I work matrimonial matters as a neutral — retained by both spouses, or by agreement of counsel — so that the marital residence gets sold on the market’s terms instead of becoming another thing to fight about.
In an ordinary sale one client makes the decisions. In a divorce, two people who are actively in conflict have to agree on the list price, the broker, the repairs, which offer to take, and when to close — while each is convinced the other is trying to take advantage of them. Every one of those decisions becomes a negotiation, and the negotiation happens through counsel at counsel’s hourly rate.
What usually goes wrong is predictable. One spouse hires a friend who is an agent, and the other side distrusts every number that comes out of it. Or both sides get a valuation, the numbers are far apart, and nobody can tell whether the gap is real or strategic. Or the house sits, because the spouse living in it has no reason to make it easy to show.
I’m brought in to take those decisions out of the fight. I have no stake in who wins, I report to both sides at the same time, and I put my reasoning in writing so it can be tested rather than argued about.
The goal isn’t to make either party happy. It’s to produce a number and a process that both parties, both attorneys, and if necessary the court can rely on.
I take the engagement from both spouses jointly, or on the written agreement of both attorneys. Everyone knows from day one who I’m working for and how I’m paid. Where the engagement is valuation-only, I waive the listing in writing so nobody can argue my number was shaded to win the business.
Same document, same time, to both parties and both counsel. It states the basis, the evidence, the condition assumptions, the limiting conditions, and what it is not — it is a Fair Market Valuation prepared by a licensed broker, not an appraisal. If you need a date of separation or date of commencement value, I do those too.
What it will sell for as-is, what it would sell for with specific work done, what that work costs, how long each path takes, and what the carrying cost of waiting actually is. Most settlement conversations get easier once those four numbers are on the table.
Professional photography, floor plans, and a marketing package that doesn’t change depending on which spouse I spoke to last. Showings scheduled through me, with reasonable notice protocols in writing, so access stops being leverage.
Every offer, every counter, every inspection issue goes to both sides and both counsel at once. No side conversations. If an offer is bad, I say so to both of you in the same sentence.
If the matter is contested and someone needs to be examined on marketability, exposure time, or how the market actually responded, I will testify. I’ve been through it, and I write my files knowing they may be read by a judge.
Designations listed are credentials earned. Not all are maintained through the granting organizations; the Part 36 fiduciary listing and the New York broker’s license are current.
Divorce real estate: unbiased neutrality
Ten things you can expect of your divorce real estate agent
Recorded before the 2024 industry rule changes. Written representation agreements are now standard; everything else here still applies.
What I do is act as a neutral third party engaged by both of you, or by both attorneys, with everyone’s informed written consent and a clear statement of who I represent under New York’s agency disclosure rules. It is not the right structure for every case. Where a case is too contested for it, I’ll say so, and I can work for one side with the other side’s knowledge instead.
Then get an independent Fair Market Valuation from someone with no stake in the listing. That is exactly what my valuation-only engagement is for — I put the number in writing, waive the listing, and you now have something to compare against. Cheaper than litigating over a number neither of you trusts.
Very common, and it needs to be handled in writing at the start rather than fought over later. Access protocols, notice periods, condition standards and consequences go into the engagement or into a so-ordered stipulation. I’ve worked plenty of files where the occupying spouse was, let’s say, unenthusiastic. It is a solvable problem when it’s addressed early.
No. A buyout or a refinance may serve you better, and I’ll give you the real numbers each path turns on — which is usually what’s missing from the conversation. Your attorney and your accountant make the decision; I make sure it’s made on accurate figures.
I usually advise against it, and I’ll tell you why plainly.
A deferred sale keeps the two of you financially tied together after the divorce is over. That tie has consequences people rarely think through at the time. A mortgage still showing on both names can block or complicate the other party’s ability to buy or finance anything else — so the spouse who moves out may find they cannot move on, in the most literal sense. And the arrangement depends on continued cooperation from someone you have just finished litigating against. When that cooperation fails three or four years later, and one party will not sign, will not maintain, will not agree on a price or will not vacate, you are back in court over the same house with a new set of legal fees.
There are exceptions. They are rarer than people expect, and they are usually about a specific child’s specific circumstances rather than a general preference to keep things stable. If your situation is one of them I’ll say so. But the default advice from me is that a clean financial separation is worth more than it looks on the day, and the cost of an entangled one shows up years later when it is expensive to fix.
Valuation and consulting work is a flat fee, quoted before I start, payable whether or not anything ever gets listed. If the property is later listed with me, that’s a separate agreement with a commission stated in it. Commissions and fees are not set by law and are negotiable. I’ll tell you what I charge and why, up front, in writing.
Attorneys: I’m happy to talk through a matter before anyone is retained. Parties: call me directly. Either way the first conversation is free and I’ll be straight with you about whether you need me.
