Occupying a marital home can help sell it

Some North Carolina couples decide to call it quits with their marital home along with their marriage, with each spouse opting for new living arrangements. But some divorced couples may discover that it is not easy to find a buyer for their old home. One way to help a marital home find a new owner more quickly is for at least one of the two spouses to remain in the home as a resident.

If a marital home is left vacant, it is likely that the home will have a harder time attracting a buyer. Homelight points out that potential buyers are turned off if a house is empty. With no furniture inside the home, a buyer has a harder time envisioning living there. Also, a deserted house comes off as a dark, foreboding place. Vacant homes also feel smaller and more cramped.

Homebuyers are more attracted to homes with well-staged furniture. A staged home will sell 87% quicker than a home that is not staged. So if one of the spouses still lives at the marital home with a healthy amount of furniture that is well situated, the home can leave a better impression on someone who is thinking of purchasing the residence. Real estate seller agents realize this as well, and 38% of them will stage a home that they are trying to sell.

Working out who lives in the marital house can be a challenge. U.S. News and World Report explain that some divorcees try birdnesting, an arrangement that keeps children of the divorced couple in the home while the parents switch off living in the house. However, these arrangements do not commonly last due to disharmony that can erupt between the parents over almost any matter, such as the scheduled time periods for each parent to live in the house, babysitting arrangements, and so on.

If it is not possible for both spouses to share occupation of the home, it may be better for a single spouse to live in it until the house is sold. Some people also choose to wait for the housing market to improve so they can get a better deal. However a divorcing couple chooses to go about this situation, it is a good idea to work out a solution early on if possible, perhaps with the help of a family law attorney.