Buying or Selling Home in Divorce?

    When you're selling your home or searching for a new one, a Realtor may be a godsend, particularly if you're going through a divorce and time is critical to the equation.

"People in divorce situations tend to use their Realtor as a weapon of mass destruction. It's all about communications. If communications are set up at the time of listing and the Realtor is not used as a weapon everyone's best interest is served," said Laurie Manny, a top producer associated with Prudential California Realty in Long Beach.

Here are a list of questions Manny suggests you can ask when hiring a Realtor to sell your home.

1. What is my home worth in today's market? 
2. How long will it take to sell my house? If the answer is 60 to120 days or longer, how much will my home be worth then?
3. How are you going to market my house and get a buyer?
4. How are you going to reach the customer that will buy my house?
5. Do you have the ability to send my property to page one of Google?
6. How many Web sites are you active on and how many sites do you have a powerful presence on?

The flip side of the coin is you're looking for a home in a particular area and you want to get the best deal. Is a Realtor the way to go? What questions should you ask a prospective agent? Here are Manny's thoughts:

"You definitely need a strong Realtor who knows the market and understands its ebb and flow. Such an agent will work for the client toget the best deal," she maintains. As the buyer's agent, Manny suggests a prospective buyer ask a Realtor:

1. How well do you know the market I'm shopping in?
2. Are you familiar with the property I'm interested in buying, or are you seeing it for the first time with me?
3. How are you planning on negotiating in my behalf? "You want astrong negotiator," Manny adds.
4. What can I ask the seller for in today's market? How far can you push the envelope?       
5. Are you planning on showing me comparables for every property I'm interested in?       
6. Would you be willing to pull tax records on these comparables to verify the MLS information?