A Minnesota Real Estate Resource for CDFA® Professionals and Their Divorce Clients
When divorce involves a home, the real estate decisions often affect much more than where someone will live next.
The marital home may influence available cash, estimated sale proceeds, debt ratios, mortgage qualification, settlement planning, timing, future housing costs, and whether one or both spouses can realistically purchase another home.
For a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® helping a client evaluate those decisions, having an experienced real estate professional involved early can provide useful market information before assumptions about the house become part of the larger financial plan.
I’m Sarah Marrinan, REALTOR® and Residential Real Estate Divorce Specialist, serving clients throughout the Twin Cities and surrounding Minnesota communities.
I work alongside CDFA® professionals, attorneys, lenders, tax professionals, financial advisors, appraisers, therapists, and other specialists while staying firmly within my own area of expertise: residential real estate.
My job is not to tell your client what they should do in their divorce.
My job is to help everyone understand what the real estate options may actually look like in the current market.
Where Real Estate and Divorce Financial Planning Intersect
A house may appear on a financial statement as an asset with a value attached to it.
In real life, it is rarely that simple.
A property's probable market value is not necessarily the same thing as its tax value, automated online estimate, appraisal from another purpose, or the amount a homeowner hopes to receive.
Selling also comes with expenses.
Condition matters.
Timing matters.
Marketability matters.
Mortgage qualification for the next home matters.
And if one spouse plans to keep the house, understanding its current market position can be important even when the property is not immediately going on the market.
That is where I can help provide the real estate piece of the puzzle.
If you would like more background on my work with divorcing homeowners, visit my Minnesota Divorce Real Estate Specialist page.
How I Can Help a CDFA® and Their Client
Depending on the situation, I can provide real estate-specific information involving:
Current Market Value and Marketability
I can prepare a Comparative Market Analysis and evaluate the property from the perspective of today's residential market.
That includes looking beyond comparable sales to consider the home's condition, location, competition, buyer expectations, likely objections, improvements, deferred maintenance, and other factors that may affect its marketability.
My Pricing Strategy Advisor® (PSA) training is particularly useful in situations where realistic market positioning matters. You can learn more about that background on my Pricing Strategy Advisor page.
Estimated Seller Proceeds
A projected sale price is not the same as the amount the sellers will ultimately have available after closing.
When appropriate, I can help estimate the real estate-related costs associated with a potential sale so your client and their professional advisors have a more realistic starting point for planning.
These are estimates for planning purposes—not legal, tax, accounting, or settlement advice.
Sell the Home or Consider a Buyout?
The decision to sell or retain the marital home belongs to the clients and their legal and financial professionals.
I can contribute the real estate information that may help them evaluate those choices.
For example:
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What could the property reasonably sell for in the current market?
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What condition is it in today?
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Would repairs or preparation likely affect marketability?
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How long might the sale process realistically take?
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What real estate expenses should be anticipated?
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What might each person's next housing options look like?
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Are there timing considerations that should be discussed before the settlement is finalized?
For homeowners beginning with the larger question of what happens to the marital home, I also have a resource explaining some of the issues involved in deciding what happens to a house during a Minnesota divorce.
Sometimes the Best Time to Call the REALTOR® Is Before the House Is Ready to Sell
One of the most preventable problems I see is waiting until every divorce decision has been made before involving a knowledgeable real estate professional.
By then, assumptions may already have been made about value, timing, preparation costs, possession, proceeds, or the ability of one or both parties to purchase another home.
Early involvement does not mean a client has to list the house immediately.
Sometimes the most valuable first step is simply getting better information.
That might mean reviewing the likely value range.
It could mean discussing whether extensive repairs are worthwhile.
It could mean identifying a realistic sale timeline.
Or it may mean helping each spouse understand what buying another home could involve before settlement decisions make those options harder.
When Both Spouses Will Need Another Home
This is one area where collaboration with a CDFA® can be particularly valuable.
A marital home may need to be sold while both spouses are simultaneously trying to create financially sustainable housing plans.
One or both may eventually need mortgage approval.
One may want to remain near a particular school district, workplace, family support system, or other important location.
One may have sufficient resources to purchase before selling, while the other may need proceeds from the marital home first.
Sometimes a short delay or a different sequence of events can materially change the practical options available.
I do not determine the financial strategy.
Instead, I can help provide the real-world housing and market information that allows the client's financial, legal, lending, and real estate professionals to evaluate the timing more intelligently.
A Thoughtful Approach to Preparing the Marital Home for Sale
Divorce sellers do not always need—or want—to complete a long list of improvements before selling.
I help clients separate:
What needs to be addressed
from
What would be nice to address
from
What probably will not return enough value to justify the money, time, or stress.
In some cases, selling substantially as-is may be the appropriate strategy.
In others, thoughtful preparation can materially improve marketability or reduce buyer objections.
