Will the Slow Market Save Some Marriages?

Those of you who have listed and sold homes of divorcing couples will attest to the frequent difficulty of those files. The NY Times has an article on how the slow market is causing the liquidation of marital real estate to be far more difficult in some cases, causing the people to remain living together in some cases. In an acrimonious divorce, this can just perpetuate hell on earth, I am sure.

But what if it isn’t the war of the Roses, and being compelled to live together actually forces people to reconcile their differences? One quote in the Times article from a divorcee stuck with me:

if she had known how little money she would get “I might have stuck with it a little more; I don’t know,” Ms. Tomasko said, adding, “Maybe it would’ve made me think a little harder.”

To be sure, the slower market makes most divorces worse, because it takes the idea of a fast settlement off the table. But for some, it might be the impetus for detente, then negotiation, understanding, and, just maybe, a new beginning. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I’d love to hear a story like that for real.