Don Moll, CDLP - "The Divorce Mortgage Guy"

Don Moll, CDLP - "The Divorce Mortgage Guy" Don Moll, The Divorce Mortgage Guy™, is a private divorce mortgage banker who has earned the Certified Divorce Lending Professional designation (CDLP®).

NMLS #: 1939888
Company NMLS #130562

Centennial Lending Group
1126 Horsham Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002

Supports Equal Housing Opportunity

One spouse keeps the house. The other takes half the equity. On paper, it's even.Ten years later, it usually isn't. And ...
08/04/2026

One spouse keeps the house. The other takes half the equity. On paper, it's even.

Ten years later, it usually isn't. And in some cases, the agreement can't be carried out at all.

This month's issue of Divorce Housing Insights looks at both halves of that problem: why an equal split of today's equity rarely stays equal, and what happens when a settlement assumes a refinance the retaining spouse can't qualify for. The case study walks through an agreement requiring a $450,000 refinance against roughly $291,000 of actual borrowing capacity.

That gap is findable at intake. It is very expensive to find after the decree.

If you have a case where one party wants to keep the marital home, I'm glad to run the numbers with you before anything is signed.

Read the full article here: https://divorcebriefings.com/4xjN3nM

Possession resolves occupancy. It does not resolve ownership.In divorce cases involving real property, decree language a...
08/01/2026

Possession resolves occupancy. It does not resolve ownership.

In divorce cases involving real property, decree language alone does not eliminate:

• Ongoing title liability
• Exposure to future liens or judgments
• Refinance infeasibility
• Equity distribution ambiguity
• Tax reporting complications
• Long-term “phantom ownership”

When title and mortgage feasibility aren’t evaluated together, the risk doesn’t disappear — it simply becomes tomorrow’s problem.

Family law practitioners who proactively assess title structure before settlement reduce post-decree disputes, failed refinances, and unintended financial exposure.

This month’s newsletter breaks down why title strategy must be addressed alongside settlement terms — not after.

Read it here: https://divorcebriefings.com/4l8kLHV

If real property is part of the case, a forward-looking mortgage and title analysis should be part of the legal strategy.

We're in the hottest stretch of the year, and divorce often follows a similar pattern: everything feels most urgent at t...
07/28/2026

We're in the hottest stretch of the year, and divorce often follows a similar pattern: everything feels most urgent at the peak of it.

But the heat breaks. Mortgage terms don't.

"You keep the house" is among the most common sentences in a settlement conversation, and among the least tested before it becomes binding. By the time many files reach me, the agreement is already signed, and that is when we discover that the refinance will not approve, that the buyout cannot be funded as worded, or that a name remains on a note it was never intended to stay on.

These are answerable questions, and they are answerable early:
• Does the qualifying income support the loan on a single signature?
• Is a refinance realistic under current conditions, and if not, what is the alternative?
• How will the buyout actually be funded?
• Whose name comes off the note, and on what timeline?

As a Certified Divorce Lending Professional, I do not practice law and I do not advocate for either party. My role is to provide the mortgage analysis, so that you and your attorney are working from verified numbers rather than assumptions.

If you are navigating this now, please reach out to me directly. If your divorce is already final and the housing terms are not working, reach out as well. Post-decree options are available more often than most people are told.

Keeping the house isn’t the same as affording the house.Make sure the numbers support the decision.In the middle of a di...
07/25/2026

Keeping the house isn’t the same as affording the house.
Make sure the numbers support the decision.

In the middle of a divorce, it’s natural to want stability. For many people, that stability feels tied to the home.

But keeping the house means more than just staying in it. It means qualifying for the mortgage on your own. It means understanding how support income is calculated. It means knowing whether the monthly payment, taxes, insurance, and maintenance truly fit your post-divorce budget.

Divorce agreements are negotiated one way. Mortgage approvals are evaluated another.

Before you agree to keep the home, make sure the financial reality aligns with the settlement terms. A decision that feels right emotionally also needs to work long term.

If you’re unsure whether keeping the house is financially sustainable, reach out. I can help you review your options and make an informed decision that protects your next chapter.

A settlement provision I see fairly often: "The balance of the escrow account is awarded to [spouse]."It is clear, both ...
07/21/2026

A settlement provision I see fairly often: "The balance of the escrow account is awarded to [spouse]."

It is clear, both parties understand it, and the servicer cannot act on it.

