What does a home buyer pay for your house during a divorce?

A home buyer always starts with the open market value: the price your property would likely fetch if you were to put it on the market calmly through an estate agent. From that value, they then deduct a number of items to arrive at a bid.

Broadly speaking, there are four:

• Renovation and works. A home buyer calculates what needs to be done to make the property ready for sale or rental, from an outdated bathroom to the roof, insulation, or electrics.
• Risk. The buyer purchases without being able to resell the property first. Market fluctuations, setbacks during renovation, and vacancy are built into that risk margin.
• Speed and certainty premium. You get a quick, fixed sale without suspensive conditions. That certainty has a price, and it is factored into the bid.
• Profit margin. Like any business, a home buyer also wants to retain something from the resale.

What you ultimately keep is therefore lower than the market value, but it is a net amount without the costs that come with a traditional sale.

There is no legally fixed percentage. In Belgian practice, you usually see a bid between 15 and 30 percent below the open market value. Where you end up depends heavily on your property.

A well-maintained property in a sought-after location is usually at the upper end of the range, so closer to the market value. A property that requires a lot of work, is difficult to sell, or is in a less demanded neighbourhood often sits at the lower end. Your own time pressure also plays a role: if you want to sell very quickly, you have less room for negotiation.

In a divorce, do not calculate with the emotional value of your home, but with a sober market value. An independent valuation by a land surveyor expert or estate agent gives you an objective starting point to test each bid against.

A lower sale price initially feels contradictory. Yet you get real benefits in return, and part of the price difference is simply earned back because certain costs disappear.

When selling through an estate agent in Belgium, you typically pay a commission of about 2 to 3.5 percent of the sale price, excluding VAT, with 21 percent VAT on top. On a property of 300,000 euros, that quickly adds up to several thousand euros. When selling to a home buyer, those estate agent fees are eliminated.

Additionally, you get:

• No viewing days. No strangers in your home, no weekends reserved. In a divorce, that is often a great relief.
• Certainty and speed. Where a traditional sale can take months, a home buyer often completes the purchase within a few weeks.
• No suspensive condition for a loan. Many home buyers purchase without a financing condition, so the sale does not fall through at the last minute because a buyer cannot secure their loan.

For couples who are separating, that clarity weighs heavily. A quick, certain sale makes it possible to draw a line financially and mentally.

Selling below market value is allowed, but there is a tax limit. The tax authorities check whether the sale price approximates the true value of the property.

In Flanders, the rule of thumb is that a price more than about one-eighth (12.5 percent) below the market value can attract the attention of the Flemish tax authorities. They may then consider the sale (partly) as a gift, on which gift tax is due. The registration tax is in any case calculated on the normal sale value, not on an artificially low price.

When selling between unrelated parties, such as to a professional home buyer, this is rarely a problem: it is a normal market transaction between parties without a personal connection. It mainly plays a role when you sell below the price to a family member or acquaintance. In that case, have your notary correctly record the market value. The registration tax itself is, by the way, paid by the buyer, not by you as the seller.

The rates and thresholds differ per region between Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. This is general information and not tax advice. Present your specific situation to your notary, lawyer, or accountant before you sign.

The most important rule: never blindly accept the first bid. Precisely because there is no fixed percentage, proposals for the same property can vary significantly. Comparing multiple offers side by side is the only way to know whether a bid is truly market-conform.

When comparing, do not only look at the amount, but at the full picture:

• Is the bid fixed, or still subject to conditions?
• Are there suspensive or resolutive conditions?
• Who bears which costs?
• How quickly can the deed be passed before the notary?
• Do you get everything in writing before you sign anything?

That is precisely what our free comparator is for. Your property is presented to multiple home buyers at once, you receive non-binding proposals, and you choose yourself whether and with whom you proceed. Especially in a divorce, where both partners deserve a correct and transparent process, that brings peace and clarity for everyone.

Selling to a home buyer is neither a good nor a bad choice in itself. It is a trade-off between price on the one hand and speed, certainty, and convenience on the other. Weigh both sides honestly.

Advantages:

• Quick sale, often within a few weeks
• Certainty: a fixed bid, usually without a financing condition
• No estate agent fees and no viewing days
• Sale in the state the property is in, without having to renovate first
• Clarity, which often weighs heaviest in a divorce

Disadvantages:

• A sale price below the open market value
• Limited room for negotiation on the price
• Less suitable if you have all the time and want the highest return

If you are in no hurry and your property is in good condition, a traditional sale through an estate agent may yield more. If you want speed, certainty, and a clean slate, a home buyer is a valid option, especially if you compare multiple offers.