What do we tell buyers about why we're selling?

Your reason stays private

Buyers' agents sometimes ask why a house is on the market, because a seller in a hurry might take less. My answer is that the sellers have decided to sell, and that's the whole answer. Under ORS 696.805, a seller's agent owes the seller loyalty, and confidential information stays confidential even after the agency ends.

Neither of you has to explain anything. Not at a showing, not in an offer.

If a buyer's agent presses, or a neighbor at an open house asks, I bring the conversation back to the house, its condition and the terms, because those are the things a buyer actually needs to decide.

Material facts are a different duty

Privacy about your reasons doesn't extend to the house. The same statute says a seller's agent owes all parties honesty, good faith and disclosure of known material facts, so a failing water heater, a past leak or a boundary problem gets disclosed whether or not it's awkward.

If you're unsure whether something is a material fact, ask me and ask your attorney. Don't decide alone.

Keep the house quiet

Houses can tell stories on their own. Before photos and showings, put away legal papers, court mail and anything on the fridge that mentions the case, and agree that neither of you will chat with buyers or neighbors about the sale. If one of you still lives there, how do showings work if one of us lives there? covers the logistics.

My marketing describes the home itself. The listing is about the house, start to finish. I don't describe a house by who it suits, and I never advertise your situation.

If buyers hear anyway

Sometimes a buyer learns about a divorce from public court records or a mutual friend. That's not a crisis. It doesn't change what the house is worth, and an offer is still just an offer, presented to both of you at the same time. If a low offer arrives with a comment about your situation, we treat it like any other low offer and answer it on the numbers alone, with a counteroffer both of you have approved. Your attorney can tell you whether anything in your case calls for a different response.