What a Master CDRE® Does Differently in a Divorce Sale

A Master CDRE® runs a divorce sale as a neutral for both owners and builds it around the case: one valuation both sides see, one written plan, every update sent to both of you at once, and a process that keeps your attorneys informed and knows when the court has to be involved. CDRE® stands for Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert, a designation from the Ilumni Institute, and I hold it at the Master level.

I'm Dennis Mark Interdonato with The Dennis Mark Group at Keller Williams Realty Ocean Living. A real estate license teaches you how to sell a home. It doesn't teach what happens to a home inside a divorce case. Here's what the CDRE® training is, who can earn it, and what it changes about the way a divorce home sale is run. This is general information, not legal, tax or lending advice.

What is a CDRE®?

The Ilumni Institute describes a CDRE as "an expert in the crossover between real estate and family law," one of many experts that attorneys and clients rely on to resolve their cases. It says a CDRE is trained to prevent and resolve the real estate disputes that come up in family law cases, and has the information every case needs, from title documents and lien searches to mortgage information and property values.

Who can earn it?

It isn't open to every licensee. Ilumni's CDRE® program page lists these requirements to apply:

• U.S. resident
• Licensed for 3 or more years
• A minimum of 45 closings
• A license in good standing, with no disciplinary actions

The application includes three character references, proof of production, short essays and a video interview. The program runs 12 weeks, an 8-week Learn Phase followed by a 4-week Launch Phase, and Ilumni says it's taught by a faculty of family law attorneys, mediators, certified mortgage professionals and a judge.

What does the training cover?

According to Ilumni, the Learn Phase covers:

• Where the agent fits into the divorce process
• How and when a house is dealt with in a divorce
• The skills to become a true neutral in a case
• Problem-solving and strategy in complex situations
• How to run the listing, and when to involve the court

The program also includes a session with a family law judge on the role real estate experts play in a courtroom, and training in reducing and resolving conflict.

What does "Master" mean?

I hold the designation at the Master level. Master CDRE® is by invitation: the Ilumni Institute invites CDREs who qualify, and Master CDREs keep training after certification. That means case studies that take apart real, difficult cases, masterminds, sponsoring and attending Ilumni's monthly Raising the Bar continuing legal education events for family law attorneys, and in-person training with attorneys, judges and other family law professionals.

Is there a CDRE® code of ethics?

Yes. Every CDRE® takes an oath to the CDRE® Code of Ethics. It includes the NAR Code of Ethics every REALTOR® follows and goes beyond it. Among other things, a CDRE® never represents the buyer on a divorce listing, never pays or takes a referral fee for attorney referrals, and keeps a client's situation private from the public, even after closing.

What does it change in an actual sale?

Neutral from the first call

Whichever spouse calls first, both owners get the same facts, the same updates and the same respect. I don't take sides, and I go after the most the market will pay, because the equity usually belongs to both of you.

A value both sides can rely on

Before anything is signed, both owners, and their attorneys or mediator, see the same market evaluation built from recent sales. It's a number, not a position. Start with the home value.

One written plan

Price, prep, timing and showing rules go into one plan both owners see before the home goes live. If something changes, it changes for both of you at once.

Communication with a record

Updates, showing feedback and offers go to both owners together, in writing. Here's how that works day to day.

Built around the case

A divorce sale can come with orders, deadlines and sign-offs. The sale runs inside that framework, with your attorneys informed, so it fits the plan they're building with you instead of fighting it. What attorneys want from the agent on a case comes down to three things: a record they can rely on, neutrality they can check, and dates they can plan around.

Private by design

The marketing sells the home. Nothing in it tells the public why the home is for sale.

What does that look like in a real case?

A judge appointed me to list and sell a marital home in Monmouth County. The owners weren't allowed to speak to each other, and one of them worked to stall the sale all the way to the township's final inspection. I kept the process neutral, kept the court and both attorneys informed at every step, and got the home to the closing table within five months of my appointment.

What a CDRE® is not

A CDRE® isn't your attorney, your mediator or your tax professional, and doesn't decide how property is divided. In practice, there are things I won't do, even when one of you asks:

• Take one owner's side against the other
• Give private strategy to whichever of you calls. If one of you asks, the other owner gets the same answer, in writing.
• Interpret your court order, explain your legal rights or weigh in on divorce strategy
• Calculate capital gains or tell you what to do with the proceeds
• Decide how the money is divided
• Force either of you to cooperate, or bend what an order says because someone's in a hurry

What I will do is keep a factual record. Missed deadlines, refused access, slow responses and signing problems go on paper and to both of you, so your attorneys have facts instead of two stories. And I explain the sale itself, from the timeline and the inspections to the marketing and closing day. By the time we're done, you're not going to have any questions left.

What the designation means is that the person selling your home understands the case the home sits inside. I add one more thing: I'm a former New Jersey home builder and residential remodeler, so I read a house the way a buyer's inspector will, and repair questions come up early, before they turn into one more thing to argue about. Here's how that plays out when a home is being prepared for sale.

How do you check an agent's designation?

Ilumni publishes a CDRE directory on its website. Whoever you're considering, ask each one the same questions:

• How will both owners be kept informed, and in what format?
• Who sees each offer, and when?
• How will you work with our attorneys or mediator?
• What changes if there's a court order in our case?
• How will the marketing handle privacy?

Frequently Asked Questions

What does CDRE® stand for?

Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert. It's a designation from the Ilumni Institute for real estate agents who handle home sales during a divorce. I hold it at the Master level.

Does a CDRE® work for one spouse or both?

When I'm selling a home as part of a divorce, I keep the process neutral. Both of you receive the same information at the same time, and I never favor whichever spouse contacted me first.

Is a CDRE® the same as a mediator?

No. A mediator helps you resolve the issues in your case. A CDRE® is the real estate expert on the home itself: the value, the sale and the process around it.

Can a court appoint an agent to sell a marital home?

It happened in my case. A judge appointed me to list and sell a marital home in Monmouth County, and I got it to closing within five months of the appointment.

This is general information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Program details come from the Ilumni Institute's own pages and may change.

About the author

Dennis Mark Interdonato is a REALTOR® and Master CDRE® who leads The Dennis Mark Group at Keller Williams Realty Ocean Living in Point Pleasant, NJ, helping buyers and sellers throughout New Jersey make their next move, with Monmouth and Ocean County as home base. Read more about Dennis Mark.

Keep reading

• Read the divorce home sale guide
• How to communicate with your spouse during a home sale
• Preparing a home for sale during a divorce
• Have a question this didn't answer? Send it to Dennis Mark.