Should You Keep the House After Divorce? A Smarter Way to Decide (Ep. 99)
When divorce puts the future of your home into question, the biggest risk is making decisions before you fully understand your options.
In this episode, I sit down with Stacey Ellison, Certified Divorce Lending Professional and Divorce Mortgage Planner at Divorce Mortgage Solutions, to walk through how mortgage planning, settlement language, and income rules can shape what is actually possible when it comes to keeping a home.
We talk through how assets, support payments, and loan strategies factor into qualification, especially for women navigating this transition later in life. We also address the emotional pull of the family home and how to balance that with long-term financial stability.
Key takeaways:
- Why divorce mortgage planning should happen before the settlement agreement is finalized
- How settlement language can affect whether support, assets, or other funds count as qualifying income
- What options may be available when someone wants to keep the house, including loan assumptions, FHA, and asset depletion strategies
- Why emotions around the marital home can lead to costly decisions if long-term affordability is not considered
- How women going through gray divorce can use retirement income, Social Security, and other assets to qualify more effectively
- And more!
Resources:
Connect with Eric Blake:
- www.TheSimplyRetirementPodcast.com
- Join the Simply Retirement Newsletter
- Ask a Question or Suggest a Topic for the Podcast
- Blake Wealth Management
- YouTube
Connect with Stacey Ellison:
- (908) 229-2705
- LinkedIn: Stacey Ellison
- Website: Divorce Mortgage Solutions
- Instagram: Divorce Mortgage Solutions
- Facebook: Stacey Ellison, Certified Divorce Lending Professional
About our Guest:
Stacey Ellison, CDLP®, is a Certified Divorce Lending Professional and Divorce Mortgage Planner with a deep understanding of the financial complexities that arise during and after divorce. With over 30 years of experience in the mortgage industry, Stacey brings a unique blend of technical knowledge and compassionate guidance to individuals navigating one of life’s most challenging transitions.
Since earning her CDLP® designation in 2020, Stacey has worked closely with family law attorneys, mediators, financial planners, and other divorce professionals to provide strategic mortgage guidance tailored to each client’s needs. Her role is to ensure that both parties in a divorce understand their options when it comes to home equity, mortgage qualification, and long-term housing goals. Whether helping a client determine if they can keep the marital home, qualify for a new mortgage, or explore equitable buyout solutions, Stacey provides clarity, structure, and confidence in the decision-making process. Her goal is to help divorcing homeowners make sound financial choices that support both their immediate needs and long-term stability.
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