Divorce means the end of your marriage, and that can be a big enough change to really present some challenges all on its own, but it may be compounded by the fact that you have to sell your home. You have to move. You lose this place that you may have called home for years or even decades, this place where you made memories and where you feel most comfortable.
Or do you?
Generally, divorce does mean selling the house because it means transitioning from two incomes to one. Many people find that they can’t afford — or don’t need — the same house after they split up.
That said, if you can afford it and you want to keep the house, you do not have to sell. You just have to divide your assets. If your spouse has a claim to half of the home that you bought together, could you give them cash assets to buy out that half? You can offset the difference and keep the house after they move out.
One thing to remember is that, if you have a mortgage, you likely want to refinance the house to get your ex’s name off that mortgage. Both people are responsible, whether they’re married or not, for that debt. You don’t want to put you and your ex in a situation where you share that financial risk, so you’re best off to get a new mortgage and begin paying on your own.
As you can see, you have a lot of options when dividing assets, so make sure you take the time to look into all of them carefully.