Staging a Home after marriage breakup

"Don’t take your love away from me

Don’t you leave my heart in misery

If you go then I’ll be blue

‘Cause breaking up his hard to do”

(© EMI Music Publishing)

Divorce will always be a part of our society, caused by a variety of circumstances and cultural shifts. The current divorce rate in Canada is approximately 44 per cent – a rate that has gone up over 1,200 per cent in the past 50 years. It is expected to increase in the next decade. 

So what happens when these relationships fail? The pressure is on to equalize the couple’s assets (even in the case of common-law marriage). This often includes preparing the matrimonial home for a quick sale. Staging a home for this purpose takes great sensitivity and diplomacy. It can be extremely stressful on all parties. One or both of the sellers may be quite emotional, given the memories that linger. Sometimes there are children in the home who are watching this process unfold – struggling to understand.

When divorce or separation is the motivating factor for listing a house for sale, there are a number of things to keep in mind.

First and foremost is sensitivity.  A home that was once a place of harmony may now be a place of some discomfort. The sale may or may not be a mutual choice between the joint owners – instead, it is being sold out of necessity.  There may still be emotional attachment to the home so tact, respect and sensitivity are all key factors.

“Research has shown that divorce and separation is one of the most powerful stresses of life, closely similar to the stress resulting from the death of a spouse,” says Kerry J. Mothersill, Ph.D.

I have experienced situations where one of the spouses has already moved out and removed half of the furnishings. The task of a good stager in this situation is to work with the remaining contents and make the house appear full or to provide furniture and accessories that will make the home feel complete again for the purpose of showcasing it to potential buyers. 

I have visited homes for a consultation that I could immediately identify as a break-up situation.  When you open a closet door and there is only one gender of clothing pushed to one side, or when the laundry room looks like a bomb went off – it’s obvious that, while it appears to be a family home from the outside, half of the partnership is gone and the party remaining is “toughing it out” and trying to keep the house in shape.

For example, if the man remains, the house might lack a certain feminine scent and decorating touch.  When a woman is holding the fort, the home is missing the expected masculinity – suits in the closet and shaving cream in the ensuite. I will sometimes add these elements to create a sort of “virtual person”, minimizing any suspicion that a shift in family dynamics has forced the sale of the home.

Providing a staging balance to the home is necessary to reduce any assumptions.  If a potential buyer picks up clues that the home “needs to be sold”, the door is open for a low-ball offer and for your sellers to be taken advantage of. It’s my responsibility – as a sales reps’s business partner – to assist in protecting your client’s investment.

It is inevitable in our society that relationships will fail. However, couples who have invested together in property deserve the best effort from real estate professionals (including your staging partner) in order to maximize the return on their investment and to help them bring closure to what is a stressful chapter in their lives.

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