If you will keep the house, have a home inspection prior to signing the divorce papers to determine if expensive repairs are necessary. Did you remember to subtract the projected expenses needed to get the house ready to put on the market or closing costs from the value you assign the house?

Does your monthly budget include the cost to have the exterior of the house painted every 5 years, the deductible for your homeowner’s insurance, or the expense to remove a fallen tree? A complete should have 124 items.

Include a contingency in your monthly budget for those unexpected bills. Have you considered getting a home warranty to cover large expenses? The most expensive and frequent house repairs include: HVAC, Plumbing leaks, Water heaters, Foundation issues, Termite damage, Roof repairs, Replacement of appliances.

Has your ex-spouse borrowed against the Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) while you were going through the divorce process?

Have property taxes been paid for the current year? If you keep the house and don’t address this issue before the divorce papers are signed, you could get stuck paying for the whole year of taxes. Is that in your budget?