Where love may fade, mortgage contracts endure. The fate of the property is decided during the divorce negotiations and often it ends up being sold. While both divorcing parties hire their own attorneys to represent them individually and only them, in most cases both parties also need to agree on what agent will sell thier home or the court will appoint one. So how do you pick the best agent who would represent both parties interest? Hi I’m Sherri Echols, Broker Associate with RE/MAX Bryan – College Station. I am a certified real estate divorce specialist as well as a Master Certified Negotiations Specialist. A mediation is one of the most frequently used methods of negotiating a divorce settlement. In divorce mediation, you and your spouse hire a neutral third party, called a mediator, to meet with you to discuss and resolve the issues in your divorce. The mediator doesn’t make decisions for you but serves as a facilitator to help you and your spouse figure out what’s best. Think about your Realtor as a Real Estate Mediator. Consider experienced agents over friends or relatives with little or no experience. Interview at least three agents before hiring one. Although depending on market conditions, you may easily sell the home yourself, it’s always more difficult to do so during times of stress, and you really should let a professional take over. Ideally, you should hire an agent who isn’t just neutral, but one who also has a solid understanding of the unique problems and issues that often occur during the sale of a house during divorce. The real estate agent you hire needs to have a firm grasp on these subtle problems and issues and not get caught up in the fray. Your agent needs to be fair, but firm, and make sure the process is as smooth as possible. And that includes being able to identify any underlying reasons why things are happening and being able to help you resolve them. Selling a house can be an emotional and stressful process for even the happiest couple in the world and going through a divorce can add to that. An experienced professional will be able to protect your privacy, your motivations during negotiations and represent both of you equally in the process of the sale of your home. I am not an attorney or tax consultant, I’m just giving some free advice so be sure to speak to the appropriate parties during this difficult time. I’m your Community Market Leader Sherri Echols, a helping hand for a happy home.
