When Divorce Puts the House in the Middle, One Colorado Agent Is Changing the Conversation

DENVER, Colo. — A home is often more than an asset on a divorce worksheet. It can be where children grew up, where one spouse still lives, and where years of work and savings are tied up. When a marriage ends, the question of what happens to that home can carry financial pressure and personal history into every decision. Should it be sold now? What work should be done first? Who will handle showings? What if the owners cannot agree on an offer?

Colorado Realtor and Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert (CDRE) Taylor Bunney works with divorcing homeowners as a neutral real estate professional. She believes the most useful change in these conversations begins with a simple practice: give both parties the same information, explain the real estate options clearly, and document the recommendations and decisions that move a sale forward.

“People may come into this process with completely different expectations about the house,” Bunney said. “One person may want closure, while the other wants more time or believes the home will sell for a different price. I cannot settle what happened in their marriage. I can make sure they both receive the same market information and understand the choices in front of them.”

For many homeowners, selling during a divorce is their first experience making major financial decisions with someone they are no longer able to communicate with easily. The normal work of preparing and marketing a property still has to happen. A listing price needs to be chosen. Contractors may need access. Showing times must be coordinated. Offers require review and a response. Each ordinary step can become difficult when two owners have different priorities or little trust in one another.

Bunney’s role is to keep those decisions centered on the property and the market. She provides pricing analysis, discusses preparation options, explains feedback and offers, and communicates recommendations to both parties. When attorneys or a court order are involved, she works within the applicable instructions and keeps the real estate work organized. Her role does not replace either party’s attorney, financial adviser or the court.

Why equal communication matters

In a typical home sale, sellers may talk over dinner about an upcoming showing or a buyer’s request. Divorcing sellers may live separately, communicate only in writing, or rely on attorneys for certain decisions. A phone call to one owner that is not shared with the other can leave someone feeling excluded, even when the original intention was simply to solve a practical problem.

Bunney addresses that risk by making communication a core part of the sale rather than an afterthought. Both owners need to know what information has been received, what she recommends as the agent, and when a response is needed. This includes pricing recommendations, feedback from buyers, proposed repairs, contract terms and changes to the timeline. A consistent written record can also help everyone return to the actual question if a conversation becomes emotionally charged.

“The details matter,” Bunney said. “If I recommend a price adjustment, both sellers should understand what the market is showing and why I am recommending it. If an offer comes in, both should have the opportunity to review its terms. Equal communication does not mean they will agree. It means each person is making decisions from the same set of facts.”

That principle also creates clearer expectations for others involved in the transaction. Attorneys can see which real estate decisions are pending. Buyers and their agents can receive more timely answers when the sellers know how decisions will be handled. Vendors and photographers can schedule work with a clearer understanding of access. None of this removes the emotions surrounding a divorce, but it can keep routine property matters from becoming avoidable disputes.

Turning disagreement into a decision process

Price is often the first point of friction. One owner may focus on an online estimate, the amount paid for the home or the balance owed on the mortgage. The other may want to price aggressively to encourage a faster sale. Neither position alone establishes what a buyer will pay. Bunney starts with the home’s condition, relevant comparable properties and current competition, then explains how different pricing choices could affect interest and timing. She documents the recommendation so both parties can evaluate the same reasoning.

The same approach applies to preparation. Painting, cleaning, repairs and staging can improve how a home presents, but they also require money, time and access. Bunney helps owners distinguish work that may meaningfully affect a sale from work that may not be practical for their situation. If they disagree, the question can be framed in concrete terms: What will it cost? How long will it take? Who will coordinate it? What is the likely effect on the listing? Any decision about who pays is one for the parties and their advisers to resolve.

Showing access brings a different set of concerns when one person still occupies the property. A workable plan needs to respect the occupant’s circumstances while allowing buyers a reasonable opportunity to see the home. Agreeing on notice, scheduling and property condition before the listing goes live can prevent rushed arguments later. If a court order or other restriction affects access, the real estate plan needs to account for it rather than assume the owners can make an informal arrangement.

Then come the offers. The highest price on page one may not be the only consideration. Financing, contingencies, concessions, deadlines and the buyer’s ability to close can all affect the outcome. Bunney walks both owners through the actual terms and her real estate assessment. Her goal is to make the choice understandable, especially when one party sees an offer as a chance to move on and the other sees it as leaving money behind.

“When the decision is hard, I want to bring it back to the terms, the market and the sellers’ available options,” Bunney said. “The conversation is more productive when everyone can see what accepting, countering or declining an offer could mean for the sale.”

Making room for complicated situations

Some divorce-related sales involve additional pressure. A mortgage may be behind, one owner may be paying more of the carrying costs, or a sale may need to fit a court-directed timeline. A property may have liens or other issues that require attention before closing. These circumstances can affect which options are realistic and how quickly the parties need information. They also make it important for owners to involve the appropriate legal, lending, title and tax professionals when questions fall outside the agent’s role.

