Could we keep the house for a while and take turns living there with the children?
It has a name — nesting — and yes, some Minnesota parents do it. The children stay in the house; the parents rotate in and out, usually sharing an apartment or staying with family on off weeks. The appeal is real. School stays stable, bedrooms stay theirs, and nobody packs a suitcase except the adults.
It works best as a bridge, not a destination. You're funding the house plus at least one other place, and you stay financially tied to each other — shared mortgage, shared repairs, shared decisions. The arrangements that end well tend to have an end written in: a date or a trigger for the sale, set in the decree. That's your attorney's drafting work; I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice.
When the nesting season ends, I'll handle the sale calmly. The house did its job. Just call.
I wrote this answer, and I stand behind it. I'm Chris Deutsch, a Minneapolis Realtor (MN #20382264). Twenty-five years of walking these neighborhoods, checking basements, and sitting across kitchen tables from people making exactly this call. I re-check every answer and date it — this one was last verified .
If your situation is more specific than the market, that's the one worth talking through. Email me at chris@lakesarearealty.com.