Washington DC

What Each Spouse Gets From a Divorce Home Sale in DC

This page covers DC law only.

A net sheet shows what a Washington, DC divorce home sale puts in each spouse's pocket after the mortgage payoff, commission, closing costs, and repairs. Carrying costs come on top. Run the sheet before you list. The sale price is not your number. The net is.

By Marc Cormier

Licenses: Maryland #620443 | Virginia #0225175181 | DC #SP98365998 | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

27+ years in real estate. 800+ closed transactions.

Certified as a Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert (CDRE) in 2014.

Last updated: October 2, 2026

On this page

What is a divorce net sheet?

A net sheet lists every dollar that comes out of the sale price. What is left is the net. You and your spouse split the net as your written agreement says, or as a court order says.

A worked example

Round numbers for teaching. Say your house is in Cleveland Park. Your house and your numbers will differ.

Line	Amount
Sale price	$750,000
Mortgage payoff	minus $300,000
Commission at an example rate of 6% ($750,000 x 0.06)	minus $45,000
Closing costs	minus $8,000
Repairs	minus $14,000
Net before taxes	$383,000
Even split ($383,000 divided by 2)	$191,500 each

The 6% is an example rate. Commission is negotiable.
D.C. Code section 16-910 tells the court to value and distribute property and debt accumulated during the marriage by an equitable standard, after considering all relevant factors. Title does not decide it. The statute lists factors and states no fixed percentage. The even split is arithmetic for teaching. Your agreement or a court order sets the share.

Carrying cost: a separate note

Carrying cost is not inside the $383,000 net above. It is the monthly bill while the house sits: mortgage interest, taxes, insurance, and utilities. At $3,500 a month:

Months on the market	Carrying cost
3 months	$10,500
4 months	$14,000
6 months	$21,000
12 months	$42,000
18 months	$63,000

Subtract the carrying cost for your timeline from the net before you decide anything. The stress test below does exactly that.

What the example leaves out

Transfer and recordation taxes. This page names no rate and no exemption. Ask your title company whether any apply to your sale and who pays.
Capital gains tax. See the capital gains post: /divorce-real-estate-guide/washington-dc/blog/capital-gains-tax-selling-marital-home-dc/
Payoff extras: late fees, liens, a second mortgage, or a home equity line. Ask each lender for a payoff letter.
Attorney fees and court costs. Your attorney gives you the number.
Moving costs.
Anything one spouse paid after the filing date that your agreement says gets repaid.

Does the net still work if the sale goes badly?

Stress test the same house. Every line is shown.

Expected case: sale at $750,000, 6% commission, $8,000 closing, $14,000 repairs, 4 months of carrying cost at $3,500.
Bad case: sale price 5% lower, commission at 6% of that lower price, $8,000 closing, $19,000 repairs (a $5,000 overrun), 6 months of carrying cost at $3,500.

Line	Expected case	Bad case
Sale price	$750,000	$712,500 (5% lower)
Mortgage payoff	minus $300,000	minus $300,000
Commission at an example rate of 6%	minus $45,000	minus $42,750 (6% of $712,500)
Closing costs	minus $8,000	minus $8,000
Repairs	minus $14,000	minus $19,000 ($14,000 plus $5,000 overrun)
Carrying cost at $3,500 a month	minus $14,000 (4 months)	minus $21,000 (6 months)
Total costs and payoff	minus $381,000	minus $390,750
Net after carrying cost	$369,000	$321,750
Even split per spouse	$184,500 each	$160,875 each
Difference in total		$47,250 less
Difference per spouse		$23,625 less

The expected net is $369,000, not $383,000, because this table adds $14,000 of carrying cost that the worked example above leaves out. $383,000 minus $14,000 is $369,000.

The lesson: a 5% price miss, a $5,000 repair overrun, and two extra months of carrying cost take $47,250 from the two of you in this example. That is $23,625 from each spouse. This is where people usually get hurt. Overpricing does not buy you more money. It buys you carrying costs.

Who pays what while the house is listed?

Decide this in writing before you list.

Who pays the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities each month
Whether that spouse gets repaid from the proceeds
Who approves repairs and staging, and the dollar cap
Who approves price drops, and how long you wait before one
What happens if you get an offer below your floor price
Whether any court order already covers the house. Check before you list.

