Articles

Divorce Housing Insights

Articles on the marital home in divorce: keeping it, selling it, refinancing, buyouts, equity, and mortgage qualification, from a Certified Divorce Lending Professional.

Does a Quitclaim Deed Remove You From the Mortgage?

September 5, 2026

A quitclaim deed transfers ownership. It does not remove you from the mortgage. Here is what actually releases you, and what your settlement must say.

Keeping the House in a South Dakota Divorce: Farms, Alimony, and Financing

September 4, 2026

Farmland, alimony, and financing all shape keeping the house in a South Dakota divorce. How to test the refinance before your settlement is final.

Keeping the House in South Carolina Through the One-Year Separation

September 4, 2026

South Carolina's one-year separation affects when you can refinance. How to plan the timing, the buyout, and qualification if you want to keep the house.

How Long Should the Refinance Deadline Be in Your Divorce Settlement?

September 4, 2026

Ninety days from signing is often thirty usable days. Here is how a lender's clock actually runs, and how to set a deadline that can be met.

Keeping the House in a Texas Divorce: The Owelty Lien Advantage

September 3, 2026

An owelty lien can help fund a buyout when keeping the house in a Texas divorce. How it works and how to confirm you can refinance before you sign.

Keeping the House in Tennessee When the Buyout Is Alimony in Solido

September 3, 2026

Structuring a Tennessee buyout as alimony in solido changes how lenders see it. What to check before you agree to keep the house and refinance alone.

Why You Were Denied a Refinance After Your Divorce

September 3, 2026

Three structural reasons divorce refinances are declined, and why almost none of them are about you. Most are decided in the settlement, not the application.

Keeping the Vermont Home: How Custody Factors Into the House

September 2, 2026

In a Vermont divorce, custody can influence who keeps the home. What it takes to qualify for the refinance on your own before the settlement is final.

Keeping the House in Utah When Alimony Is Short-Term by Design

September 2, 2026

Utah alimony is often short term by design, which limits how lenders count it. How to plan a refinance that works if you want to keep the house.

Does Child Support Count as Income for a Mortgage?

September 2, 2026

Child support can qualify you, with conditions on duration, documentation and receipt. Here is what lenders require and when it will not count at all.

Keeping the House in a Washington Divorce: Community Property, Judged Fairly

September 1, 2026

Washington treats the house as community property divided fairly. How the buyout and lender rules decide whether you can refinance and keep the home.

Keeping the House in a Virginia Divorce: The Brandenburg Equity Split

September 1, 2026

The Brandenburg formula, used by Virginia courts, can change how home equity is split. How that affects the buyout and whether you can refinance.

What Documents a Lender Needs After a Divorce

September 1, 2026

The executed settlement, the recorded decree, support orders and proof of receipt. The full list, and why refinances stall waiting on paperwork.

Keeping the House Under Wisconsin's Marital Property Act

August 31, 2026

Under Wisconsin's Marital Property Act, the house is usually split equally. How the buyout and one income affect whether you can refinance and stay.

Keeping the House in a West Virginia Divorce: Equal Split, Single Income

August 31, 2026

West Virginia starts with an equal split, but you refinance on one income. How to check whether keeping the house will actually work before you sign.

How to Fund a Buyout of Your Spouse in a Divorce

August 31, 2026

When a refinance funds an equity buyout, the settlement language decides how the lender treats it. Get the wording right and the terms improve.

Keeping the House in a Wyoming Divorce: Wide Discretion, Real Numbers

August 30, 2026

Wyoming judges have wide discretion over the house, but lenders use real numbers. How to test whether you can refinance and keep the home before signing.

Keeping the House in an Indiana Divorce Without Long-Term Support

August 30, 2026

A divorce decree can award you the Indiana home, but it cannot make a lender approve your refinance. How to check mortgage qualification before you sign.

Refinance Deadlines and Support Income: What Family Law Counsel Should Know

August 30, 2026

Why a support award appropriate in family law can be worth nothing to an underwriter, and how to draft a refinance deadline you can defend.

How Veterans Can Get a VA Spousal Release of Liability in Divorce

August 30, 2026

If the veteran keeps the house, VA does not require an assumption to release your ex-spouse. What the servicer actually needs, and what it should not cost.

What Happens When There Is No Equity to Divide

August 28, 2026

If you owe more than the home is worth, whoever keeps it takes on a liability, not an asset. Your real options, stated plainly.

Colorado Divorce: When Home Appreciation Decides Who Keeps the House

August 27, 2026

In a Colorado divorce, home appreciation can decide who keeps the house. How the equity math and refinance qualification interact before you sign.

Keeping the House in a California Divorce: Community Property Math

August 20, 2026

Can you keep the house in a California divorce and still qualify for the mortgage? Where community property math and lender rules stop agreeing.

Before You Fight for the House, Ask a Different Question

August 20, 2026

"Can I keep the house?" is the wrong question in divorce. Here is the one that protects you, and how to get it answered before you sign.