5 Ways to Make Dividing Property
In a Divorce Less Difficult
Did you know that you can keep most of your things in a divorce?
When a couple goes through a divorce, one of the first things they think about is the division of assets. Dividing property can be stressful because both sides will feel that they're entitled to certain assets. Because of this, you may end up in arguments that prevent you from making progress.
Fortunately, you can do several things to ensure the process goes smoothly. Providing that you stay calm and make an effort to do everything correctly, you can come out of the divorce with the property you want and both sides will be satisfied.
Read on to learn about 5 ways to make dividing property in divorce less difficult!
1. Keep Things Civil
When it comes to splitting assets, one of the most important things that you'll need to do is keep things civil. This is crucial because if you don't, you'll have a hard time throughout the process. You must keep in mind that your spouse is someone you shared many things with, so you can't expect to divide property while being hostile.
Keeping things civil will help you when negotiating with your spouse because you'll have a better chance of getting the things you want. When you start creating problems, your spouse may fight you to keep things out of spite.
One of the best ways to remain civil is to act passively. If your spouse tries to create a problem, you'll need to act unbothered. They'll pick up on this and eventually stop pressing you to fight.
2. Be Honest
Aside from staying civil, another important thing that you must do is be honest. Providing that you're honest throughout the entire process, you're less likely to cause arguments. You'll also have an easier time if you need to take the case to the court because the judge will see that you're being sincere.
If you're worried about having to divide certain things with your spouse, you can try to negotiate with them. However, don't try to hide the fact that you have money in a hidden personal account. If that were the case, a divorce attorney would quickly find those assets and you could get penalized.
As soon as you start talking about splitting assets during a divorce, be open about everything you have. Lay all of your information out for everyone to see that way you can go through the process as quickly as possible.
3. Know Which Property Is Yours
Although no one wants to deal with splitting assets, it's something that you'll likely have to do so it's best to have a good idea of what truly is yours. Assets are legally categorized into two categories: separate property and marital property.
Separate Property
Separate property is the property that you own by yourself and was never shared with your partner. Any assets that were owned before marriage or acquired after the divorce will be considered separate property. If you inherited a gift, that is also separate.
Marital Property
Marital property is anything that both you and your partner own. These are things that were acquired during the marriage. Things like income, retirement, and physical property can all be marital property, which makes something like selling a house difficult.
Understanding how to sell a house fast is something you'll need to figure out if you and your partner own one. This will make it easier to divide because you can share the earnings.
4. Negotiate
Before you go to court, you should try to negotiate with your partner to divide everything as best as you can. This will prevent you from going through a lengthy legal process that could cost a lot of money.
Negotiating with your partner may be difficult if you aren't civilized about the whole thing. If you ended on bad terms when filing a divorce, you'll have a hard time trying to convince your partner why you deserve certain things. This is why it's important to stay civil.
In most cases, you should be able to figure out who gets what without going to court, but you may be forced to if your partner isn't willing to. If you don't own many assets together, you can try to convince them that you only want a few things that you find important and let them have the rest.
5. Work With a Lawyer
Splitting up property becomes a pain when you have to go to court which is why you should work with a lawyer throughout the process. Having a lawyer with you will make it easier to convince the judge why you deserve to have certain things.
Even if you want to negotiate with your partner, you should bring a lawyer with you so that they can explain to your partner why the offers are reasonable.
When going to court, your lawyer will represent you and keep you updated about what's happening. Whenever you need to speak, they can tell you what the best things to say are.
Start Dividing Property In a Divorce the Right Way
If you're currently going through a divorce or think you may soon, use this advice. After reading this article, you can divide property without running into many problems. Although dividing property in a divorce isn't easy, you'll greatly reduce the stress that comes with divorce by using these tips.
We encourage you to reach out to a lawyer as soon as possible. They'll give you advice and let you know what the best approach to the situation would be.
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