Brevard County · Buying
Buying after a divorce in Brevard County
A clear budget for one income and the steps from there.
Free · Agents who know Brevard County · Every step in one app
Buying a home after a divorce can stir up a lot at once: grief, relief, worry about money, and sometimes the feeling of starting over from behind. If you are planning on one income now, or still waiting on a final judgment, it’s easy to feel stuck.
All of that is normal. Many people buy again after a divorce, and the steps are the same ones every buyer takes. A few extra papers come into play, and timing matters a little more.
There is a clear path: build a budget on your income alone, find out what the lender needs from your divorce papers, check your credit, and then look at homes at a pace that feels right to you.
What’s different for you
- Set a one-income budget. An honest estimate for your new situation.
- Get pre-approved. Lenders may ask about your settlement.
- Start fresh, step by step. Every step in plain words.
When you start in CloseHive from this page, your plan already includes these steps, along with the usual ones for buying in Brevard County. You always see what to do next, and your agent handles the how.
What to know
Lenders want to understand your new picture
A lender has to know your income and your debts, and a divorce can change both. Lenders often ask for the final judgment and the settlement agreement before they approve a loan. If your case isn’t final yet, ask the lender what they can accept now and what has to wait.
Support you pay or receive is part of the math
If you pay or receive alimony or other court-ordered support, the lender will look at it. Payments you make reduce what you can borrow. Payments you receive may help you qualify if the lender can verify them and expects them to continue; ask how they count them and what proof they need.
Joint accounts can still show on your credit
Your credit report lists accounts in your name, including ones you shared with your former spouse. A shared account can keep showing until it is closed, paid off or moved into one name. Check your reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com, which the Federal Trade Commission calls the only authorized site for free reports, and ask your attorney how your agreement handles shared debts.
Ownership of the old home changes
Florida spouses often own a home as tenants by the entirety. Florida law says that when the marriage ends, the owners become tenants in common, meaning each former spouse owns a share. If you still own part of the old home or are still on its mortgage, a new lender may count that payment as your debt until it is sold, refinanced or settled as your agreement says.
You may still count for some first-time buyer programs
Federal law says a single parent, or a person who was a full-time homemaker, can’t be denied a federal first-time homebuyer program just because they owned a home with a spouse while married. Each program has its own rules, so ask the program or a HUD-approved housing counselor.
Your homestead exemption and Save Our Homes
Florida’s homestead exemption is for a home you own and live in as your permanent home on January 1; in Brevard, apply by March 1. Save Our Homes limits how much the taxed value of a homestead can rise each year, to 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. You may be able to move all or part of that savings to a new homestead if you set it up within three years of January 1 of the year you left the old one. When former spouses split, the rules for dividing that savings are specific, so ask the Property Appraiser.
Your parenting plan can shape where you buy
If you share time under a parenting plan, the schedule and exchanges may matter when you choose an area and a move date. Check with your family law attorney before a move that could affect the plan.
Your options
What to gather
- Your final judgment and marital settlement agreement, or a note from your attorney on where the case stands
- Proof of any support you pay or receive, and how long it lasts
- Your free credit reports, with any shared accounts marked
- Recent pay stubs, W-2s or tax returns, and two or more months of bank statements
- A one-income monthly budget that includes taxes, insurance and repairs
- Papers on the old home: who keeps it, who pays its mortgage, or proof it was sold
- Your parenting plan schedule, if it affects where you need to live
- Questions for your family law attorney about buying before or after the case ends
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying before talking to your attorney. A purchase during an open case can affect how property is divided. Ask your family law attorney first.
- Budgeting on two incomes out of habit. Build the budget on what you alone earn and receive now, plus a cushion.
- Forgetting shared accounts. Review your credit reports and close, pay or move shared accounts as your agreement allows.
- Missing the homestead deadline. Apply by March 1 after you move in, and ask the Property Appraiser what happens to the old homestead.
Brevard County in numbers
- The typical home in Brevard County is worth about $339,600, and 77% of homes are lived in by their owners.
- Typical rent here is about $1,556 a month, including utilities.
Free help
Questions people ask
Can I buy before my divorce is final?
Lenders often need the final papers; ask yours early.
Can I buy a house before my divorce is final in Florida?
It may be possible, but lenders often want the final judgment and settlement first, and a purchase during the case can affect how property is divided. Talk with your family law attorney and your lender before you sign a contract.
Will alimony count as income for a mortgage?
It can, if the lender can verify it and expects it to continue. Each lender sets its own rules, so ask how they count it and what papers they need.
Will my former spouse’s debt show on my credit?
Accounts you shared can appear on your report until they are closed, paid or moved into one name. Check your reports and ask your attorney how your agreement handles them.
Am I a first-time homebuyer again after a divorce?
Many programs define a first-time buyer as someone who hasn’t owned a home for a set time. Federal law also protects single parents and former homemakers from being denied federal first-time programs just because they owned with a spouse. Each program sets its own rules.
My name is still on the old mortgage. Can I still buy?
Possibly, but the lender may count that payment as your debt. A sale of that home, a refinance by your former spouse or the terms of your agreement can change that, so ask your lender what papers they need.
What happens to my homestead exemption?
The exemption follows the home you live in as your permanent residence on January 1. Ask the Brevard County Property Appraiser how your divorce affects the old homestead and whether any Save Our Homes savings can move to your new home.
How do I figure out what I can afford on one income?
Start with your take-home pay and support, then subtract your debts and a cushion for savings. A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk through a budget with you, and a lender’s preapproval shows what they would lend.
Where can I get free help with court forms?
The Eighteenth Judicial Circuit has a self-help page for people handling family cases in Brevard County. For advice on your case, talk with a family law attorney; The Florida Bar’s referral service can help you find one.