You should probably speak with a financial advisor about your divorce as well as your attorney about your decision. Choosing whether or not to keep a home is a big decision. Right now, your emotions are probably running high, which can be a bad time to make financial decisions. Getting solid advice from unbiased professionals can help you make a sound decision.
There may be legal reasons you may not want to keep the home in the divorce. It may make more sense to let your spouse keep the house, and you take some retirement assets, cash, or another asset instead. If the house does not have any equity in it, you may need to sell it in order to downsize.
In addition to the cost of the house itself, you should also think about the costs of running the house. If it’s a large home or an older home, it may be too expensive to heat and cool and keep maintained. You may be better off selling and downsizing the house, which may help you both keep some money now as well as cut your expenses in the future.
It’s important, as part of this process, to check your credit report, especially if you have not handled the money in the family for a while. It’s possible that you may have debt of which you are unaware. As you begin to rebuild your life, including your financial life, it’s critical that you have all the facts about your situation.