Bunney does not assume that every divorcing couple needs the same process. Some can approve a list price together after one meeting. Others need recommendations in writing, communication through their attorneys, or more time to consider a decision. The common thread is a neutral approach to the real estate work: share material information with both sides, identify the decision at hand, and keep a record of the recommendation and response.

The process can also protect the sale from delays caused by unanswered questions. Before listing, Bunney seeks to understand who is on title, who is responsible for the mortgage, who can provide access, whether there are known liens, and whether a court order sets requirements for the property. She asks how decisions are to be approved and who should receive updates. Those answers do not resolve every issue in advance, but they reveal where guidance may be needed before a buyer is waiting for a response.

“Selling the home does not make a divorce easy,” Bunney said. “A clear process can make the real estate part less confusing. People should know what the next decision is, what information supports it and who needs to weigh in.”

Why this work is personal

For Bunney, the commitment to this work comes from more than professional training. She has been through a divorce herself. She knows that even when people are trying to do the right thing, the experience can be exhausting and difficult to navigate.

“I’ve been divorced, and it wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve been through,” Bunney said. “I remember how much you can have on your mind at once. You’re thinking about your future, your family and what comes next. I can’t take all of that away for someone, but I can help make the decisions about their home clearer.”

Bunney describes herself as someone with a giver’s heart. In her work, that means taking the time to explain an option, following up when someone is overwhelmed and recognizing that a question about a showing or repair may feel much bigger to the person living through it.

That personal connection does not change her obligation to remain neutral when representing the sale. She does not need to know which spouse is right about the marriage to care about how both are treated during the transaction. Her experience helps her approach difficult conversations with patience while keeping recommendations grounded in the property and the market.

“I want people to feel heard and informed during a time when so much feels uncertain,” Bunney said. “Having a giver’s heart does not mean taking sides. It means showing up, doing the work and treating both people with care.”

Experience across Colorado’s Front Range

A Colorado native, Bunney has worked in real estate for more than 13 years and has sold more than 500 homes. She serves clients across the Front Range and has worked on dozens of divorce-related cases. Her experience as a CDRE adds a specialized focus to the familiar duties of pricing, marketing, negotiating and guiding a sale through closing.

That experience has shaped her view of what sellers need most when the home is caught in the middle. A polished listing and strong marketing matter, but so do reliable updates and a clear way to handle disagreement. An agent’s advice is useful only if both owners receive it, understand it and know how to act on it. Bunney aims to make those steps visible throughout the transaction.

For homeowners who are just beginning to discuss a sale, she suggests starting with practical questions rather than debating a hoped-for price. Is there an order or agreement that addresses the home? Who lives there now? Can both owners participate in listing decisions? Are mortgage payments current? What repairs or property issues are known? How will each party receive information and approve decisions? The answers help establish a plan that fits the property and the people involved.

Bunney encourages sellers to speak with their own attorneys about legal rights, deadlines and how proceeds or expenses will be handled. Her real estate guidance can then focus on the market, the property and the transaction. Where the parties have differing goals, she can explain how each available real estate choice may affect price, timing and buyer interest without taking either person’s side.

“When people hear ‘neutral,’ they sometimes think it means standing back and saying nothing,” Bunney said. “That is not how I see the job. I can give a direct professional recommendation, explain the reasoning to both parties and stay neutral about the personal dispute between them.”

The goal: a path through the house decision

There may be no simple answer to what a home represents during a divorce. It can be a source of memories, a source of debt, an investment or the place a family still calls home. Bunney’s approach does not ask clients to feel the same way about it. It gives them a structured way to address what the property needs, what the market is telling them and what decision comes next.

The conversation changes when the questions become specific. Instead of asking which spouse is right about the price, both can review the same comparable sales and competing listings. Instead of arguing generally about repairs, they can consider a written scope, cost and timeline. Instead of learning about an offer through the other person, both can review the terms and the agent’s recommendation. These steps cannot guarantee agreement or a particular sale result. They can give each owner a clearer basis for participating in the process.

“The house does not need another argument,” Bunney said. “It needs a plan, honest market guidance and communication that includes both people. That is the part of this process I can help with.”

About Taylor Bunney

Taylor Bunney is a Colorado Realtor with eXp Realty and a Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert (CDRE). A Colorado native with more than 13 years of real estate experience and over 500 homes sold, she serves buyers and sellers across the Front Range. In divorce-related sales, she works as a neutral real estate professional, providing both parties with equal communication, market guidance and a documented path through the sale.

Taylor Bunney
taylorbunney.realtor@gmail.com

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