Selling a Home During Divorce in the Tri-Cities
Clear, even communication with both of you, and the same information to each.
Selling a home during divorce, without taking sides
Selling a home during divorce is hard enough without wondering whether your agent is working for the other person. When I'm hired to sell a home in a divorce, I work for the sale, not for one side. Both of you get the same information, at the same time, every time.
I'm Brandon Muzatko, a REALTOR® and Washington Managing Broker with TKO Realty Group at Real Broker, LLC. Before real estate, I spent 14 years in law enforcement and was Crisis Intervention Team certified. Staying calm, neutral and factual is a habit I brought with me.
How I handle a divorce sale
- Both of you on every message. Every email, update and report goes to both of you. If you'd rather it go through your attorneys, tell me and I'll copy them too.
- One plan, in writing. The price, the prep timeline and the launch date go to both of you before anything happens.
- Decisions that need both of you, made by both of you. The listing agreement, the price, and accepting or countering an offer usually need the signatures of everyone on title. I make sure nothing moves until it should.
- The same net sheet for both. I estimate what the sale will bring after the payoff, commission, Washington excise tax, title and escrow. How the proceeds are divided is up to the two of you, your attorneys and the court, not me.
I'm not an attorney and I don't give legal advice. If your divorce decree or a court order says how the sale should happen, that's what we follow.
Pricing that holds up for both of you
In a divorce, the price has to make sense to two people who may not agree on much else. I build it from adjusted comparable sales, the active competition and the homes that didn't sell, using the valuation methods I trained in as a former licensed commercial real estate appraiser trainee. I show both of you the comps, so you can check the math yourselves.
Start with what your home is worth. It's the same process either way.
Disclosure done properly
In Washington, the seller fills out a disclosure statement covering past repairs, known issues and anything unusual in the home's history. When one of you has moved out, the person still living there may know about things the other doesn't. Both of you should review it before it's signed.
My rule of thumb: if you have to ask whether to disclose it, the answer is almost always yes. Disclosures protect you after closing.
The rest of the sale
Once the plan is set, your home gets the same marketing as every listing: professional photos, video and drone, its own website and paid Meta ads that I pay for up front. Read how I sell a home. If one of you is buying next, read how I help you buy.
I help with divorce home sales across the Tri-Cities, including Kennewick, Richland and Pasco. Contact me for a confidential conversation about selling a home during divorce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do both spouses have to agree to sell the house?
Usually everyone on title has to sign the listing agreement and the sale. Your attorneys can tell you how your decree or a court order affects that.
Who do you represent in a divorce sale?
The sale. Both of you get the same information at the same time, and decisions that need both of you are made by both of you.
Can you tell us how to split the proceeds?
No. I estimate what the sale will bring after costs. How it's divided is up to the two of you, your attorneys and the court.
Divorce Sale by neighborhood
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