The recommendation should be based on the actual property, current competition, likely buyer pool, anticipated return, available resources, and the sellers' circumstances—not a generic pre-listing checklist.
Clear Communication When Both Spouses Are Involved
Divorce real estate requires more than knowing how to price and market a home.
It requires a process that both sellers can understand.
When I am representing both spouses in the sale of a jointly owned marital home, my practice is to keep substantive real estate communication transparent and shared with both parties, unless a legal or ethical obligation requires otherwise.
That can include communication regarding:
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Pricing
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Property preparation
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Showing feedback
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Offers
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Inspection issues
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Negotiations
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Deadlines
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Changes in market conditions
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Closing-related real estate matters
The objective is not to become involved in the spouses' personal disagreements.
It is to maintain a professional real estate process in which both sellers receive consistent information.
I Stay in the Real Estate Lane
A strong professional referral relationship depends on respecting boundaries.
I do not provide:
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Legal advice
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Divorce settlement advice
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Tax advice
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Investment advice
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Financial planning
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Mortgage advice
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Appraisal services
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Therapy or counseling
Instead, I encourage clients to rely on qualified professionals for those decisions.
My role is to explain the residential real estate market, the sale process, potential market implications, and the practical steps necessary to execute the real estate plan once the appropriate decisions have been made.
That distinction matters.
A CDFA® should be able to refer a client to a REALTOR® without worrying that the REALTOR® will begin giving opinions about subjects outside their license or undermine the financial and legal professionals already advising the client.
Experience Matters When the Transaction Is Already Complicated
Divorce-related real estate can involve competing priorities, unusual timing, difficult communication, financing questions, property-condition concerns, emotional attachment to the home, and decisions that affect two separate households.
That is not the ideal setting for an inexperienced agent learning as they go.
In addition to my Residential Real Estate Divorce Specialist training, my professional education includes:
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Certified Residential Specialist® (CRS)
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Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI)
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Seller Representative Specialist® (SRS)
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Real Estate Negotiation Expert® (RENE)
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Pricing Strategy Advisor® (PSA)
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Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist® (CLHMS)
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Probate-focused real estate training
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Additional education in relocation, new construction, investing, technology, and residential real estate
You can learn more about my professional background and experience on my About Sarah Marrinan page.
Serving Divorce Clients Throughout the Twin Cities
I work throughout the Twin Cities metro, with particular experience in the north, northeast, east, and northwest suburbs, including communities in Anoka, Ramsey, Washington, Hennepin, and southern Chisago Counties.
For the right situation, I also work elsewhere throughout the broader Twin Cities market.
If your client owns property outside the geographic area I personally serve, I am happy to discuss whether I can help identify an appropriate real estate professional.
When Should a CDFA® Bring Me Into the Conversation?
You do not need to wait until someone says:
“We are ready to list the house.”
A conversation may be useful when your client is asking questions such as:
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What is the house realistically worth?
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What might we net if we sold?
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Does the house need work before selling?
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Would doing the work likely improve the financial outcome?
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How long could it realistically take to sell?
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Could one spouse buy another house before this one closes?
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What happens if both spouses need sale proceeds to purchase?
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How should we think about timing?
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Is an online home-value estimate reliable enough for this decision?
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What would buyers think of the property's current condition?
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What would selling as-is look like?
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What information should we gather before making a decision about the house?
Sometimes a brief real estate conversation early in the process can prevent much larger complications later.
A Professional Resource for You—Not a Sales Pitch to Your Client
If you refer someone to me, I understand that they are your professional relationship first.
My goal is not to insert myself into areas of the divorce where I do not belong.
I am there to answer the real estate questions, explain available real estate options, provide relevant market information, and help the client move through the housing component of the process professionally.
If the client eventually needs to sell or buy, I would welcome the opportunity to represent them when appropriate.
But useful real estate guidance can begin well before a listing agreement or purchase agreement is needed.
Download My Divorce Real Estate Brochure
[DOWNLOAD / VIEW THE DIVORCE REAL ESTATE BROCHURE]
This brochure provides an overview of the real estate support I can provide during divorce and is designed to be easy to share with clients.
You are welcome to save the digital version, print it for your office, or contact me if you would like printed copies for client meetings.
Have a Client With a Real Estate Question?
If you are a CDFA® professional working with a Minnesota client whose divorce involves a home, you are welcome to contact me before the client has made a final real estate decision.
You do not need to know whether they are selling yet.
Sometimes the question is simply:
“What do we need to know about the house before we make this decision?”
That is a very good time to bring a real estate professional into the conversation.
Sarah Marrinan, REALTOR®
CRS, GRI, SRS, PSA, RENE, CLHMS, e-PRO®
Residential Real Estate Divorce Specialist
Lifestyle Real Estate Advisor
Ready to start a conversation? Schedule a real estate consultation with Sarah.
