What is a Certified Divorce Specialist?

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A Certified Divorce Specialist is an individual in one of the following professional practice areas: Legal, Financial, Residential or Mental Health. The training prepares these professionals with skills and knowledge to better assist divorcing clients to recognize, negotiate and resolve issues that may arise in divorce cases. They have passed a comprehensive training program through the National Association Of Divorce Professionals which is taught by a faculty of the following professionals:

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• Family Law Attorneys 

• CPAs

• Forensic Accountants

• Divorce Lending Professionals

• Real Estate Brokers

• Psychologists 

• Psychotherapists 

The Certification requires 10 hours of Continuing Education every two years. This training is in addition to their professional practice area requirements and provides additional concentration on how to better assist divorcing clients.

 LEGAL - Divorce can be complex involving many legal issues including but not limited to selling the home, dividing a business, immigration status, estate planning, domestic violence, filing bankruptcy, and tax implications. Whether you have a simple filing or a much more complicated divorce case, your Certified Divorce Specialist will collaborate with the right legal resources to successfully support you. 

 

FINANCIAL - All divorces involve the distribution of assets & liabilities. One small financial decision can affect the entire process. Whether it is the filing of taxes, business valuations, wealth management, forensic accounting, or qualifying for another home, you and your Certified Divorce Specialist should be armed with the right financial team and information.

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RESIDENTIAL - 70% of all divorces involve the sale of real property. Your home is likely your largest asset, both financially and emotionally. Selling, renting and/or buying a home due to divorce can cause extreme stress and delays in the process unless the right professionals are working together.

MENTAL HEALTH - All aspects of the divorce process lead to a great deal of stress and can overwhelm you directly affecting the decisions you make. Regardless of what stage your divorce is at, mental health support is usually needed. The clearer your thinking, the easier it will be for you to navigate through this challenging transition. Your Certified Divorce Specialist can help support your decisions with real estate.

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Certified Divorce Specialist  vs. Traditional Realtor

A traditional Realtor has no training in the divorce process or collaboration with other Divorce Specialists. They have limited skills in dispute resolution and negotiation. A Certified Divorce Specialist not only has this specialized training but will ensure that the house is sold quickly, and have the best terms fitting the divorce circumstances. They will negotiate you the highest proceeds, with the least amount of collateral damage.  Excellent communication skills throughout the transaction and effectively using the legal process, where necessary, is vitally important. Certified Divorce Specialists bring the following skills and training to the table when dealing with divorce:

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• Excellent negotiation skills with spouses, attorneys, mediators and other divorce specialist

• Expert knowledge in real estate process, complexities, and contracts 

• Qualified to be an Expert Witness or Court-Appointed Receiver

• Trained in divorce legal processes 

• Trained and effective in divorce real estate dispute resolution

• Systematic process for attorney contact 

• Coordinates between attorney, court and order-enforcing entity (elisor or law enforcement) for execution of order 

• Will testify, write reports, and have systematic documentation of events to submit to the court with proper foundation and credible testimony

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The Importance of Remaining Neutral

In a traditional real estate transaction involving a family, the sellers are typically united in their end goals. When you add a divorce to the mix, the sellers may not have the same objectives and may even be on hostile terms. Communication is often extremely difficult. Since there are two sides to every story, staying neutral becomes exceedingly important. A Certified Divorce Specialist is trained to always listen to both sides, remain unbiased, identify points of leverage, and create a path to getting the house sold. This is a complex role and traditional real estate agents, lawyers, therapists, family, and friends are simply not trained to navigate.