Guides you can read at your own pace.
Practical, general information about the real estate side of a shared home. Nothing here requires you to share any details or contact anyone.
Not sure where to start?
Begin with the information that would help you most today.
Value and costs
What the numbers mean, and what selling can cost.
Market assessment, appraisal, and assessed value: what each one is for
Three different numbers can describe the same home. Here is what a real estate market assessment, an independent appraisal, and a BC assessed value each mean, and why they can differ.
Costs to consider before selling a home
A plain checklist of the costs that can come with selling: preparation, real estate fees, legal fees, mortgage discharge and possible penalties, moving, and property-specific expenses.
Preparing and selling
Timing, showings, offers, and reviewing the plan.
Living in the home while it is listed
Practical arrangements for showings when someone still lives in the home: notice, agreed access, valuables and documents, photography privacy, pets, and daily routines.
How a home sale usually unfolds, stage by stage
An illustrative outline of the stages of a home sale, from first questions to completion, and the factors that make each stage shorter or longer. No dates are promised.
Questions to ask any real estate professional before listing a shared home
Whoever you choose to work with, these questions help you understand how they would price, communicate, and handle a sale involving more than one owner.
What a week of showings can look like
A practical picture of showing requests, notice, being out of the home, and feedback — to help you plan around work, children, and pets.
Understanding an offer beyond the price
Price matters, but an offer is a package of terms. How to read the deposit, conditions, dates, and included items — and what to ask before responding.
When your home is not selling as expected
A calm, practical way to review what is happening: looking at the evidence, separating observations from conclusions, and agreeing how any change is decided.
Communication and decisions
Keeping information shared and roles clear.
Who helps with which decisions
What a real estate professional, lawyer, appraiser, and lender or mortgage professional each do — and what they do not — when a shared home is involved.
When one of you wants to sell and the other is not ready
It is common for co-owners to feel differently about selling. Here is what real estate information can help with, what it cannot decide, and who to ask about the rest.
Keeping communication about the home neutral
Simple arrangements that help both owners receive the same information, reduce misunderstandings, and keep personal matters separate from the sale.
Your next steps
Getting started, planning a move, and useful references.
- Open the worksheet
Printable
Shared-home sale preparation worksheet
Note property details, known concerns, timing, communication questions, and advisers on paper. Nothing is uploaded or saved.
Coordinating a sale with your next home
Questions to think through when a sale and a move need to line up, whether your next home will be purchased or rented. General information only, not financing advice.
A plain-language glossary of home-selling terms
Short explanations of terms you may hear during a sale, such as subject removal, completion, possession, and holdback.
Preparing for a first conversation about your home
What to have on hand, what to ask, and what you do not need to share when you first speak with a real estate professional.
Have a question the guides do not answer?
Ask about your own property. Share only what is needed to begin.