Many couples who divorce will sell their home. In some cases, one person will sell their ownership share, and the other person will continue owning the home on their own.
But there are also some cases in which couples will continue sharing the house and owning it jointly, even after the divorce. This is a potential option during property division—but why would you do it?
Financial realities
For one thing, some couples realize that the housing market is difficult and that it is just not realistic for them to find new housing, especially on short notice. Both people may feel that it is too expensive for them to buy a home on their own. Instead, they will continue as joint homeowners and simply sleep in separate bedrooms or otherwise try to create space between themselves.
Birdnesting and child custody
Another possibility is that they could be keeping the home so that the children can live in it. This is a custody solution known as birdnesting. The parents take turns living in the house with their children when they have custody.
Maximizing profits
Finally, some people will continue being joint homeowners if they think it is financially viable. For example, maybe they want to rent the house out and split the proceeds. Or perhaps they do want to sell the house, but they are waiting for the market to go up a bit more so that they can maximize the profits in the sale.
These are just a few considerations to think about when considering marital property division. Be sure you understand what legal steps to take.