In Minnesota, where the housing bubble hit divorcing couples especially hard, finding a realtor to sell (or attempt to sell) their house is difficult. There is a lack of trust in one party ‘choosing’ the realtor, and inevitably one spouse has a friend or relative in the business.
I know of several realtors in the Anoka/Coon Rapids area who are hardworking, honest, and willing to provide free market analyses for my clients, even knowing that the house is not going to be sold, because every once in a while a client will use this realtor in to sell the house in the future.
However, selling a house for a couple who is divorcing is not easy, and a niche market has developed for these services, as indicated in this New York Times article: //www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/nyregion/divorce-as-a-niche-for-realty-agents.html?emc=eta1&_r=0
Remaining neutral in the face of two people who are separating and selling the house they shared for years is difficult but essential. I have waited for feedback from clients about how the realtor handled the matter before referring them on to that realtor. Like a divorce attorney, the realtor sometimes has to be a sounding board for the divorcing parties, but has the added delicate position of having to be neutral while pushing both parties towards the goal of getting the house sold. My job as an attorney is difficult, but I have apologized more than once to more than one realtor for referring a house sale involving a divorcing or divorced couple. Realtors work hard, and I have the ultimate respect for those who are also able to walk a tightrope between two people who have no trust for each other.
