During your divorce, your Barrie divorce lawyer will walk you through several important decisions, including whether or not you should keep your marital home. Deciding whether to keep or sell your house, or whether you should let your ex have it when you divide your marital property, requires you to take an honest look at your situation and determine what you want out of your future.
Talk to Your Barrie Divorce Lawyer
Like all major divorce decisions, you should discuss the pros and cons of home ownership with your Barrie divorce lawyer before you commit to anything. Your lawyer will probably want you to consider:
- Your current financial situation
- The likelihood of your continued employment
- Your emotional state
- What your ex wants
It might help to make a list of reasons why you’d like to keep, sell or concede your home. That way, you can take an objective look and determine whether you’re headed in the right direction.
Current Finances and Your Home
Making the change from a two-income household to a single-income household might drastically change your financial situation. If you’re having a hard time making payments with your spouse, you’ll likely have a harder time without him or her. However, if you bring in enough money to cover the mortgage, the bills and the rest of your budget, your Barrie divorce lawyer might not be concerned about your financial ability to keep your house.
Your Employment Situation
Is it safe to assume that you’ll still be employed a year from now? Five years from now? Ten? If you’re sure you will, do you think you’ll be with the same company? Job changes are rarely easy, but sometimes they’re necessary. If you had to leave your job tomorrow, could you find another with comparable pay? Talking to your Barrie divorce lawyer about your current employment situation and what your future looks like can help you determine the best course of action.
Your Emotional State
Will your current home be a good fit for your new life, or will it keep you from moving on? Will it be easier to let your spouse keep the home so you can get a fresh start? While your Barrie divorce lawyer isn’t a counsellor or therapist, he or she has worked with people in situations like yours before. Your lawyer might have extra insight on the emotions you’ll have to face if you keep, sell or concede your house.
What Your Ex Wants
If your ex wants the house, are you willing to give it up? Think about your future: will you be able to keep up with maintenance and repair costs? Will the kids be living with you or your ex, and what’s the best location for them? Your Barrie divorce lawyer will probably want you to consider the rest of your family before you commit to keeping, selling or conceding your house.
Making a Choice
In the end, only you and your ex can decide who—if anyone—should keep your marital home. After discussing your options with your Barrie divorce lawyer, sit down and talk to your ex (and a mediator, if necessary) so you can decide what’s best together.
