At some point in an agent's life, they will deal with a couple who is getting divorced and must sell a home.  These are not the easiest situations to deal with, and should be handled with some care.  Emotions can run high, and many times husband and wife have different agendas.

For example, June lives in the house, and Joe has moved elsewhere.  Joe is the primary wage earner, and the house payments are still in his name.  Who's motivated to sell?  Joe wants the house sold, because he doesn't want to make those payments.  June may not be so motivated to sell, because when (IF) the house sells, she will be forced to move.  If there are kids involved, the motivations may be even further apart.  I've seen the roles reversed. 

If one party doesn't want to sell the home, and they live in it, they may not keep it in showing condition.  Perhaps they cancel appointments without good reason.  It can be a headache.

What's the best way to deal with divorce situations?   Here are a couple ideas, and I'd love to see yours as well.

1)  Meet with each party individually.  This allows them to tell you their own needs and values without putting up defenses caused by their ex-spouses. 

2) Get the names and numbers of each party's attorney. There may come a time when it's better to go through their attorneys for signatures, especially when it's time to work out purchase contracts.

3) Care.  Make sure that you use some tact and compassion.  There are often hurt feelings and high emotions.

4) Remember that the negative emotions you may observe are probably not directed at you.  The client may vent, but probably not AT you.  It may be at the situation, but probably not AT you.

Give me your ideas!  Or, share your horror stories so we may learn!