No one prepares you for divorce. No one prepares you for being solely responsible for both the water bill and the wall paint color selections in-between securing carpool arrangements and dinner menus.
Yet, without preparedness, it gets done. You pack the school lunches, you budget for the summer electric bill, you count the minutes until the littles burst back in the door from weekend visitation.
I get it. I did it.
Now, in another season of unpreparedness, I’m planning my day and my décor with another person.
“Becoming a blended family means mixing, mingling, scrambling, and sometimes muddling our way through delicate family issues, complicated relationships, and individual differences, hurts, and fears,” recognizes marriage and family counselor Tom Frydenger.
Nearly half of American households are blended, which can create different challenges when it comes to finding a home even before touring begins. As a Realtor, it’s important my buyers and I have discussed any court ordered non-negotiables so I don’t make suggestions that will ultimately cause more frustration in the search.
School boundaries: Among the top 20 custody agreement items is which parent’s address is used to determine which schools the minor child will attend. Because it’s not uncommon for buyer’s to reference a particular school as a preference vs a necessity, it’s important to state if campus zoning is a hard-line.
County Lines: In Texas, it’s not unusual for divorcing parents to include in the decree limitations to county selections a primary parent can live in without triggering some kind of issue between them and their ex. However, it’s also not unusual for cities or municipalities to stretch over one count y line into the next. Be mindful to let the Realtor know both any city and county restrictions.
Visitation schedule: Many court agreed arrangements outline custody in relation to how far bio-parents live from one another. Having this information helps an agent to map out milage and alert their buyer if an area of interest is close to that outlying boundary.
Budget and bank accounts: Blended families often have different financial dynamics reflective of child support or prenuptial agreements that young newlyweds or those celebrating their Golden years together don’t have. Allowing both the Realtor and lender to fully understand how these pieces work helps make documentation for an underwriter easier.
Divorce is hard because it’s ultimately accepting somethings end. Blending a family and a home is proof that with hard work, something wonderful begins.