If you and your spouse own a home in Keller, Southlake, or Colleyville and are divorcing, the sale goes most smoothly when three things happen early: both of you get the same information at the same time, the rules for price reductions are agreed in writing before the home goes on the market, and your attorneys decide how the proceeds are handled. My role is to run a neutral, professional sale and net the most money for the home, not to take sides.

I live in Keller and work across Keller, Southlake, and Colleyville. I have handled about 10 home sales for divorcing sellers. In four of them, both spouses hired me together. In the other six, one spouse reached out first. This page walks through how I handle these sales, the questions I ask before anything else, and the mistakes I have seen cost sellers time and money.

What should you do before you list the house?

Talk to your attorney about how the sale proceeds will be handled, and do not buy or make an offer on another home until your divorce is final. Texas is a community property state. While you are still legally married, a home you buy is generally presumed to belong to both spouses, even if only your name is on it. Those two steps prevent most of the problems I see later.

Before I recommend a price or a single repair, I send an intake form so I understand what has already been decided. I ask:

• Has the divorce been filed, or is it final?
• Is there a temporary order or decree that addresses the house?
• Who has authority to make decisions about the sale?
• Who is living in the home right now?
• How will expenses and proceeds be split?
• Who are the attorneys, and may I contact them?
• Is there a deadline to sell?

If the attorneys have not covered something, such as who pays for repairs before listing, I want to know that before we start, not halfway through.

I also send an initial email that explains how I work with divorcing clients (more on that below), so both spouses know what to expect from me from day one.

Can one spouse hire an agent and start the sale alone?

One spouse can make the first call, and in most of my divorce sales, one spouse did. But both spouses sign the listing agreement before I list the home, and both sign every contract, counteroffer, and amendment after that.

When the relationship is not amicable, I meet with each spouse separately. When it makes sense, I correspond directly with the attorneys. Either way, I follow up in writing so both sides receive the same information.

How do you stay neutral between two spouses?

I set boundaries in writing before we begin, and I keep the relationship professional, not personal. My initial email explains that:

• I will not withhold information from either spouse.
• I do not give legal advice and I do not take sides.
• Communication about the sale is in writing.
• I do not carry personal messages between spouses.
• My job is to net the most money for the home.

I have been asked to keep information from the other spouse. The answer is always no, and having it in writing from the start makes that conversation shorter.

How is the list price set when you disagree on value?

Both spouses see the same comparative market analysis (CMA), and we talk through what the market is doing right now. When one spouse wants top dollar and the other just wants out, I keep coming back to a shared fact: the longer a home sits, the more money both of you lose.

Price reductions are agreed to before the home lists

The hardest conversation in a divorce sale is often the first price reduction. I take it off the table early. Before we list, the plan for reductions goes into the listing agreement, and both spouses sign it. A reduction is triggered by either of two indicators:

• No showings within 14 days
• More than two offers that come in considerably below asking price

Because the triggers were agreed to up front, a reduction becomes the plan both of you already signed, not a new fight.

What if one spouse wants to buy out the other?

I send them to a lender and to their attorney before anything else. The lender confirms whether they qualify to keep the home on their own, and the attorney explains how the equity has to be split.

In my experience, most spouses who want a buyout find they cannot qualify, and they drop the idea. Handling it this way has never delayed one of my listings.

Who handles repairs and prep while one spouse is still living there?

Usually, by the time I am involved, one spouse is living in the home and has been designated to handle getting it ready. We discuss any expenses that may need to be split, and I check whether the attorneys have already addressed them.

I strongly recommend using my trusted contractors instead of do-it-yourself fixes. Here is why. In one sale, the seller insisted on repainting damaged interior walls himself. The result looked worse than the damage, and he stopped painting partway up a ceiling and refused to finish. Buyers noticed. The offers came in low, the process became contentious, and the home sold for considerably less than it should have. Both spouses paid for that decision.

Professional work gives both spouses the same written bid and the same invoice, which also keeps prep costs from becoming another argument.

How are offers handled, and what happens at closing?

Every offer goes to both spouses in writing first. Then I set a time to review it, separately or together if things are amicable. Both spouses sign every contract and amendment.

I have had spouses delay signing mid-transaction. When that happens, I explain what can happen if they do not perform their obligations under the contract, and I bring some compassion to the conversation. So far, I have been able to get every one of those deals done.

For the proceeds, I find out which attorney will be holding the funds before the divorce is final. The attorneys negotiate and handle when and how the money is disbursed. That is not my decision, and it should not be.

What mistakes cost divorcing sellers the most?

These are the ones I have seen firsthand:

• Buying or making offers on another home before the divorce is final. While you are still married, a new home is generally presumed to be community property, so your spouse has an interest in it too. Wait until the divorce is final and your attorney has addressed the proceeds.
• DIY repairs. Unfinished or poor-quality work invites low offers.
• Fighting every price reduction or repair negotiation. Agreeing on reduction triggers in the listing agreement prevents the price fights. On repairs, remember that a buyer who walks away sends the home back on the market, and the longer it sits, the more you both lose.
• Pursuing a buyout without checking qualification. Talk to a lender and your attorney first.
• Asking the agent to keep information from the other spouse. A neutral agent will not do it, and asking only slows things down.

Frequently asked questions

Do you give legal advice about the divorce or the property split?

No. I coordinate with your attorneys, but decisions about who gets what, and how proceeds are disbursed, belong to them.

Will you talk to my spouse’s attorney?

Yes, when it is necessary. I correspond with attorneys on both sides as needed and keep that communication in writing.

What if my spouse and I get along?

Then I can meet with you together and review offers together. The written follow-up and the signed reduction plan still apply, because they protect both of you.

Do you also help with the next home?

Yes, once the divorce is final. I advise against buying or making offers before then.

Talk through your situation

If you are divorcing and own a home in Keller, Southlake, or Colleyville, the best first step is my divorce home sale intake form. Each spouse can fill it out separately. Once I review your answers, I will send the email that explains how I work with divorcing clients, so you and your spouse both know what to expect before anyone signs anything. You can also call or text me at 817-800-7332, or see how I work with sellers.

Amy Spock is a luxury Realtor with SERHANT. serving Keller, Southlake, and Colleyville. She holds the CLHMS (Guild) and CNE designations and lives in Keller.