In a divorce, one of the most difficult issues is often the division of assets and what happens to the house the family lives in or other real estate assets. Home sales are always stressful, but a divorcing couple's inability to fully cooperate often brings stress levels to new heights. 

Lou and Alex both having gone through it themselves, are determined to help couples see that happiness after divorce does exist. They know what to expect and have experienced the different types of emotions involved, along with the tangled financials and child custody issues. They work with couples at hand, all attorneys involved, as well as court ordered decisions.

Some questions that you need to answer are:

• Should you sell the family home?
• Do you keep it until the children are grown?
• Should you keep the home and buy out your soon to be ex-spouse, or vice versa?
• Can either of you afford to keep it after the divorce?

This is where LA Real Estate Group can help.There are several options to think about when dealing in real estate.Selling your home is not always the only answer.

The first step in dealing with real estate issues is to determine the value of the property. An LA Real Estate Group professional can help assess your home in respect to the current market value. There are 3 methods that may be used to agree on your homes value.

1. An appraiser from the LA Real Estate Group can visit your property and officially appraise your property's worth. This is usually the court's system of giving actual value to a property.Often times, attorneys request an appraisal to be performed before any type of action is taken. This type of service involves a separate fee. (Ranges between $300-$400).
2. A consultant from the LA Real Estate Group can provide all the involved parties (including attorneys) with a Comprehensive Market Analysis (CMA). A CMAincludes comparables that are currently listed, as well as comparables from properties that were currently sold, providing a fairly accurate view of the market in your specific area.This can be done as part of your consultation with our realtors at no cost.
3. Use the tax-assessed value. This method does not provide the most accurate value of your property and is rarely used in legalities since the value of the property is generally much lower. This method is not recommended.

Once property's value has been established, the next step is for the involved parties to discuss various options.

As real estate professional consultants, who have experienced the stress of a divorce, the child custody issues and possible loss of family home, as well as the emotion involved in splitting marital assts, Lou and Alex will walk you through every step, patiently yet effectively.

Lou and Alex are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice. They will however, assist all the parties in a divorce with the transition of all marital real estate involved. They will work with you and for you, to find the best solution to your real estate needs.

The disposal of a marital home is one of the largest decisions involved in any divorce. Please consult with your attorney to explore all your options. And please chose a Realtor who has experience working in divorce situation real estate transactions. It's too important not too. We'll be happy to help, just contact us when you are ready, or if you have any questions

Divorce Tip: Couples who settle usually end up with more money faster.

Divorce Tip: While a realtor can't solve all these problems, a couple's conflict can be dramatically reduced by the strength of a trusted real estate professional.

Divorce and Real Estate Listing Agreements

A real estate listing agreement is a legally binding contract between you and the listing broker. It establishes a "principal - agent" relationship that conveys legal authority from you (the "principal") to the broker (the "agent").

There are several types of listing agreements, but whatever type of agreement you sign, we recommend it should not exceed 90 or 120 days. Furthermore, if the agent fails to perform, such as a broken promise to hold open houses, you should be able to immediately cancel the agreement. Note that the terms "broker" and "agent" are used interchangeably.

Here are the three basic types of listing agreements: 

Exclusive Right to Sell – Your agent receives a commission upon sale whether or not he or his firm actually makes the sale. In fact, even if you sell the house yourself, you still must pay the commission. This type of popular listing protects the listing broker's commission, thus encouraging her to invest a significant amount of time and money, and also to cooperate with MLS ("Multiple Listing Service").

Divorce Tip: Given the importance of a broker to the divorce process, this common type of agreement will probably serve you best.

Exclusive Agency Agreement – This is similar to an exclusive right to sell, except that it allows you to sell the property yourself without having to pay a commission. While this might sound attractive, brokers are less likely to make a significant investment of time and money if they have to compete against you to sell the house.

Divorce Tip: Use this type of agreement only if you are convinced that the broker will make a 100% effort despite the risk of losing the commission.

Open Listing – This is somewhat of a free-for-all in which the first broker that makes the sale gets the commission unless you sell the house first. Agents are even less likely to invest any time and money.

Divorce Tip: High quality brokers experienced in divorce situations are not likely to enter the fray. They will invest no money and little time in these situations.


If you have any questions or would like to discuss your options, just contact us .

Lou & Alex
LA Real Estate Group
323.704.7129
info@myLARealEstateGroup.com