Your attorney puts this in the agreement. Both spouses sign the listing agreement when both are on title. Confirm the signing requirements for your sale with your attorney.

How the money gets split

The sale pays off the mortgage and the costs first.
The remaining proceeds go where your written agreement or a court order says.
Ask your title company and your attorney who holds the proceeds while the divorce is open and when each spouse is paid. Put the answer in your agreement before you list.

Where net sheets go wrong

Using an online estimate or the neighbor's price. A neighbor's price tells you nothing about your condition.
Leaving out carrying costs. Four months at $3,500 is $14,000.
Leaving out taxes. The bill arrives after you spend the money.
Assuming a 50/50 split. D.C. Code section 16-910 states no fixed percentage.
Running one number. Run three: good case, expected case, bad case.
Pricing with emotion. Emotion costs people money.

Local note for DC: The DC Superior Court Family Court Self-Help Center is at 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Room JM 570, Washington, DC 20001. It offers general legal information in family law matters such as divorce to people without attorneys. Confirm hours with the court before you go. Source: https://www.lawhelp.org/dc/organization/family-court-self-help-center

The buyout version (if one spouse wants to keep the home)

Value $600,000. Mortgage $250,000.

Line	Amount
Home value	$600,000
Mortgage balance	minus $250,000
Equity	$350,000
Even split buyout ($350,000 divided by 2)	$175,000

The spouse who keeps the home also refinances, pays loan closing costs, and carries the house alone.
Ask a lender first. The lender decides if the keeping spouse qualifies alone.

Compare this to a sale before you decide. Nobody should pick based on pride.

If keeping the home does not work, here is how a divorce sale runs.

Common questions about the net sheet

Q1. What is a net sheet?

A net sheet lists every dollar that leaves the sale price before either spouse is paid. The mortgage payoff, commission, closing costs, and repairs come out first. What is left is the net. Carrying costs, taxes, and attorney fees come on top. Fight over the net, never the sale price.

Q2. Who pays the agent in a divorce sale?

On a net sheet the commission is a deduction from the sale price. The rate is negotiable and 6% is an example rate. Write the rate down before you list. Write down who approves any change. Your attorney tells you how the commission affects each spouse's share under your agreement.

Q3. Does one spouse get repaid for the mortgage payments?

Only when your written agreement or a court order says so. Write down who pays the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities each month. Write down whether that spouse is repaid from the proceeds. Settle both points before you list. Ask your attorney to review the wording before either of you signs.

Q4. Do I owe tax on the sale?

IRS Topic no. 701 says you qualify to exclude up to $250,000 of gain from income, or up to $500,000 if you file a joint return with your spouse. You must pass the ownership and use tests. Your CPA runs your numbers. Some sellers owe nothing. Others owe more than they expected.

Q5. Does the net sheet include transfer or recordation tax?

This page names no rate and no exemption. Ask your title company whether any transfer or recordation tax applies to your sale and who pays it. Get the answer in writing before you list. Then add that line to your net sheet so the number you argue about is the real one.

Q6. How much does waiting cost?

Carrying cost is the monthly bill for a house that sits. At $3,500 a month, three months costs $10,500 and six months costs $21,000. Twelve months costs $42,000. Every month unsold takes money from both spouses. Price the house to sell and agree on price drops in writing before you list.

Q7. Does DC split the sale money 50/50?

This page states no fixed split. D.C. Code section 16-910 sets an equitable standard and tells the court to consider all relevant factors. It lists factors and states no fixed percentage. The even split here is arithmetic for teaching. Ask your attorney what applies to you.

Do you need a divorce attorney?

You should have your own. I am a real estate agent. I do not give legal advice, and I do not work for one spouse against the other.

I am not affiliated with any law firm. I do not recommend one attorney over another. Your spouse needs their own attorney, not yours.

If you need to find one, start here:

D.C. Bar, Finding or Hiring a Lawyer (lists lawyer referral services)

Links open in a new tab.

What an attorney handles	What I handle
Who gets the house and the money	The value of the house
The marital settlement agreement	The net sheet
Court orders that affect the sale	Listing, showings, offers, and closing
Custody, support, and everything outside real estate	A written record of every showing and decision

General information only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice. The referral services are independent of me. I do not guarantee any attorney's work or results.

Marc Cormier