When the existing loan pays off, the servicer refunds the escrow balance to the mortgagee of record. If only one spouse was on that loan, that is who receives the check, regardless of what the decree says. If both were, the check is payable to both and needs both signatures.

The fix is small. The agreement has to name a mechanism, not just an award. Who endorses it, who remits it, by when, or whether the amount is simply credited elsewhere so no transfer is needed at all.

Same idea applies to the tax year the parties owned the home jointly, to reassessment on transfer, and to exemptions that do not survive a change in occupancy.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/4pxwSjV

In divorce cases involving real property, I often see decisions driven by emotional attachment, anchoring to unrealistic...
07/18/2026

In divorce cases involving real property, I often see decisions driven by emotional attachment, anchoring to unrealistic numbers, or assumptions about future financing.

The reality is this: If the numbers don’t work in practice, the settlement doesn’t work in real life.

Financial biases, like loss aversion or anchoring to early settlement numbers, can significantly influence negotiations and long-term outcomes. Bringing objective financial analysis into the process helps ensure decisions are based on data, not assumptions.

If real property is part of the settlement, determining value and feasibility early can make the difference between a workable agreement and future restructuring.

Read the article here:
https://www.divorcelendingassociation.com/blog/financial-biases-in-divorce-strategies-for-divorce-financial-planning.cfm

If you’re an attorney, mediator, or financial professional and want to incorporate mortgage feasibility and valuation strategy into your cases, I’m always happy to collaborate.

Divorce isn’t only about dividing assets—it’s about creating a sustainable future. The marital home plays a critical rol...
07/16/2026

Divorce isn’t only about dividing assets—it’s about creating a sustainable future. The marital home plays a critical role in that process.

As a CDLP®, I help divorcing clients and their professional teams evaluate the home not just for its emotional significance, but also for its financial impact and mortgage feasibility.

This article dives into what really matters when the marital home is part of the settlement. http://bit.ly/3IpbV9S

A successful divorce settlement isn't just about reaching an agreement, it's about creating a plan that works long after...
07/14/2026

A successful divorce settlement isn't just about reaching an agreement, it's about creating a plan that works long after the paperwork is signed.

As a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP®), I help uncover the housing and mortgage implications that can impact a settlement before decisions become final. Together, we can develop a realistic divorce housing plan that supports your financial future and helps create a stronger, more sustainable outcome.

If you're navigating divorce or are in the process of negotiating a settlement, let's have a conversation about your options before you make one of the biggest financial decisions of your life.

Reach out to me directly to learn how a divorce housing plan can help you move forward with confidence.

In many divorce cases, the marital home is the largest asset on the balance sheet, but its value is often one of the mos...
07/09/2026

In many divorce cases, the marital home is the largest asset on the balance sheet, but its value is often one of the most misunderstood figures in the entire settlement.

The valuation assigned to real property directly affects:
• Equity distribution between parties
• Buyout calculations
• Support negotiations
• The feasibility of one spouse retaining the home

Using an inaccurate or unsupported value can create downstream problems, disputes between parties, settlement delays, or housing outcomes that are difficult to implement.

It’s also important to recognize that not all valuation methods serve the same purpose. Online estimates, comparative market analyses, and formal appraisals each have different levels of reliability and different roles within the divorce process. Selecting the appropriate valuation method is essential to building a defensible agreement.

As a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP®), I often work with divorce teams to connect the valuation of the property to the practical realities of financing, equity access, and settlement implementation. Accurate numbers are not just helpful, they are foundational to durable, enforceable agreements.

If you work with cases involving real property and would like to better understand how valuation and mortgage feasibility intersect, feel free to reach out or connect. I’m always glad to be a resource.


Summer often brings a shift in pace, making it an ideal time to revisit cases, prepare for the months ahead, and help cl...
07/07/2026

Summer often brings a shift in pace, making it an ideal time to revisit cases, prepare for the months ahead, and help clients make informed decisions about their future.

For family law professionals, one of the most important conversations to have before a settlement is finalized is whether the proposed housing solution is actually sustainable.

As a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP®), I work alongside attorneys and other divorce professionals to evaluate mortgage financing, affordability, and settlement terms before agreements are signed. Identifying potential issues early can help reduce surprises after the divorce and better position clients for long-term success.

This month's newsletter explores why summer is the perfect time to evaluate the house and how proactive Divorce Mortgage Planning can strengthen the divorce planning process.

Read the full newsletter here: https://divorcebriefings.com/summer

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
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