Unfortunately, you may have to sell your house as part of your divorce.

This page is all about how to get top dollar for your house, even when you’re in the midst of a divorce.

Make it clear that you and your spouse are divorcing. Remember when you were shopping for a house? You wanted to know, if this is such a great house and it’s in such a great neighborhood, why do these people want out? When potential buyers know you’re divorcing, you answer that question for them without their having to ask. People will be more likely to give you a price if they know why you’re selling.

• Present a United Front to Potential Buyers

Even though people can handle knowing you’re divorcing, the last thing they want to do is to step into a conflict between the two owners of the house they want to buy. I usually recommend that you and your spouse agree on who is going to have the contact with the realtor and potential buyers and make it clear to your agent that the designated spouse speaks for both spouses. Keep the other spouse out of the picture entirely. Keep it simple for real estate agents and buyers.

• Think Commodity.

This is your home, where your dreams and your children have grown up together. It may be agonizing for you to part with it. Those crayon marks in the hall may be part of a precious memory for you. Get over it. Your house is a commodity, and you need to move it. It means you detach yourself from your house and listen to your real estate professional’s advice about what you need to do to sell it.
Avoid expensive improvements unless there’s no question they’re needed (for example, a new roof if you actually have leaks).

Considering your house is a commodity, part of selling this commodity is creating an image for the people who are considering buying it. As we say in real estate, buyers have to imagine themselves living in the house.
Redecorating as needed in neutral colors is a good idea, but don’t go overboard. Go through the house and methodically tighten loose hardware, replace loose or missing doorstops, and oil hinges and doorknobs. If your windows are operable, make sure they can be raised and lowered with a minimum of drama. Replace or repair leaky faucets and toilets.

• Set the Right Price

Part of treating your house as a commodity is pricing it to move. You may think you already know what houses in your neighborhood have sold for, but avoid relying on the grapevine. We will do a comparable check of houses nearby and adjust the recommended listing price for differences among the properties; that’s generally the most reliable estimate of what your house will sell for.

Focus on your neighborhood. The maxim real estate professionals apply to valuation of real estate is that there are three factors that govern value: location, location, and location. It simply makes no sense to try to infer the value of your house from what a similar house somewhere else sold for.

Setting a price that’s too high has two negative effects. First, it will extend the time that it takes to sell your house, which extends the time you’re making the mortgage payment. Second, as your house sits on the market, your listing will become stale, and people will begin to wonder what’s wrong with it that’s driving buyers away. A stale listing will almost always fetch a lower offer than one that’s new on the market. This will require that you bargain up just to get a fair price.

• Clean

It’s surprising how many house sellers forget this simple step. The money you spend to clean your house thoroughly, top to bottom, is almost certainly the smartest money you can spend on your house. Hire somebody if necessary to clean the windows, and don’t forget the screens. Your house needs to gleam when the buyer sees it, and it needs to smell clean too.
Pay special attention to kitchen and bathrooms. If you have window coverings that make them darker or seem smaller, get rid of them. Clean your oven, exhaust hood and cooktop on your stove. Clean the shower and toilet thoroughly.

• Clear

This is different from cleaning. Most people have too much furniture in their house, so you probably do too. Get it out of there. You probably have too many personal hygiene items on the vanity in your bathroom. Most people do. Put them in drawers or in a plastic tub out of sight.

• Focus on Curb Appeal

Make sure the lawn is kept mowed and trimmed during the entire selling process, even after you have a contract. Replace that rusty looking doorbell button, and polish the brass plate on your door. Replace the worn doormat with a new one.
If the outside of your house is peeling or buckling, spring for repainting. If the paint is in good shape, often pressure washing can freshen up the exterior appearance of the house at minimal cost. Do not plan for the buyer to do it.

• More Information

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Source: divorceinfo.com