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Unfiltered Real Estate

Bittersweet Divorce Sales


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Throughout my career, I’ve had many complicated and challenging listings. I take great pride in the fact that, no matter what, I always close my deals and maintain my 100% Success Rate of selling each and every listing that I bring to market. Rest assured, however, none of them are ever easy. And none are more difficult than divorce sales. Whether I’m selling the property before, during or after the divorce has been finalized, it’s extremely rare to work with a separating couple who’s on good terms, or even agreeable, with one another.

Wise real estate brokers look for clients who need to sell more so than those who simply want to sell. While members of the latter group may ultimately turn out to be motivated sellers, those needing to sell are always highly motivated and therefore most desirable. I’ve personally had great success selling estate-owned properties for that very reason. When someone inherits a house or is directed to sell by a will or court order, they’re obviously highly motivated. Conversely, someone who would like to sell may change their mind at any time and for any reason. Divorce sales are usually ordered by a judge or negotiated by the people’s respective attorneys outside of court. While estate sales sometimes come with feuding parties and a degree of complication, divorce sales almost always bring contention and a great deal of complications to the broker’s table.

A divorce sale broker must always expect the unexpected. After all, they’re representing two clients who are fundamentally at odds with one another. I always tell the parties that my job is simply to get the house sold for the highest possible price. I assure them that I represent the house, not the individuals. If they have children, I’ll tell the separating couple that I consider the kids to be my client and that I’m instead working on their behalf, just as I say that I’m working on behalf of the deceased when representing an estate that has heirs at odds. I say this soon after the introduction because I want everyone to immediately understand that I don’t take sides or make judgments; nor do I care about the ways in which the money will be divided once my job is done. That’s their attorney’s job. My mission is to simply liquidate the property for the highest possible price.  

Selling one’s home is already an extremely emotional process. I often find myself acting as both counselor and therapist with clients. With divorces, however, emotions run even higher and I have two separate clients with individual goals and expectations. I can never let one side think that I’m favoring the other. Earning a client’s trust is paramount when selling real estate. Fittingly, earning trust is twice as hard in a divorce sale. Luckily for me though I love what I do. I take great pleasure in helping people move on in their lives. Maybe my clients aren’t in a good place with whom they own a property, but they’re always respected and served well by me when selling that property. Next week I’ll be closing on a bitter divorce sale in Brooklyn; A week later I’ll be testifying in court, under subpoena, as a fact witness for an even more contentious divorce sale that I closed in Rockaway last year. While divorcees are always motivated their sales are often difficult.

Divorcing couples don’t typically stand on common ground, but I always bring them together again, at least for a moment, when they agree to sign a sale contract with a buyer that allows them to finally move on with their lives. Sadly, that’s about all I can do for them.

Louis Calemine is a NYS Licensed Real Estate Broker and president of Calemine & Co. Real Estate. Check out the Unfiltered Real Estate Radio Show on WMCA-AM 570, The Mission, on Saturday mornings. 9 a.m.-10 a.m.  For podcast recordings, go to www.Unfiltered RealEstate.com.

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