Many people who go through divorce find the property division process to be a stressful endeavor. Not only are there a lot of assets to address, but arguing over who gets what can be grueling. But as daunting as property division can be, you can minimize your stress and increase your chances of a favorable outcome by being prepared for negotiations.
Know how to develop your strategy
You shouldn’t sit down at the negotiation table without a plan in place. This is especially true when it comes to property division. So, take each of the following into account when preparing for your settlement talks.
- What you want: You don’t know what to fight for if you don’t know what you want, but you also need to understand the short- and long-term implications of seeking out certain assets. The family home, for example, may have some emotional value for you, but it can actually be quite expensive to maintain on your own.
- What your spouse wants: By identifying the assets that are most important to your spouse, you can create a strategy that allows you to use those assets as leverage to get what you want.
- Don’t be overly aggressive: There’s a time to get aggressive in these cases, but settlement negotiations usually isn’t the place. Aggressiveness can shut down the other side and create more pushback on points that are important to you.
- Curb your emotions: Do this for the same reasons you don’t want to be overly aggressive.
- Keep other divorce legal issues in mind: Property division doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Other matters, like child custody and spousal support, can bleed into the property division process, usually as bargaining chips of some sort. Know where you’re willing to give on these issues and where you’re not.
Don’t let your emotions derail your divorce. Instead, develop a strong negotiation strategy that sets you up for success. If you think that you could benefit from some assistance with developing that strategy, then you might want to turn to an experienced legal professional.