the other. This is a good option if you have kids, as it’s one significant change fewer for them to process.
- Joint ownership – Co-owning the place is another option to consider. In this scenario, usually, one person will live in the home with the children until they move out. You and your ex-spouse have to agree on how to split mortgage payments and share the profit of a sale if it happens down the line.
- Selling – The last option is to sell your home and share the profits. This is especially good if you plan to move out of Tampa for good. The amount you get from selling your home will be enough to cover the costs of relocation and hiring movers, as well as to get you started in your new city.
Selling your Tampa house after divorce
If, after thorough consideration, you and your ex-partner decided that the best option is to sell your Tampa house, here’s how to make this process straightforward for everyone involved.
Prepare your Tampa house for sale
Before you put your Tampa house on the market, it’s essential to prepare it to help you get the highest possible asking price. Therefore, make sure to address any maintenance issues and stage your home.
If you and your ex decide to invest in certain upgrades to boost the value of your home, make sure to have your divorce attorney present as you’ll need to agree on how to split the costs and similar. Formalizing any agreement is crucial to protect everyone’s interests.
It’s imperative to agree on non-financial details, too. For example, will you both be present when showing your house to potential buyers? Will one of you live in the house until you list it and similar?
Find a good real estate agent
While selling your home without an agent is completely fine, it’s not recommended when you’re going through or have just finalized your divorce. You don’t want to risk causing unnecessary tension and stress between you and your ex.
Therefore, hire a good real estate agent who will be a good mediator in case of any conflicts. Also, they’ll work towards helping you achieve your shared goals and not pick sides. Try not to argue too much about picking the person for the job. A good idea is to hire a person you have already worked with if they are available.
Agree on the asking price
Before you set the asking price, make sure to hire a professional real estate appraiser. They will formally assess the value of your house and give you insights in case there are any last-minute details you can change to raise the price a little bit more.
Your real estate agent should also participate in setting the asking price. In fact, they are a crucial factor here. If you give your agent the right to set the asking price for your home, you’ll avoid any potential arguments with your ex-spouse.
Review offers
When it comes to reviewing offers, you will both need to participate and do this. Of course, with your real estate agent present to prevent any potential conflicts.
Make sure to talk with your ex-spouse and agree on the minimum you’re both willing to settle for. It’s essential to do this before the offers start coming. Otherwise, you might end up delaying the process.
Finding a cash buyer is the best possible outcome, but it’s not always a viable option. It would be best to be ready to compromise and potentially settle for a lower price, depending on the situation on the market.
Split the proceeds
The final step of selling your Tampa house is to divide the profits with your ex. As Florida is not a community property state, everything otherwise obtained during a marriage is not considered equally owned by each spouse. Therefore, how the expenses and profits from your home sale will be shared will depend on agreements struck between your divorce attorneys.
If one spouse contributed more financially, for example, paid more for mortgage or financial upkeep of the home, they may receive a higher portion of the proceeds. On the other hand, they might get a smaller part if they keep other significant assets after the divorce.
Therefore, make sure to reach an agreement about sharing the profits before the sale is final. Otherwise, it’s not uncommon for these kinds of disputes to end up in court. You want to avoid this as it will cost you money and stress.
The bottom line
Even though selling your Tampa house after a divorce is inevitably an emotionally exhausting experience, we hope our advice has helped you make it at least a little bit easier. No matter how hard it can get, always remember that your divorce happened for a reason and that it was the best choice for everyone involved. We are sure only good things are waiting for you in the new chapter of your life. Good luck selling your Tampa home!