Nesting: the kids stay in the house, the parents rotate

How it is usually set up

1. The house stays as it is. Both names on the deed and the loan, the mortgage paid from the joint account or split in writing.
2. A second place: one small apartment the parents share on their off weeks (cheapest, and the one that breaks first), or a room each with family, or two apartments.
3. The rotation matches the parenting plan. Week on, week off; or 2-2-5-5. The parent in the house has the kids.
4. An end date and a trigger. "Through May 30" or "until the house closes." Written into the temporary orders or the stipulation.

The written rules that keep it from blowing up

• Who pays the mortgage, utilities, groceries in the house, and the apartment.
• Cleaning and repairs: the house is handed over in the same condition.
• No new partners in the family home during nesting.
• Privacy: a locked room or closet for each parent, or nothing personal left behind.
• What happens if one parent misses a payment or a hand-off.
• How it ends: the sale terms, the buyout deadline, or the date one parent moves out for good.

The catches

Ending it well

Decide the house on the numbers by the end date: one parent qualifies and buys the other out, or it sells and both parents buy or rent inside the same area. We give both of you the same written valuation while nesting is still working, so the end of it is a closing date, not a fight. The second-home checklist.