Nesting: A unique way to save the family home

Deciding what to do with the family home in a divorce is one thing with which many couples struggle. There are several options, from trying to sell to one spouse keeping the house and the other spouse buying her or him out. Many times, those options are either not financially possible, or they take a long time. Until the couple can wrap up the house issues, the court cannot finalize their divorce.

For many couples, this leaves them in a situation where they struggle with what they can financially do. Trying to go from one unit to two units is already costly. So, for some couples, the most favorable option is to keep the home as it is now. They both will own it and both live in it, but not at the same time.

Nesting

The idea of a divorced couple sharing a home where each spouse moves in and out while the children stay in the home full-time is nesting. According to Psychology Today, nesting, or birdnesting, can not only be a good way to handle the house in a divorce, but it also is beneficial to the children. The children get to have things as they always have been. They do not have to move or uproot their lives. The only change is that mom and dad come in and out and are not there at the same time. It can provide stability at this unstable time.

Implications

Nesting is not for everyone, but it can be a good short-term way to transition the family through the divorce. It also makes dividing the biggest asset a couple owns simple. By not changing anything with ownership, each spouse retains her or his rights to an equal share of the home.

Most couples will eventually sell the house, but this way, it will not hold up the divorce. They can sell when the time is right and then split the income.