While you were married, you acted as one person, now each person becomes his or her own person with difficult decisions to make and the challenge of creating a new life for him or herself. Agreeing on how to come to an arrangement regarding property need not be too stressful if you go about it in the right way. You both need to agree on the way forward regarding the property if you want to retain your sanity and move on peacefully with your lives.
You may decide that one party gets to keep the property or that you will sell it and the proceeds go towards the property settlement. Even if one party retains the property, the other party must be compensated fairly for his or her share of the property.
While you will be working with your lawyer on your property division, he/she is not able to advise you on every aspect regarding the property. You will need a professional market appraisal of the property before any agreement can be made. This is why you need a real estate agent to help you with appraising your property.
Don’t over complicate matters by arguing with your ex over the sale of the property. Your divorce is stressful enough without extra bickering. Discuss the matter using your head and not your heart. You and your estate agent should be able to come up with a workable plan to get the property sold. Do remember to let your lawyer have the details of the sale in writing so that they can be incorporated in the divorce decree.
Check the house thoroughly to ensure that everything is in working order. The better your home looks the easier it is to sell. If certain rooms need a makeover then get it done as quickly and as cost effectively as possible. Neaten up the garden and ensure that every inch of the home looks as presentable as possible.
Even though you may only work with one agent to get the place sold, it is advisable to get at least three property valuations. This way, you can be sure that you will get the best and fairest price. Some agents inflate the value in the hope of making more commission. This strategy could actually slow down the process of getting the property sold.