Working With a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLPâ„¢) Helps Divorcing Consumers Make Smart Decisions About Their Mortgage
For most middle-class families, their home is their largest asset. While homeownership certainly has its perks, a mortgage can present problems if you decide to end your marriage.
Regardless of your divorce agreement, the law clearly states that both spouses are liable for the mortgage if their names remain on the loan. Even if the marital settlement agreement says your spouse is responsible for the mortgage, the bank can come after you if they miss a payment and your name is still on the loan. This means you’ll generally need to either refinance the mortgage in one person’s name or sell the house and split the proceeds. Working with us as Certified Divorce Lending Professionals (CDLP™), we can help you determine the best way to move forward.
A CDLPâ„¢ can demystify the mortgage lending process by answering questions such as:
- How can I keep the house?
- What do I need to do if I want to refinance the house?
- Can I buy a new house while going through a divorce?
- Can I refinance if I am only receiving child support and have no income of my own? What about if I’m self-employed or only work part-time?
- Do I have to sell the house if my spouse and I disagree about what to do with our mortgage?
What it Means to Be a CDLPâ„¢
A CDLP™ is an experienced mortgage professional who has completed a rigorous training program offered by the Divorce Lending Association and passed a certification exam. After earning our initial certification, to maintain our CDLP™ credentials, we must complete yearly continuing education requirements to ensure we remain current on all tax and legal changes that could affect the divorcing homeowner’s mortgage planning process.
CDLPâ„¢ training covers topics such as:
- Equitable distribution and community property laws
- Different types of property in a marriage
- Retirement accounts and divorce
- Options for dividing real estate in a divorce, including equity buy-out and real property disposition
- The process for transferring ownership of real property
- Ways that divorce agreements can affect the mortgage interest deduction
Both Mihaella Bayla and Daniel Bayla are Certified Divorce Lending Professionals (CDLPâ„¢).Â
Both Mihaella Bayla and Daniel Bayla are Certified Divorce Lending Professionals (CDLPâ„¢)
What a CDLPâ„¢ Can Do for You
While a typical mortgage professional simply helps your complete paperwork and ensures your application is processed in a timely fashion, as a CDLP™, we take a holistic look at the intersection of family law, financial and tax planning, real property and mortgage planning, so you’re better equipped to reach your short-term and long-term financial goals. During mediation, we are considered members of your professional divorce team and will collaborate with your attorney and the financial professionals you’ve already retained.
Ideally, it would be best if you got us involved in the divorce process as soon as possible. If you wait until you’ve already started resolving issues via mediation or arbitration, there is the risk of coming up with a plan that isn’t truly in your best interests. Proactively involving us as your CDLP™ prevents unnecessary headaches.
Depending on your specific needs, we can help you gather necessary financial documents, compile estimated post-divorce budgets, analyze mortgage and real estate data, and run hypothetical scenarios to help you see how different options will affect your finances.
While each spouse needs their own lawyer in a divorce, we as a CDLPâ„¢ act as a financial neutral who can represent both parties. However, if your spouse is not interested in working with a CDLPâ„¢, you can still utilize these services independently.
For any specific questions pertaining to your case, please set up a free 15-minute consultation with either Mihaella or Daniel.