Divorce Mortgage & Housing Solutions by State
The home is usually the biggest asset — and the most complicated piece — of any divorce. State law decides how it gets divided, and lender rules decide what's actually possible. Pick your state below for guidance specific to where you live.
Why state-specific matters
Divorce is governed at the state level. Whether you're in a community property state or an equitable distribution state changes how the home and the mortgage are treated. So do quirks like Texas's owelty lien, Florida's Save Our Homes cap, California's Moore/Marsden formula, or Michigan's Proposal A property tax uncapping.
Each state page below covers what equity buyout, refinance, loan assumption, and timing look like under that state's specific rules.
What every state page covers
Legal framework
How that state classifies the marital home and divides equity — community property, equitable distribution, or a hybrid framework — and the specific rules and case law that change the math.
- Marital vs. separate property classification
- Date the marital estate is valued
- State-specific quirks (homestead caps, owelty liens, hybrid property)
Mortgage & housing options
The three real paths for the home — keep, sell, or co-own temporarily — with what each one looks like under that state's lending environment, taxes, and exemptions.
- Equity buyout (cash-out refinance)
- Refinance & loan assumption
- Sale and post-divorce home purchase
Not sure where to start?
Even before you pick a state, it helps to know what your three options actually are — keep the home, sell, or co-own temporarily — and how each one affects the mortgage. Start with the basics and we'll point you toward your state from there.
Start with the mortgage