Going through a separation is hard enough. Selling the matrimonial home you built together shouldn’t make it harder. We’ve both been through divorce ourselves, and as your divorce Realtor® team, we’re here for both of you, from the first conversation to closing day, across the GTA, Hamilton and the Niagara Region.
2006
Françoise licensed as a Realtor®
2016
Keith licensed, now Broker
30 years
Combined experience
Both of us
Have been through divorce ourselves
As your divorce Realtor®, we work for both of you. We give you both the same price information, help you agree on a plan for showings and offers before the house goes on the market, and work with both of your lawyers right through to closing. Staging, or virtual staging for a vacant home, and professional photos come with every listing.
On This Page
How We Help Separating Couples Sell the Matrimonial Home
Selling during a divorce works the same way as any other sale. What’s different is that most decisions need both of you, and that isn’t always easy when you’re not getting along. Here’s how we keep things moving.
Want the step-by-step? Our article on selling a home during divorce in Ontario walks through the whole sale.
Selling or Buying Out: We Help With Either
Not every separation ends with selling the matrimonial home. If one of you wants to keep the house, buying out the other may be an option. Keep in mind that the house’s value isn’t the same as your equity. The mortgage and any other debts on the home come off first. The person staying has to qualify for the financing, and the spouse who’s leaving will usually want to be taken off the mortgage, which the lender has to approve. Talk to your lawyer and your mortgage specialist early.
As your divorce Realtor®, we can give you a current market value as a starting point. It isn’t a formal appraisal, so if your lender or lawyer needs one, our article on divorce home appraisals in Ontario explains when you need one.
Either way, we can help each of you find your next place, whether that’s buying a home after divorce or renting for a while. Because we work in both the GTA and Niagara, your next home doesn’t have to be in the same city.
We’ve Been Through Divorce Ourselves
We both know what it feels like, but our divorces were very different. Keith had children with his former wife, so his divorce wasn’t only about a marriage ending. Every decision about the house was also a decision about his kids. Françoise didn’t have children to think about, so she could handle hers in a more practical, transactional way.
So whichever situation you’re in, we get it. If the house holds your family’s history and your kids’ routines, we understand. If you just want it sold well and sold fairly, we understand that too. As your divorce Realtor®, we treat you like family, we give you both the same information, and we don’t take sides.
We’ve Seen This Play Out
Years ago, a real estate lawyer asked us to help her client, a common-law couple with a new baby, who were going through a very nasty separation. They couldn’t be in the house at the same time, so we met with each of them separately. This was before electronic signing, so every time an offer came in, we met with each of them in person.
The house sold quickly, and there was a lot of equity in it. But the fighting didn’t stop with the sale. The legal bills kept piling up, and by the time it was over, that equity had dwindled to next to nothing. Neither of them could buy the home they’d each been planning on.
Our View: Try to Work It Out Together
Whatever your reason for divorcing, we believe in trying to work it out in an agreeable way. Talk things through where you can. When every little decision goes back and forth between two lawyers, the bills add up fast, and that money can come straight out of the equity in your home.
If you both feel safe and can decide freely, without pressure from the other, talk through who keeps what and how you’ll split things. Get your own legal advice along the way, and have your lawyers review any agreement before you sign it. A mediator can help you talk it through, and there are good resources online to help you prepare. Remember, there was a reason you got married. Try your best to be cordial, especially if you have children.
If you’re not safe, your safety comes first. If there’s abuse, or you’re afraid of your spouse, this advice doesn’t apply to you. Call 911 in an emergency, and talk to a family law lawyer about protecting yourself before anything else.
We’re not lawyers, and we’ll always tell you when a question belongs with yours. Your lawyer will explain, for example, that if you’re married, the other spouse’s consent is generally needed to sell the matrimonial home, whoever is on title, although there are exceptions. Common-law partners don’t have the same matrimonial home rights. For the full picture, see our Ontario divorce real estate guide.
Divorce Realtor®: Common Questions
Can one divorce Realtor® work for both spouses?
Yes. When you sell together, you’re both sellers on the same side of the deal, with one listing for the home, and we work with both of you through it. That’s different from representing a buyer and a seller in the same deal, which has its own RECO disclosure and consent rules. If you’d rather not meet together, we’ll meet with each of you on your own. We give you both the same information, and we don’t take sides. If your interests in the sale itself ever conflict, we’ll explain your options before going any further.
Do we need lawyers before we list?
We recommend it. Each of you should have your own family law lawyer to confirm consent, how the money from the sale will be held and paid out, and how the sale fits with your separation agreement. We work alongside both lawyers, never instead of them.
What if we can’t agree on the list price?
We start with one market analysis based on recent sales nearby, shared with both of you. If you still can’t agree, a formal appraisal from a designated appraiser gives you an independent number to work from. If it goes further than that, your lawyers can help.
Keith & Françoise Real Estate Team
eXp Realty Brokerage · GTA, Hamilton & Niagara Region
Françoise Pollard, Realtor®, licensed since 2006, and Keith Goldson, Broker, licensed since 2016, bring 30 years of combined experience. We help separating couples sell the matrimonial home across the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton and the Niagara Region.
Both of us are registered with the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO). You can confirm our registration on RECO’s public register.
We’ve Got You
Whether you’re ready to list or just trying to figure out your options, we’re here for both of you. Let’s talk it through, in confidence.
Book a Confidential Conversation Get Your Home ValuationOr call or text Françoise at 647-204-6307 or Keith at 416-451-2592.
We are not lawyers, and this page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Family law and the treatment of the matrimonial home depend on your circumstances, and the rules can change. Speak with an Ontario family law lawyer before making decisions about your home.