Written for parents

Two homes the kids go between: the second-home checklist

Once the house is decided, most families need a second home, and often two. The one that works is chosen by the parenting plan, not by the listing photos. Here is the checklist we use with parents, and the way we search.

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Distance

Inside the plan's drive time

If the plan assumes school drop-off from both homes, both homes have to make that drive on a Tuesday in January.

Bedrooms

A bed of their own at each home

No law requires it. Kids, evaluators and judges all notice it. Count bedrooms by the schedule, not the budget.

Area

Same attendance area if that is the plan

A move across a boundary line can force a school change or a longer drive. Check the boundary map, not the ZIP.

Money

One income, real numbers

Support counts only with a decree, a receipt history and three years left. CHFA and metroDPA help with the down payment.

The short answer

Choose the second home by the parenting plan: inside the drive time, inside the attendance area if that matters, a bedroom for each child, near the other parent. Rent for a year if income or credit is still settling; buy when the decree is final and the support history exists.

The checklist

Drive time to the other parent’s home on a weekday morning, not a Sunday. Ten to fifteen minutes is the range that keeps mid-week exchanges and forgotten backpacks survivable.
The school attendance area. If the plan is "the kids stay in their school," check the district boundary map for the exact address before you offer. Boundaries do not follow city lines or ZIP codes.
Bedrooms by schedule. A 50/50 plan means a room for each child at each home if you can; a shared room with real beds if you cannot. A couch is a temporary arrangement that evaluators write down.
The activities. Practice fields, the dance studio, the grandparents. Map them before you search.
The exchange point. Some plans exchange at school; some at a home. A home with a driveway and a door that is not shared makes exchanges calmer.
Space for the routine: a table for homework, a place for the dog, storage for the sports gear that lives in two places now.
The budget, all in. Payment, taxes, insurance, HOA and repairs under a third of take-home, support counted only to its end date.

Rent first, or buy now?

Rent for a year

When the decree is not final, support has no receipt history yet, credit has a fresh late, or you do not know the routine yet. Metro two-bedroom about $1,900 to $2,400. Buy after, with the settlement money intact.

Buy now

When the decree is signed, the support history exists, the down payment is in hand from the sale, and the parenting plan is settled enough to pick an address for years.

Condo, townhome or house?

TownhomeMetro attached median about $370,000. A bedroom per child, a small yard, HOA covers the exterior. The most common second home we sell to parents.

CondoCheapest way into the attendance area; watch the HOA dues and the bedroom count.

HouseThe yard and the dog, at a price. On one income it often means a smaller area than the old house, which is fine if the drive time works.

Duplex or ADUSome parents buy a duplex and rent the other side, or a home with an accessory unit. Income on one property; check zoning.

How we search

We take the parenting plan first: the other parent’s address, the attendance area, the drive times, the bedroom count. Then we search the full MLS inside that shape, quietly, and we tell you the real all-in payment on each home before you fall for it. Buying after divorce: qualifying alone, CHFA and metroDPA. Mike Oswald at Rate does the pre-approval; you may use any lender.

The kids first, then the numbers

The house is not the same thing as the kids' stability. Two homes they can count on usually is.

Every parent we talk to starts with the same fear: that selling the house means losing what the kids have. Sometimes keeping it is right. More often the thing the kids need (both parents close, a bedroom at each home, the same friends and activities) is possible in two smaller homes, and the house is what pays for them.

We give both parents the same written number at the same time, tell you what one income carries, and help you find the second home inside the parenting plan. Nothing here is logged to an account, and we contact you only if you say yes.

A written valuation to both parents, free

The one-income number a lender will approve

Homes inside your parenting-plan distance

A discovery call with no pitch

Book a discovery call

Where to go next

Plain-language education, not advice. Divorce Decisions is published by The Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC, a real estate team. Nothing here is legal, tax, lending or financial advice, and reading it does not create any professional relationship. Colorado law and lender rules change; confirm anything that matters to your case with a licensed Colorado attorney, a tax professional, and your lender. See our full disclaimer.

Call your Colorado divorce agent

Questions about the house, the deed or the decree?

Call us today to talk through your situation and how we can help. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree.

Call today 303-955-4220 Download the free divorce-home guide

Ask us to find the second home

Tell us the parenting schedule, the other parent's area and the bedroom count. We search inside that shape and send you the all-in payment on each home.

Call or text 303-955-4220

A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Prefer email? homes@kennarealestate.com