The January 4, 2009 Los Angeles Times article featuring Divorce This House was re-blogged (positively)! in Property Lines by Barbara E. Hernandez http://tinyurl.com/8vbrl6
Keeping the House Makes for a Messy Divorce
Splitting up after years of marriage? Divorce your house, then your spouse.
That bit of advice goes against the almost universal desire to hang on to the family home, especially by the spouse who ends up with custody of the children.
"If you're still linked through the house, then you're not really divorced," says Kelly Lise Murray, a Harvard-trained lawyer and Nashville real estate agent.
People tend to underestimate the true cost of homeownership, drastically overstating the remaining spouse's ability to afford the place, Murray says.
Even in a friendly divorce, certain key expenses are overlooked. Lawn care, homeowners association fees, even the basic costs of maintenance are among the costs that are rarely considered, either by the courts or the splitting spouses
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