How do you deal with sellers going through a divorce (and get the listing)?

#1. Get into a conversation with both of them. Ask for the other spouse’s contact information and reach out to them to see how you can help. Or, do a three-way conference call with both of them present. No matter your track record or how close you are to one of them, it’s the first agent that gets into a conversation with the husband and the wife and makes them both feel comfortable that gets the listing. 

#2. Identify the motivation of both parties. 

1. Who’s living in the house right now?
2. Do they want to save the marriage? Does one of them want to keep the house?
3. Who’s currently making the house payments? How is the money going to be split between them? If one is getting more than the other, that will affect the other’s motivation to sell.

#3. Never take sides. Reassure the other spouse that you don’t know well that you’ll represent them both fairly.

#4. Get them both to agree on one thing: selling their house for the most money in the least amount of time

#5. Stay in 3-way communication. Throughout the entire process, keep both parties informed. You can do group text, group chat, or group email.