When couples decide to sell a home in London, Ontario, the process is rarely a perfectly aligned, frictionless agreement between two people who want the same things at the same time. Research consistently shows that getting the home ready to sell — the cleaning, the repairs, the decluttering — is where the most friction surfaces, not the price. Understanding the full before, during, and after of a home sale, knowing who does what and when, and having someone in your corner who keeps both parties informed reduces the anxiety significantly. Ty Lacroix, Broker at The Envelope Real Estate Group, has spent 24 years navigating the full range of issues that arise when two people are selling the same house — and not always seeing it the same way.
Are you aware that spouses can differ in how they sell a home? If not, you may not be married — and if you remain unaware, your life together may not be easy.
When couples are surveyed about their home sale experience, one finding consistently surprises people: determining the list price is among the least difficult parts of the transaction. Couples don't wake up one morning and land on a number out of thin air. By the time they're ready to list, they've been thinking about selling for months — often 9 to 12 months from the first real conversation to a live listing. The price range has been discussed, adjusted, and discussed again long before anyone calls a broker.
What creates the most friction? Getting the home ready to sell. The painting, the repairs, the cleaning, the decluttering — this stage scores significantly higher on the difficulty scale than pricing does, and by a meaningful margin. You can probably guess how that work tends to get divided.
Paperwork and disclosures landed close to equal in difficulty for both partners — which surprised me initially, until I remembered that not everyone has a system for organizing documents or tracking what needs to be signed by when. Thoroughly understanding the process before signing anything is the single best thing any seller can do to make that stage less stressful.
Before, During, and After
Selling a home has three distinct phases, and the anxiety in most transactions stems from not understanding what to expect in each.
Before — the preparation phase: what needs to be done to the home, in what order, and by when. Who's managing the trades? Who's handling the decluttering? What does the timeline to listing look like?
During — the active listing phase: how showings are scheduled and communicated, what feedback looks like, how offers are presented and negotiated, and what happens if the first offer isn't the right one.
After — the period between an accepted offer and closing: conditions, lawyer timelines, what's included and excluded, and what moving arrangements need to be in place before possession day.
When both partners understand all three phases before the listing goes live — who does what, who's informed when, and what the process actually looks like from start to finish — there's significantly less anxiety and significantly fewer disagreements along the way.
The Rest of the Family
Of course, it's rarely just the two of you. There's always the rest of the family — your adult children with strong opinions, and Aunt Thelma, and your third cousin on your first husband's mother's side — all of whom have thoughts on what the house is worth and when you should list it.
The best thing you can do for all of them, including yourself, is to understand the process well enough that you're making decisions based on information rather than whoever made the most convincing case at the last family dinner.
If you're thinking about selling in London and want to walk through the full before, during, and after before you commit to anything, that's exactly where to start.
Ready to understand the full process before anything is signed? Reach out for a private conversation — no pressure, no pitch, and no Aunt Thelma required.
Also find me at tylacroix.com and Totally Preachless
