Fairhaven · Divorce Sale
Selling a Home During Divorce in Fairhaven
One agent, both of you, the same information at the same time, and a sale that does not become another thing to argue about.
Fairhaven gives you the one thing this situation needs most
The hardest part of a sale during a divorce is usually the carrying cost. Two people funding one house neither of them wants to be in, while every decision takes longer than it would have a year ago.
Fairhaven is the best-placed town on this coast for that problem. It reaches the widest range of buyers of anywhere nearby: first-time buyers, people moving up from New Bedford, commuters, and buyers who wanted Mattapoisett or Marion and found the number did not work. A house here priced correctly is not waiting on one particular buyer to appear.
It is worth saying out loud early, because in the middle of this people stop believing the house will sell at all. In this town, priced properly, it will.
Arrange a confidential conversation
Condition decides who can buy it, which decides how fast
A good part of Fairhaven's buyer pool uses financing programs that carry condition requirements. Peeling paint, a roof near the end of its life, an unsafe stair or a non-functioning system can take a house off the list for a whole category of buyer before anyone even views it.
A shrinking buyer pool is a different problem from a dated kitchen, and it is the one worth spending on when speed is what you need. A dated kitchen costs you a bit on price. A condition item costs you the buyers who would have paid the most.
I am a certified home stager, so what I recommend is usually presentation rather than renovation. I will tell you the short list and roughly what each item does to the timeline, and you and your attorneys decide who funds it.
Which Fairhaven the house is in changes the sale
The town is several markets and they do not move at the same speed:
- The village and the area around the Rogers School, where the architecture does a lot of the work.
- Near Fort Phoenix and the harbor, where the walkability and the water are the draw.
- Sconticut Neck, which prices on water access and elevation.
- West Island, a market of its own with its own buyer.
- North Fairhaven, where the value is the house and the commute rather than the view.
I will tell you which one you are in and what that means for the timeline, rather than quoting you a town-wide average that describes none of them.
Where to start
A written valuation first, with a realistic timeline attached, so the two of you are planning against the same dates.
You both get it at the same time, in one email. Get in touch when you are ready, or start with what your Fairhaven home is worth.
This describes my general process and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Decisions about authority to sign, the division of proceeds, and who funds any repairs belong with your attorney.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can a Fairhaven house sell?
Faster than most towns on this coast, because it reaches the widest range of buyers nearby. The honest answer for your house depends on its price, its condition and which part of town it is in, and I will give you a range for yours rather than a town-wide number. What I will not do is promise a date I cannot control.
We cannot agree on paying for repairs. Does it matter?
It matters more here than the cosmetics do. Several of Fairhaven's buyer financing programs carry condition requirements, so an item like peeling paint or a failing system can remove a whole category of buyer before anyone views the house. I will give you the short list and what each does to the timeline. Who funds it is a question for you and your attorneys.
Will you tell buyers we are divorcing?
No. Your circumstances are not a disclosure item and revealing motivation would cost you money, so I do not discuss it with a buyer or a buyer's agent. The condition of the property is disclosed properly, exactly as it would be in any other sale.
Fairhaven
What divorce sale looks like in Fairhaven
Remarkable architecture and a working waterfront, in one of the tighter markets on the South Coast.
Fairhaven has a collection of grand public architecture out of all proportion to its size, and a real working harbor across the water from New Bedford. The Millicent Library is the piece people stop the car for.
The housing stock is wide, from antique and Victorian homes near the center to mid-century neighborhoods to waterfront along the shore. Older homes here need a different inspection eye than a 1990s colonial.
The method
How I do it in Fairhaven
Divorce Sale: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Susan Gorden Ryan?