Divorce and your mortgage, handled with care.

A divorce is hard enough without a mortgage adding to the stress. Who keeps the house? Can you afford it on one income? How do you get the other person off the loan? These questions have real answers, and getting them right early can save a lot of money and heartache later. Brian Mutter is a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP) who helps Michigan clients — and their attorneys — work through the financing side of divorce calmly and clearly.

What a CDLP actually does

Most loan officers handle a divorce refinance the same way they’d handle any other loan. A Certified Divorce Lending Professional is trained for the place where mortgage rules and divorce law overlap — where the wording of a decree, the timing of a refinance, and how income and support are treated can change what’s possible. The goal is simple: help you make decisions today that still work years down the road.

The situations we help with

Keeping the home

Figuring out, honestly, whether you can qualify and afford the house on your own.

Removing a spouse from the mortgage

Usually done by refinancing into one name; we’ll explain why a quit claim deed alone doesn’t do it.

Equity buyouts

Structuring a refinance so one spouse can buy out the other’s share of the home’s equity.

Qualifying on one income

How support payments may or may not count, and what lenders actually look for.

Timing and decree language

Coordinating with your attorney so the divorce agreement and the loan don’t work against each other.

Brian Mutter

Loan Officer · NMLS #1109257 · CDLP

Certified Divorce Lending Professional. Brian works directly with clients and Michigan family-law attorneys to navigate the financing side of divorce.

The honest part

Sometimes the right answer is to keep the house. Sometimes it’s to sell and start fresh. We’re not here to talk you into a loan you’ll regret — if the numbers say keeping the home would stretch you too thin, we’ll tell you that plainly, so you can make the decision with clear eyes. That’s the same honest-math approach we bring to every loan.

For family-law attorneys

If you’re an attorney or mediator, having a CDLP at the table early can prevent expensive surprises — a decree that’s worded in a way the lender can’t work with, or a buyout that falls apart at underwriting. Brian regularly partners with Michigan family-law professionals to pressure-test the financing before the ink dries. Reach out anytime to talk through a client’s situation.

A calm conversation, whenever you’re ready

There’s no pressure and no obligation — just a clear-headed look at your options. Call or text Brian at (248) 956-0445, or send a message and we’ll take it from there.

Talk through your situation →

For more on Brian’s divorce-lending work, visit divorcemortgageplanner.com.

Note: This page is for general education and is not legal or tax advice. Decisions about a divorce should be made with your attorney and, where appropriate, a tax professional.

Divorce mortgage FAQs

How do I remove my ex-spouse from our mortgage in Michigan?

In most cases, the only way to remove someone from a mortgage is to refinance the loan into the remaining spouse’s name alone. A quit claim deed can change who’s on the title, but it does not remove anyone from the mortgage debt — the lender still holds both people responsible until the loan is refinanced or paid off. We’ll walk you through which applies to your situation, as well as any potential solution.

Can I keep the house after a divorce?

Often, yes — if you can qualify for the mortgage on your own and the monthly payment fits your post-divorce budget. We’ll run honest numbers with you, including any equity buyout, so you know whether keeping the home truly works before you commit to it.

What is an equity buyout?

It’s when one spouse keeps the home and “buys out” the other’s share of the equity, often by refinancing and pulling cash from the home to pay them. The structure and timing matter, and they need to line up with your divorce decree — exactly the kind of thing a CDLP coordinates.

Should I handle the mortgage before or during the divorce?

It’s best to involve a Certified Divorce Lending Professional early, ideally while the agreement is still being drafted — or even better, before filing for divorce. The way support, property, and timing are written into the decree can directly affect what financing is possible afterward. We work alongside your attorney — we don’t replace their legal advice. And once divorce has been filed for, your financing options are basically closed until the case is resolved.