Keeping the Family Home in a Divorce

One of the most frequently asked questions we get from prospective and current divorce clients is, “How do I keep my family home in the divorce?” Understandably, most people have intense emotional attachments to the family home and the idea of selling your home can be devastating. Sometimes, people want to keep the family home, not for themselves, but because they believe it will be easier on the children if they can stay in the home they are used to.

While the emotional attachment to a home can blindside all other considerations, sometimes it just isn’t feasible. Divorce completely overhauls each spouse’s financial situation, which may make it inadvisable for one spouse to try to maintain the finances, upkeep, and maintenance of a family home. After the financial strain of a divorce, the money from the sale of a home, which is typically a family’s largest asset, can provide you with financial security and help you get a fresh start on this new chapter of your life.

When the rest of your life is changing, sometimes we can cling to anything that we can keep the same. However, this may not always be the best strategy to help you move on and focus on your future, rather than the past.

Every person has their own unique family dynamic, and this is not to say that it’s never a good idea to keep the marital home. The decision to keep or sell your family home is so personal that, at the end of the day, you are the only one who will know what the best option is. The most important thing to remember is that, no matter what you decide, your family law attorney should be advocating for you and doing all they can for you to facilitate the divorce process in the way that you wish.