Many people will tell you that a divorce is a transaction when it comes right down to it. It is attempting to gain as much for yourself and limit your exposure to ceding your assets to your spouse. Bank accounts, retirement funds, investments, and yes, your family home fall into this thinking with relative ease.
Those same people may even say your children fall into the same sort of transactional category. Your five-year-old son suddenly becomes an item to divide and allocate rather than the little kid who loves dinosaurs and baseball. You and I may have a different opinion on this from your neighbor or boss. That's how we humans work- we're complex in our ability to formulate and hold views on any subject.
The fact remains that one of those subjects that is a point of contention in many divorces is the family home. There are particular legal and financial reasons for this fact, but there are equally as persuasive relational, emotional, and psychological reasons. That's what makes the family home such an exciting topic, in my opinion, at least in the context of a divorce. Your home melds together the financial, analytical, and rational arguments with the emotional, relational, and "heart-based arguments. It's a hybrid, for lack of a better word.
So how should you approach whether to remain in the house, allow your spouse to do so, or sell the home after your divorce? As we've already discussed, this subject has many, many different components to it. You are not well served to approach it only from one particular standpoint.
As any parent will tell you- completely disregarding one line of thought in favor of the other is not going to accomplish much. If your child is sad for seemingly no reason, don't just tell them they're silly for being sad- allow them to "feel" their feelings. I would give similar advice regarding your home. Allow yourself to feel those feelings of nostalgia, love, and warmth while balancing the rational and financial aspects as well.
Let's review a few factors that the attorneys with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, find particularly important when deciding how to negotiate during a divorce regarding your home.
Who, if anyone, can remain at home from a financial perspective after the divorce?
Ultimately the buck stops with one question- can you or your spouse afford to remain in the house after the divorce? This means that your income alone will have to take over payments on the Mortgage without your spouse's assistance (if any). You may know what the monthly mortgage payment is but do you know how much property taxes, home owner's fees, or the other costs of running the household are? Learn this before you stake your position of "I need to stay in the house" during negotiations.
You want this house to remain a blessing to you and your family- not a curse. If all of your income is utilized to pay a mortgage and pay other bills associated with the house, what will that do to your other goals?
If you want to pay off debt, save for retirement, or otherwise spend the money on your children, a large mortgage will keep you from doing any of those things well. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Allowing your house to be sold if you cannot afford to remain in it does not have to be the worst thing in the world for you for your family.
I am refinancing the Mortgage into your name only.
A subject that comes naturally from our previous section is whether or not you can handle a refinance of the Mortgage. It is almost a given that your current Mortgage bears both your and your spouse's names. To remove their name from the Mortgage, you will need to refinance, be approved by a lender, and get a whole new loan.
To do so, the mortgage lender will look at your income, work history, and all the factors reviewed when you and your spouse applied for the initial Mortgage on your home.
If you are, for example, a long-time stay-at-home mom who is only now getting back into the workforce due to necessity, you may not have the income history to be approved for a new loan. This can be true even if you have a college degree and haven't utilized it to stay at home and care for your children.
What is being given up for you to stay in the house
Negotiations are like an algebra equation. There will not be new assets, debts, or children (in most cases) that come about during a divorce negotiation. At the end of your case, what was in place, in the beginning, will also be in place. The key is understanding what you end up with and what your spouse does.
Often, a party in a divorce feels strongly about one item or another and will give up other items or assets to secure the item they covet. If your item of choice is the house, then it's likely that you will negotiate strongly for it.
In doing so, you may find yourself in a position where you forsake a portion of your spouse's 401(k) or the ability to earn spousal support for some time after the divorce.
These are just examples, but the point is a real one that I am trying to illustrate: to win your house, you may be forced to lose in other areas. It's your job (and your attorney's) to determine whether or not the "juice is worth the squeeze."
Questions about your family home in the context of a divorce case? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC
To learn more about the process of selling your house after a divorce case or to learn how to help yourself remain in the home, don't hesitate to get in touch with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC. A consultation with one of our licensed family law attorneys can answer your questions. Our consultations are free of charge and are available six days a week.
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Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Divorce Lawyers
The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding divorce, it's essential to speak with one of our Houston, TX, Divorce Lawyers right away to protect your rights.
Our divorce lawyers in Houston, TX, are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, handles divorce cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, Houston, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.
