Video: Tampa Real Estate Agent Discusses Collaborative Divorce

Tampa real estate agent Rande Friedman was recently interviewed on the topic of collaborative divorce.  Rande, of White Glove House, has lived in the Tampa Bay area for the past 30 years, and he has been in the real estate industry for around ten years.

Rande is also a member of Next Generation Divorce, one of the nation’s largest interdisciplinary collaborative practice groups with professionals helping families in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota, and Manatee Counties.  Rande became involved in Next Generation Divorce after he helped a family who used the collaborative process in their divorce.  Rande found them in a better state of mind to agree upon their real estate needs and move on with their lives compared to clients who had litigated their divorce.

You can find a video and partial transcript of Rande Friedman discussing his experience with families transitioning via collaborative divorce after the jump:

I got a call from an attorney friend of mine who told me that they had a client who was going through the [collaborative divorce] process.  One of the spouses was a stay-at-home mom, and she wasn’t quite sure that her housing allowance would cover where she needed to be and how she wanted to live.  They had a couple of young boys.

They had a house to sell, and they weren’t sure what was going on.  I met with both of them, and they were very lovely people.  We went through the house and got an idea of what the house was worth.  

The husband was being transferred away for work, and so his housing was taken care of.  But the wife wasn’t really sure what to do.  So we talked about it, and we were able to give her some great townhouses to rent in the same school district, very close to where their friends were.

***

So, I took her out a couple of days later on a weekend with the two boys, and we looked at places.    And, because it was such a friendly atmosphere of the collaborative divorce process, the boys weren’t really upset.  They were thinking that it was a new adventure.

After we looked at some rentals, we ran the numbers again for them after their prospective equity and proceeds from selling the house.  We found out that she could actually buy a townhouse where she could stay for three to five years and then move on if something else comes along, instead of paying rent.

So we went out a week later, and we found some great townhouses for them.  Within 90 days, we had the [marital] house on the market and sold, and the new townhouse was under contract and closed.  It was the perfect situation.  

When I did that, I decided that I would look more to getting involved in collaborative.  I had been doing some divorce work and estate work, selling estates for beneficiaries, and I decided that this is really the nice way to do it.  

When it goes through a litigated divorce, when I’ve been involved in selling properties, the animosity level is so high that when you are bringing in buyers to look at the house that they are selling, it is palpable.  It really is, and then it becomes really troublesome trying to arrange showings of the house.

I think the collaborative divorce process, once again, is great.  Aside from having attorneys that are understanding and financial planners, I think the divorce coach [also referred to as facilitator] is really the important factor.  

They are there to keep the temperature down, to keep the process moving along.  They are there to help you get through the process.

***

I think you should explore [the collaborative divorce method], and I think that you will find that it is cost effective, it is time-effective, and it really is the way to go.  It really is the healthy way.  

If you have questions about how collaborative divorce can be a better alternative for your family, schedule a consultation with Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm at (813) 443-0615 or CLICK HERE to fill out our contact form.

Adam B. Cordover is a thought leader in the international collaborative law community and co-author of the upcoming American Bar Association book on Building A Successful and Rewarding Collaborative Law Practice.  Adam is former president of Next Generation Divorce and Board Member of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals.