Being married to the right person was helpful in formulating a tip that a divorce lawyer shared on how splitting couples can bolster the sale price of their soon-to-be-liquidated home.

The key to preserving the house's value is keeping potential buyers from knowing if the couple has plans to reduce the price in case the house doesn't sell by a certain date in the divorce process, said Jon Hedgepeth of Hedgepeth, Heredia & Rieder. Such details need to be worked out and recorded, but if they're included in the divorce settlement agreement and filed with the court—as they often are—potential buyers can wait until the day the price drops to make their offer.

“What we recommend instead is a side agreement,” Hedgepeth wrote on his firm's website. “It is essentially the same as a settlement agreement but it is not filed with the court and is not a public record. Instead, the side agreement is merely referenced in the settlement agreement. It is just as enforceable and ultimately may be filed with the court in the event either party needs to enforce it. However, it keeps private details of a real estate transaction out of the public eye.”